Title: Voices of morung, traditions, Rituals and Song.

Language: Zeliang

Description: Title: Voices of the Morung: Traditions, Rituals and Song.

Narration in the video:

This is the morung where men eat together after bringing the hunted animal’s head. They brought cooked rice from their own homes. The head, along with the innards, was cooked and eaten together in the morung with the rest of the men. The curry was never taken home. If there were leftovers, they ate them even the next day. Until then curry was finished, women were not allowed to fetch water or pound rice.

During festivals, the men made local wine with the morung they had earned together specifically for the occasion. There was a lot of merrymaking, and if the wine was not finished by the end of the festival, they performed a ritual called ‘ Heteilie ‘, where all the men gathered and went for group hunting.

They brought the head and innards of the animal to the morung. The legs and limbs were hung in the morung, to be given later to the married sisters of the man who had shot the animal.
The head and innards were cooked, along with rice collected and prepared in the morung. As part of the ritual, the crowing cock was also killed and cooked.

They did not eat from plates but from banana leaves. On that particular evening, women were not allowed to enter the morung, and the meat was forbidden for them to consume since it was part of the ritual.

If there were leftovers, the brother-in-law ( the husband of the married sisters ) of the man who had shot the animal was invited to eat and drink in the morung.
Finally, the legs and limbs were given to the married sisters.

[Note: There were different clans in the village, and each clan had its own morung. Therefore the husbands of the married sisters from different clans were invited.]

Meaning of the song:
I miss you sitting in this morung, my friends are laughing, but I don’t want to laugh. Oh my dear girl, I miss you. You are perfect. Nobody looks as good as you in our attire in the whole village. You are the best.

The person in the video :
Gobi Hega
Age -77

Format & Duration: 4 mins, 33 secs.
Date of Recording: 8/3/2025
Date of Upload: 23 October 2025
Performer: Gobi Hega
Creator: Pauziehube
Publisher: Tetso College, Dimapur
Note: “Fascinating glimpse into the traditions and rituals of the morung, a unique cultural institution. Gobi Hega’s account and the song provide valuable insights into the community’s values and social dynamics.”

Cite this work

Pauziehube    . 2025  . Voices of morung, traditions, Rituals and Song.    . ( Narrated by Gobi Hega  )  . Sovima: NEIIPA, Tetso College  . (https://neiipa.in/audio/voices-of-morung-traditions-rituals-and-song/)  . Accessed: (29-Oct-2025)