The Wisdom of the Khasi Women

In Udem village weaving initiatives have been set up by the Khasi women using only natural plant based colour. Women supporting women has built an ecosystem that is thriving.

A Khasi woman spinning silk thread. By turning her head whilst spinning, she is making this skill look deceptively simple. She is wearing a Jain kyrshah, that is the traditional gingham Khasi cloth, often worn whilst working.

The Khasi traditional female dress is rather elaborate with several pieces of cloth, giving the body a cylindrical shape. This elegant, hand woven dress that has been made by the Udem weavers.

Both men and women work and share responsibilities equally, like here seen fishing. Native Arts photography workshops teach new scientific developments, replacing old beliefs that may harm the natural environment.

Native Arts was formed by men from the Khasi tribe with the intention of providing a platform & building a community among young artists who usually lack the necessary resources in refining and highlighting their skills. Native Arts have documented Khasi women and their initiatives. By hosting Luminous Journey Photography Workshops called "Beyond the Spectacular" that give women and men alike the chance to explore, through photography, the beauty of Khasi hills whilst learning about the importance of sustainable practices such as weaving and agriculture.

"Photography lets us capture amazing and important moments that might only last for a millisecond. As an art form, it lets us preserve wonderful moments in time and space that will never happen again. When we get really into photography, when we’ve mastered the tools to create the images, when we focus completely on the creative aspect, there’s a real and true beauty that comes into play- we become completely absorbed in the act and think of nothing else, we enter into a state of being of temporary enlightenment, in which we see the life of things. Of all the genres in photography, Landscape photography is perhaps the one art form that lets us enter into that state of enlightenment and contemplate not only on the beauty of the universe but on life itself." – Ebor Tariang, the photographer for Khasi Women Wisdom

'Mei-ri-sawkun' is an indigenous Khasi concept which means 'mother earth that cradles its children and all else that exist around them’.

Not only is Mayfreen involved in grassroots initiatives in Shillong, but also in 2016, she represented India at the United Nations Permanent Forum of Indigenous issues, at the UN Headquarters, New York, USA to lend a voice on land and cultural rights. She actively speaks out for women on a local, national, and international level. Here she is outside her home-base in Shillong by the sacred forest.

Mayfreen's mother and sister who live next door and opposite her, support her initiatives as part of the matrilineal Khasi tribe. Using her confidence she activates this in other women through policy. In December 2016, she and her team of thee young women launched a Speak Out Campaign to help marginalzed abused women who cannot afford legal fees to get representation and access in the legal system.

Post colonial history of North East India was explored through Christina's family photos. Through kinship Christina has been part of an evolving post-colonial landscape between Britain and India. From when the British first came to Assam and started trading to present day British explorers looking to understand the region.

Christina Simpson Jyrwa in 1970's Kolkata that was a modern and vibrant time across the world.

Just like in English homes, the garden, nature and herbs are important to Khasi traditions. Christina, a taller than usual Khasi woman, because of her British father is enjoying her garden in 1970's Shillong.

John Charles Palgrave Simpson's father was in tea as was his Grandfather who served for Queen Victoria. After the war, in 1948, John left the army and went to work for Williamson Magor & Co. Limited in Assam who had a long history in tea business dating back to the year 1868 and is considered to be one of the pioneers of tea business in India.

It was whilst working in nearby Assam that he came to stay at a friend's house Shillong, where he saw Christina's mother, Muklurmon Jyrwa in the window of the house opposite. John is pictured here with his second daughter Franscine who looks like a younger version of Muklurmon. John was so captivated by Muklurmon, that he asked her family round for tea and her hand in marriage and so they began their life together.

Christina with her mother and sister in 1950's Shillong.

Christina did not see her father for 25 years because after some troubles with the tea farm in Assam, he moved to Uganda to set up another tea farm and factory. John respected the Khasi matrilineal tradition, so that when Christina's mother wanted to stay in Shillong he abided by her wishes to continue her family roots, continuing to support her whilst building a new life in Uganda. Christina, being taller than most of her fellow Khasi tribe has a distinct resemblance to her British father.

Christina met Peter who was part of the Khasi tribe. They got married within the christian faith that was introduced to Shillong by the Welsh missionaries that founded churches within the region and encouraged Khasi children to write and document their own culture. It was a Welsh missionary that encouraged the documentation of the Khasi language.

Christina is standing proudly with her mother and Grandmother as the next in line to continue the leadership of the matrilineal clan.

Christina married into the Khasi tradition continuing the Matrilineal line as being the head woman of her family.

Soon after her marriage Christina had her first son, Peter who is tall, much like his mother and British Grandfather. Peter married Iba Blah, the honey bee leader. Peter learnt a lot from both his British grandfather Simpson, visiting him on his plantation in Uganda, and his father, Peter, who would take him far out into the Khasi hills where tigers roamed free.

Christina's husband was often out in the Khasi Hills in his jeep, that inspired his son Peter to start his farm with Iba, who is also part of the Khasi tribe, cultivating sustainable practices in the region.

Khasi Hills are said to be some of the cleanest in India as the Khasi tribe say that nature is their library, containing embodying knowledge and wisdom of humanity. Hilly Meghalaya – the ‘abode of clouds’ with rich limestone caves and hillsides covered in lush rainforest, often known as one of the wettest places on earth, yet provides safe havens away from pollution and smoke of the cities, allowing for moments of tranquility where children and families can safely enjoy each other's company in the fresh clean air.

Wage increase protests in the 1970's were part of the fight for statehood and were strong over the region. People did not go to work and demanded for better conditions and pay in the factories as part of the increasing independence.

Naphirisa Tariang is a Khasi writer. Her poetry about nature reveals the Khasi way of life that is intrinsically linked to cycles of life, death and renewal. North Star, her first novel, explores how Khasi matrilineal leadership is of the feminine kind. Emulating masculine forms of leadership are not the way of the Khasi women. Her writing is as finely crafted as the elegant silk that is woven by her fellow Khasi women.

Through her writing, she hopes not only to document Khasi history, but also to inspire and teach others beyond her tribe of leadership and humanity's intrinsic connection to nature.

Naphirisa Tariang is studying literature in Kolkata. As she is the only woman in her class who is from a matrilineal society, she wanted to write, to give her female peers the chance to understand that there is another way than a patriarchal society. She found ways in which to tell the story in The North Star of a man and woman supporting each other equally, by encouraging each other to become their best selves.

Iba's bee-keeping project was initially funded by the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). She was responsible for its implementation after completion of the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) in the project villages. Iba, having recently won an entrepreneur award is now inspiring and teaching other women to create their own sustainable initiatives.

Iba who is the Director of the United Fruit Company (UFC) Ltd. in Shillong, has to keep a close eye on the bees so that they don't leave the hive and have the right conditions to create honey.

Iba encourages sustainability in the region by planting trees for world environment day.

Iba and her group celebrate after contributing to a more sustainable society after planting trees for world environment day.

Iba is coordinating sustainable livelihoods for the rural youth of Meghalaya. She has traveled widely across North America, Europe, Africa and Asia while attending different international youth conferences and seminars.

Here Iba is speaking out at International Women's Day 2016 for the Annual Session on Young Indians (Meghalaya chapter).

Iba has been developing her organic health farm with her husband Peter, who is Christina's son. The road that leads to the farm is often clogged with piles of dirt and rocks making it more remote and difficult to get to than needed. With the recent acquisition of organic chickens the farm is only just sustainable enough for one family and send a 10 year old boy to school. Peter and Iba's plans are not only to provide sustainable organic farming for more families in the area but also to provide a health retreat, so that people can learn about nutrition and healthy living. Furthermore, Peter, has plans to build a school so that more children like the boy on the farm who is lacking schooling, can have more support.

Iba welcomes in European WorldView Impact explorers, such as Grazina Linkeviciute to understand more about Khasi ecological land use practices for restoring degraded landscapes into naturally fertile farmlands. Grazina, having seen children working on the land and not being able to go to school, was inspired to collaborate with Iba to build language arts/community/educational centres for 600 local villagers.

These young women at St. Mary's College are watching clips from the Nongtluh Women Weaving co-operative out in Umden Diwon village in the hills. Beverley Kharsyntiew, a Khasi entrepreneur in Shillong arranged the film viewing, which enabled a greater understanding about the local initiatives in arts and crafts inspiring women to learn from women.

Being run by Hasina, she understands how this is not just about the women's livelihood, it is about sustaining their history in a contemporary and innovative way. Layered with contemporary design, modern production technology women are able to actively contribute to the growing eco-system and continue their traditions, whilst not being stuck in the past, they are evolving their own future.

Preparations for the Nongkrem Dance festival are undertaken in November, where the villagers of Smit all come together as a community, young, old, male and female to clean the surrounding area and build the second part of the roof of the ceremonial cultural center that stands opposite the house of the Queen and King. Each year only one side of the roof is built up from naturally woven straw. The queen is the leader of Smit village who has been welcoming Europeans during colonial and post-colonial time to experience this communal and celebratory time together in harmony.

In the Khasi Hills, rural life has developed at its own pace. Agricultural techniques developed in collaboration with each other and are so elegantly balanced in unison that these native Khasis look like they are dancing with each other in the afternoon sun.

Shillong has often been called "Scotland of the East", because the rolling hills reminded European settlers of Scotland. Tartan checks were initially used as shawls called “Tapmohkhlieh”, literally meaning “head cover”, and worn from the top of the head, tied behind the neck in a knot and then loosely hanging over the upper body. This was the way both men and women wore them. Now it is mostly people from the villages who wear the “Tapmohkhlieh”. As much of the Khasi tradition has been passed down through oral history, it is not clear where the Tartan came from.

However many Scottish, European and even people from Lancashire passed through these Khasi Hills. As Shillong is wet and often cold in the hills, the warmth was welcomed from these shawls. Khasi Women being Enterprising as they are, developed their own weaving based on this tartan and it is has become recognised as Khasi traditional dress, varying in style, yet keeping the checkered pattern.

Khasi Women have wisdom that goes far beyond the reaches of Shillong and the Khasi Hills. By exploring matrilineal societies such as the Khasis we can walk a step further towards balancing varying perspectives of gender equality, so that both men and women can strive to live in harmony by expressing their unique culture together whilst learning from others.