By Meda Marwein
Ten kilometres away from the city in the Mawryngkneng subdivision lies a tranquil space, surrounded by vast vegetation and a military establishment. This place is Mawshbuit, an isolated village.
Despite being away from the city, this village is known for the Ever Living Museum.
In recent years, Mawshbuit has attracted many visitors worldwide and has been doing so even today. The museum has three sections – the first section is a garden of rare indigenous orchids, the second showcases a collection of rocks from stalactites to lapis lazuli, and the third and main section holds artefacts of the indigenous tribes of the state.
Opened in 2015, the museum is privately owned by Kyntiewbor War, a retired civil engineer, whose passion for collecting nature’s gems brought him all the way to Mawshbuit, with a vision to construct a spot for them to bridge the gap between the past and present.
War possesses a charismatic personality, and as a guide, he is well versed in the rich history that lies in every specimen he owns. A man entrenched in the roots of Khasi culture; he does not shy away from proudly conversing with the visitors about the rich heritage this part of the world offers. According to him, “One should listen to nature and appreciate what she has to offer.”
Here, in the orchids and other flora section, nature carefully fashions intricate jewels in the form of golden-threaded tiew doh maw and other rare species and War tells the visitor to help preserve these endangered species.
This section proudly accommodates 66 species of indigenous flowers and has catered to a number of local and foreign botanists alike, but the most interesting is their association with several Khasi lores. One such lore is the story of the tiew-lalyngngi-pep-shad (kahili ginger of the ginger family Zingiberaceae). The lore tells the story of a dancer called Lalyngngi who killed herself after she missed a dancing ceremony.
The rock section of the museum boasts of being the only single space in the North East to cater to rock collectors and earth scientists/enthusiasts. Not only does this section house geological and fossilised rocks right from the Paleolithic age, but it also bears a gallery of photographs – of waterfalls, indigenous huts, people and their way of life.
War calls himself an avid photographer and does not hesitate to press his shutter when he encounters interesting scenes within his surroundings and shares that most of the gallery display comes from his own personal collection.
Looking at the photographs, one is transported to a world that is untouched by the ravages of time and urbanisation but seeped in culture and lore. From drum making in Wahkhen to the monoliths of Nartiang, the gallery brings alive the cultural traditions and beliefs of the state’s ancestors.
The third, which is the main section of the museum, reeks of hunting tools and wine-making jugs from the yesteryears. With jovial mirth, he says that every single artefact has a story.
This section of the museum runs on two narratives, one narrates the life of the Khasi, Garo and Lyngngams, while the other narrates the life and dreams of War himself. The main section is a love story between a rich cultural heritage and War in all its glory. The trinkets in the shape of hand-me-downs, from a transistor radio to an old watch, mingle with the Nokpante’s dormitory; War’s ‘soon-to-be used’ cane unites with the ganti (Garo four bells instrument) and duitara (Khasi stringed instrument) while his wood art blends with ivory necklaces and a princess’s crown.
The personality of the energetic War oozes in this space as he walks the visitor through the numerous stages of the tribes’ history right from the ancient, medieval, and colonial era to the present world. A man devoted to preserving his roots, he dreams of a space where modernisation does not overshadow Mei Ram-ew (Mother Earth) and the indigenous people’s culture and origins.
The maw hyndai, shaped like a boat at the entrance of the museum, cements this notion and keeps one on their toes as it vehemently pushes a never-ending discourse on the origins of the Khasis.
In an eclectic way, War says, “Perhaps we were seafarers with Sumerian origins! We have a place called Sumer in Bhoi and we’re the second oldest inhabitants in India after all. We never know.”
As the ongoing debate of origin ensues, he strikes the visitor with these brain-enticing thoughts, leading one to question the birth of a tribe and its distinctive culture.
Leaving the visitor to ponder the answers on their own, the museum tour comes to an end. Taking in all the visual and physical details passed on from the guide to the visitor, one exits the space with the thought that museums are indeed cultural spaces that inoculate the teachings of the past. They also bear footprints of mankind’s advancement and carry with them, stories of people that have shaped the world as we see it today. The Ever Living Museum houses the same thing, too.
In the corners of its 50,000 square feet property, voices of the ancients could be heard as they call for every visitor to hark and listen to the wisdom of yore and perhaps, carry with them a piece of our culture.