LIVELIHOOD.

POTTERY:

Pottery is a traditional form of cottage industry of Majuli. Pots were generally exchanged for paddy, which is the staple food of the inhabitants of this island. Therefore, especially after the harvesting season the potters travel from village to village to exchange pots for paddy. Historically pots were marketed from Dhuburi to Sadiya along the Brahmaputra. Kumars are the main communities practicing pottery in the Majuli. The Kumars are concentrated mainly in Salmora, Chinatoli and Daksinpath i.e. mostly in the south-eastern area of the Majuli. They use a different technique of pottery making in which the potter's wheel is not used. Clay is beaten by hand to give the form of the utensils. These methods suggest a historic origin of this activity.

PROCESS

Once again, the annual weather patterns prevalent on the island govern the manufacture processes of pottery practiced. During the pre monsoon period, the earth is dug with shallow pits spread wide to store earth during the floods. During the flood season of June to September, alluvial deposition occurs during flood on river banks filling the cavities and dugouts left after extraction of clay. There is predominant infilling of dugouts with clay deposits from heavy silt and sandy loam discharge.

The post flood season in Majuli is the predominant trading time for the 26 varieties of earthen pots produced such as mola, nadia, choru, pati kalah, becha lkalah, chaki etc. The women prepare the puddle with clay, silt sandy mix for primary lump. The making of pots is primarily a woman's job. They give it shape by hand, dry it in the sun and bake it in a furnace. The men prepare the furnace with bamboo, banana leaves and driftwood. Drift wood and other fuel wood are used to fire the furnace for 8 hours and 4 hours alternatively. Burnt furnaces with smoke and bright red appearances continue to dominate landscape for days and nights. The higher water level also helps in transporting the finished products to markets and trade centers.

PRESENT STATUS

Nearly 5000 people depend on this traditional style of pot making for their livelihood. Pottery is a hereditary profession. It is practiced by the successive generations of the community members, irrespective of their castes. Potters are dependent on the river Brahmaputra as it provides clay required for making pots. The river is also the prime means of transportation for trade of the pots. The tools required to make pots are made from locally available timber and bamboo. These are made by the potters themselves.

MATERIAL RESOURCE BASE

Glutinous clay is obtained from the river banks of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries which form a network of water channels which are significant in overall drainage system of the Majuli Island. Clay required for making pots is procured from clay pits about 30 feet deep from the ground along the banks of the river. These get replenished during the annual floods of the river. Hence, the availability of the clay is in abundance. The tools required for making pots are made from the locally available timber by potters themselves.

In high floods, driftwoods from the upper reaches of Arunachal, Naga Hills and other tributaries floating in the Brahmaputra River are caught with boat. The collection continues till night and lasts almost entire flood time. Woods are staked in the front yard of the house, used for firewood in the firing of the kiln. It is a community activity with sharing of firewood between the people.

WEAVING

Weaving is an important aspect of the cultural life of the people of the Majuli Island. Every house irrespective of caste, creed and social status, has a loom. It is a traditional industry that can be traced back to very ancient period. In ancient times, kings are believed to be wearing clothes from Mezankori plant. This plant is used for rearing muga larvae. Weaving is practiced by the inhabitants of Majuli mainly for utility purposes. Traditionally, weaving is done by womenfolk. It is practiced by most of the communities residing in Majuli. Generally a family's requirement of cloth is met by cloth woven at home. The tools required for weaving are indigenous in nature, made from locally available bamboo and timber like looms, ugha, chereki, mako and neathani etc. Raw materials required by weavers are mainly cotton silk from cocoons and mulberry leafs etc.

TRADITIONAL PROCESS

The traditional process of weaving closely follows the annual seasonal changes prevalent in Majuli. Depending on the weather conditions- indoor or outdoor breeding is taken up. Working on the loom indoors or in semi-open or open areas also follows the weather.The mulberry leaves are cut for feeding the paat worm (bombyx textor and bombyx croeci) mostly fed and bred indoors. The endi worm (attacus recini) is reared entirely indoors and castor leaves are fed. The product is endi cloth. The muga silk worm (anthracoea assamoea) is fed on the leave of sum tree (machilus bombycina) and is semi - domesticated because it is reared upon in the trees in open air. However, rearing of worms is mostly practiced in the pre-monsoon period as the women are little less tied up with field work. The Yogi communities on the other hand continue to do the rearing and threading throughout the whole year. In the month of April, during the first day of the Bohag month (the goru bihu) preservation of the seed is done with turmeric and matimah (pulse) paste strewn over, and kept inside an airtight box wrapped with a silk cloth. This process can store the seed for a whole year or for a considerable amount of time. Whenever required the silk cloth is opened and the seeds start to fertilize. Usually the opening and closing happens on the goru bihu day. The paat silk is reared indoor with five moulting stages of 29-34 days for winter and 15-21 days in summer, on a bamboo sieve called chandarai with circular pattern for cocoons to breed. The cocoons are boiled in water and the threads/necha is pulled out, to be washed or bleached with water mixed with burnt dimaru scale (alkaline agent). A fine light yellow thread is produced from this paat polu.

The women folk get busy in the setting of the weaving loom in the month of late February onwards with jatar, neothani etc. The activity gains momentum during late March for weaving cotton cloth (Gamocha -Bihuwan) which is presented to loved and respected ones during Post Bohag bihu the women get involved in paddy fields. Once the seedlings are transplanted, a few women get back to the loom mostly for teaching the technique to the young girls. The climate becomes hot and humid with maximum 86% of RH and temperature 37°C. The items woven are chadar, ribi gasheng etc.The yogis continue to rear the paat silk predominantly. Production of silk items such as kingkhap, Balichori,cheleng are done. The endi and muga need open air and not reared much as this is the high rainfall and flood season. During the post-monsoon season from October to November, the lesser occurrence of rainfall and receding flood waters helps castor seeds germinate. The castor leaves are fed to the endi worm indoors. Moulting takes place for 21 days in winter/cold and 14 days in summer. The cocoons are formed in dry banana or betel nut leaves indoor. The underside of the sum tree is cut clean of shrubby bush. The trees are clustered as grove in the backyard of a homestead. After cleaning the leaves, the air is smoked up with thatch to make it free from insects and ants. Prayer and offerings are made prior to the moulting and leaving of the larvae in the tree. The process of feeding continues for a month with five changes of moult. The cocoons are formed indoor on dry stalks of castor or other plants. There is again a little lull in the weaving activity during the start of the harvesting season starting in December. Womenfolk get involved in production of endi cloth (a warm cloth) from mid and late November. New seedlings are traded or brought from other places. There is fervent participation from the older and the younger women in weaving activities.

MATERIAL RESOURCE BASE

Bamboo and timber are traditionally used to make looms which is easily available in Majuli. Cotton, silk, muga, pat and eri are the type of raw material required for weaving cloth. Cotton is extracted from bombax ceiba or simul tree which is a common species in Majuli. Hence it is available both within Sattras as well as outside it.

Silk, muga and mulberry are reared by locals for getting threads. For rearing these larvae, locals need to plant trees on which they thrive like leaves of Litsea cubeba (Mezangkori) which are eaten by muga larvae. Morinda angustifolia (Asu gas) is used to make red colored dye by mixing its dust with lime. This dye is used in coloring of cotton cloth.

PRESENT STATUS

Majority of families of Majuli Island are involved in weaving. Traditional dresses of males and females are woven at the household level. Hand woven mekhla, chaddars, riha, churia, cheleng, borkapor etc. are some of the dress materials prepared by them.Different communities of Majuli are engaged in weaving. Some of the communities like the Katani and the Yogi or Nath are considered to be weavers' communities. The Mishing community of the Island is known for weaving of silk cloth along with cotton cloth. Silk from cocoons are produced at the household level. Eggs of cocoons are supplied by sericulture department of the government. Their main occupation is weaving along with agriculture. Villages like Sonari Atti, Lezep Chuk village are predominantly dependent on weaving.

Traditionally, the people of Majuli were dependent on hand woven materials which were produced at the level of each household. The elder women of the weaver's family teach the art to the younger generation. Men folk take the responsibility of selling of finished clothes while extraction of silk thread from cocoons and weaving are the responsibilities of women.

In the present context, people have also adopted the style of wearing stitched clothes along with traditional clothes. Hence, the demand of hand-woven clothes is fulfilled at the local level. Marketing of prepared cloth is carried out on a small scale and they are sold at the nearby urban centers.