FOLK SONG
The folk songs are generally divided into different groups by different scholars. The folk songs can be sub-grouped into following :-
(i) Devotional song, (A:bangs)
(ii) Love song, (Oi-Nitom)
(iii) Song of lamentation (Kaban)
(iv) Lullaby, (Ko Ni:name)
(v) Nursery rhyme, (Moman)
(vi) Weeding song, (Midang Ni:tom)
A:bangs
The devotional songs called ‘A:bangs’ occupy a unique position in the lifestream of the Mising community. It is a verse of hymn of praise and worship for God or Goddess. It narrates not only the pray songs of the supernatural but also the different modes and ways of life of the Mising people. The A:bangs are the earliest known verbal songs of the community. The A:bangs are performed by the ‘Mibus’, the priest of the community. The A:bangs are regarded as hymns which can be sung only by the Mibus.
Kaban
The songs of lamentation are termed Kaban in the Mising community. These are the expressions of sorrows and grieve. Kabans are usually sung by a deserted lover or a bereaved person at the death of someone close. Kabans are sung recollecting the sweet memories of the past. The classification of Kabans (Kuli, 1998) are-(1) ‘Meˊ:bo Kaban’ where Meˊ:bo denotes a youth, expresses sorrows and worries or love lost prematurely. (2) ‘Do:bo Kaban’ means the songs of lamentation of the aged bachelor group of the community. (3) ‘Yamné Kaban’ are grief songs expressed by a bride during her marriage ceremony. The contents of these songs are usually the feeling of her separation from her parents and relatives. (4) ‘Do:ying Kaban’ are narrative songs based on gallantry or tragic events of some deserted lovers. Examples of ‘Do:ying Kaban’ are Deobar-Dentali, Binod-Pipoli etc. (5) ‘Pumsu Kabans’ are sung by a couple usually in old age remembering their happy days of the past. These are songs to express happy recollection of the past. (6) ‘Tumbo Kaban’ where Tumbo means widower, sung by a widower recollecting his/her short happy married life. (7) Boné Kaban’ signifies the lamentation of non-union of a lover with his/her beloved. It expresses the yearning of the lover.
Oi-nitom
The most popular folksong among the Mising people is Oi-Nitom which refers to love songs through which the lovers express and exchange their romantic thoughts over the love affairs and communicate to each other secretly or open (Rukbo, 1991). They are no longer confined only to the youth, people from all
sections of age group can sing and enjoy the melody of these songs. ‘Oi’ signifies love and affection; ‘Ni’ meaning to console or lull, and ‘tom’ refers to one who is consoled and lulled. These songs are enjoyed by Misings of all ages because of their rich imagination and soothing melody. They are very rich in imagery and other figures of speech. The extempore composition of these songs reflects the socio-cultural life of the people.
Ko-ninam
Ko-Ninam or Ko-Bininam in Mising refers to lullabies. The main theme of the lullabies is the imaginary world of a child and aspiration of the mother from her/his child. Every woman in Mising villages learns lullabies right from their childhood and baby sitters. The lullabies give expression to the heart of the mother, her aspirations from the child and also her love and affections for the child.
Moman
As in other communities, nursery rhymes are also prevalent in the Mising society. They call these rhymes ‘Moman’. Moman means to sing in gay, to sing in fun. Generally, the ‘momans’ are sung by the children while playing. As ‘momans’ are children’s songs, no particular object or fact is expressed or reflected in such songs but their compositions are rhythmic, simple and soft and quite interesting.
Midang-Ni:tom
‘Midang’ means wedding, therefore, these ‘ni:toms’ are the wedding songs. There are other forms of ‘ni:toms’ which are sung only on certain occasions.