By Er. Pai Dawe
The Donyi Polo Nyedar Namlo; Donyi Polo (Sun & Moon);Nyedar (purified) and Namlo (House/Temple); is a movement aimed at spiritual renaissance for the Nyishi Indigenous Faiths and belief system. Its motto and objective is to revitalise and resurrect the respect and faith in Donyipoloism as also to guide the believers in realizing the ultimate Truth through the philosophy of DonyiPoloism and Mother Nature.
The Nyishi practices of indigenous religion had long been cultivated and is basing on its customs, traditional practices of rituals on faith line revolving around Three Truths. The Tribe believes in the creation of Universe and worship the Ane Donyi as creator . She created Sun (Donyi), the Moon (Polo) along with other planetary bodies including the Earth. This creation is supreme & Centre of philosophy of Ane Donyi called Hibu Donyi and Gyobu Donyi meaning (Creator), is far beyond the physical Sun, which had been created to give light and energy to Universe. Hence the bodily existence of the Sun and Moon is merely a symbolic representative of Creator and objective replica of it.
The Universal Law is regulated by five fundamentals viz (1) Wjwng (Sun), (2) Auju (Air) (3) Hayi (Water) (4) Changte (Earth) and (5) Dote (Sky). These five elements are incarnation of Ane Donyi through Wjwng Paanam. The spiritual role of Ane Donyi is Paanam or Pabuq bo (to incarnate to any form including the above five fundamentals). Thus playing the role of Wjwng Ane as omniscient in her work of creation. And the above five elements constitute the Mother Nature and our belief revolves in nature so we are also known as nature worshipers since his evolution as a human being. The basic of our culture and faith is omni-presence of Almighty. We feel, we sense, we see and we experience Her presence everywhere in all forms through Wjang Ane (the Planner and Creator). We human beings are the best creation of the Ane Donyi. Therefore we respect the rest creation of the Ane Donyi the righteousness, peace. Cohesion and mutual coexistence of diverse communities and its practical practice is an ultimate aim to personality and human development mission behind the worshiping of the nature. Therefore the faith and believes system and all the cultural and traditional characteristics and moral values of the community are been driven from the characteristic and behaviorist of the nature. And there has been a deep philosophy, spirituality, logic and science behind the worshiping of the Mother Nature.
The prime philosophy of Donyi Polo and Mother Nature is the unconditional services and life to every animate or inanimate matter in the universe, Nyishi believes that same is the reason behind the creation of the human being; to give unconditional life and services to the fellow beings. As such to imbibe upon these characteristics of nature and expressing profound gratitude for giving life to all creatures the Nyishi worship nature.
But in due courses of time this worshiping turned into a prayer (Yullo), wherein various forms of sacrifices in terms of animals began to involve which was negotiated through a specific gifted section of people called Nyubu (Priest). Gradually with the advancement of modernity these priests became limited and other involvement during animal sacrifices in Yullo (Rituals) became expensive. Moreover performing Yullo became materialistic oriented ie either to get healed from sickness or to be prospered, healthy and wealthy. Hence slowly and gradually the philosophy of unconditional services imbibing from the Donyi Polo and Mother Nature had taken a back seat and the individual and community urge for prosperity gotten over coupled with the expensive economical involvement in rituals (Yullo).
Thus taking the advantage of dying philosophy and spiritualism coupled with the growing expensive economical involvement in Nyishi traditional rituals (Yullo) system. During 1920 Christianity came into and offered an alternative way of faith and believes with a spiritualism of Jesus Christ in Nyishi community and Sensu Nar became the first Nyishi beliver in 1919 who was baptized in 1920. And today after 100 years the percentage of Nyishi practicing Christianity has gone upto 75%. The Nyishi Christian found the Christianity spiritualism in platter through the best of the Bible preaching and other relevant documents of the Christianity which played vital role in the transformation of behaviorism and living standard of Nyishi Christian. But at the same time they had been made to develop a sense of doubtful on Nyishi Indigenous Faiths and Believes system and its philosophy as well spirituality. Whereas the philosophy and spiritualism of Nyishi Indigenous Faiths and believes system is beyond the doubt; The Ane Donyi the Creator, Tani (Inheritor and Preserver) and the Swchangne (Mother Earth), the Supreme Abode of all human beings after their deaths. One or other day all decadence of living organism is bound to enter into the lap of the Swchang ne. This is the Absolute Truth of all souls realized in philosophical understanding by the believers of the Ane Donyi.
But unfortunately the conversion had blinded the philosophy, spirituality and morality of our own indigenous faiths, believes and traditional system, rather they have been criticized and desecrated in the garb of adopting Christianity. As such younger generation has been drifted far away from the philosophy of our ancestral faiths and believes system.
Therefore with the principle of Change and continuity, the intellectuals and pioneers of the community started a movement of an intense and continuous search for a true and meaningful platform or an institution from where a man or women grow step by step in spirituality and to provide alternative way of prayer to heal the sick without sacrifices and with minimal economical involvement. As useful and responsible member of the society our faith and beliefs can be practiced and awaken the power of Ane Donyi and transform into a spiritual way of life to every individual and Donyi Poloism as religion. Today this oldest surviving religion is facing the crises that may end up in destruction, because it lacks the inner depth of organized consciousness.
Hence, to identify the destiny of Tani society, particularly Nyishi Community, a few intellect members of the society had tried and put lot of efforts to reform the society through various social organizations like All Nyishi Youth Association (ANYA), Nyishi Elite Society (NES), Nyishi Cultural Society (NCS) etc. But through these organizations the required objective of the of the society could not be achieved.
It was in the year 1999 when a group of voluntary social workers namely; Shri Techi Tedi, Shri Techi Gubin, Shri Nabam Atum, Shri N.E Tana, Shri Rekhi Tana Tara and Shri Tana Showren along with other likeminded intellectual members of Nyishi Society formed a platform called Nyishi Indigenous Faith and Cultural Society (NIFCS). Through this organization the social and indigenous cultural movement started to grow stronger and stronger in the society.
Ultimately, by the blessing of almighty Ane donyi and under the initiative of Shri Nabam Atum, our dream turned into reality. On the basis of spiritual method and ideology conceived by Shri Nabam Tata and Smt.Nabam Mekha the historic and first ever Donyi Polo prayer system in Nyishi started on 27th January 2001 at the residence of Shri Tana Tochu and Smt. Tana Kuka at Doimukh. Thus the desired Ideological based platform called Nyedar Namlo came into being.
Therefore, it is an attempt of Nyedar Namlo, being an institution, to start a small beginning for continuous flow of our age-old faith and belief in an organized way and disciplined manner in the hearts of every soul. Esteemed efforts are also being made to enhance our physical, intellectual and moral values in every individual to face the life with self-confidence and moral uprightness. It is to convey the world that our faith and beliefs are as old as this universe and ours is one of the greatest religions on this green planet. The present attempt is to organize the unorganized, systematize the unsystematised and to manifest permanent living power of almighty Ane Donyi.
Nyedar Namlo is also trying its best to develop our age-old cultural heritage to be seen purely from the viewpoint of true faith of its own indigenous belief and not to mix up with parochial and consideration of Westernization. Another effort of Nyedar Namlo is also to help an individual to organize its life in order and in consonance with its potential, aspirations for a good, peaceful and elevating existence at a given context. Though Nyedar Namlo a pattern of dynamic Donyi Polism and spiritualism an individual disciplines and chastens his/her mental and ethical faculties and subdues the animal and carnal desires. He/She in whatever capacity one is called to serve, enhances the harmony of group living and makes the way for a total cultural and spiritual elevation of the society to which he/she belongs.
Time has drawn its relentless curtain over us. Because of a tragic absence of organized platforms for spiritual urges and running of the material world has tended to disgrace from the path of a value-oriented pursuit of being and becoming. Human society while galloping on the road to material progress has lost its way in perceiving an inner harmony and peace so essential for its upward evolution. An enquiring mind with a curiosity to know the physical and the spiritual phenomena of Donyi Poloism is the need of the hour for all believers of its own faith and the Ane Donyi. They must have the urges to develop new found of spiritual faculties within its own deeper soul. Characters are to be stabilized, rational thinking is to be naturalized and acquire the power of Ane Donyi. Her energy is the source of all living beings. Peaceful co-existence and harmonious living is the motto of Donyi Poloism, for the larger interest of socio-religious aspects of society in order to protect its identity.
Today Donyi Polo Nyedar Namlo movement is not only limited to the religious aspects, but also with creating sense of spiritual awareness among the people to preserve and document the rich socio-religious, socio-culture and traditional knowledge of the Nyishi that has been handed down to us by our ancestors from the earliest times.
In the Nyedar Namlo the documentation of folk lores, folk tales, Crafts, Art facets, hymns and Chantings of the Nyishi are being done with extensive discussion and research. It also became a social institution wherein the important information and messages for the community is disseminated amongst the masses; provides a platform to share the individual sad as well as happy occasions of the fellow Nyishi members and extend physical and financial support to the needy thereby rediscovering the age old tradition of the Nyishi culture. The ultimate motto of Nyedar Namlo movement is promoting peaceful co-existence and harmonious living, advancing the cause of socio religious cohesion in the larger interest of Nyishi society and thereby protect its identity for the posteruty.
(The author of this article is the President of Nyishi Indigenous Faith and Cultural Society)
