Pnar Church Service

I went to church with a friend in Jowai on Sunday, the Presbyterian Church there - it was pretty cool. I definitely didn't bring the right clothes to India for going to church - all the men wore suits and ties if they had them, but I didn't mind that too much. Although when you stand up to sing hymns and you're a head taller than the tallest person in the room, it can be a bit uncomfortable. Fortunately I'm used to being stared at from growing up one of the only white people in an all-black country. I think my friend was a bit more nervous to be sitting next to me, since she lives there and knows how little excuse people need to gossip.

The service was all in Khasi, which is the dominant language spoken in this area. The hymns were in Khasi and there was no percussion to keep time so the singing slowed down to an almost inexorable pace. It was neat to be able to pick out some words here and there, and my friend translated some of the verses for me so I could understand what I was singing. The orthography is relatively systematic.

In the evening we went to their cousin's home, which is up on a hill above the river on the outskirts of town (where the picture on the right was taken). We stayed for a home church service led by some of the church elders, which is where the real meat of the Christian culture in Jowai seems to be. Pretty much the whole service, except for a few songs and prayers, were in Pnar, including the sermon. Traditional instruments - a mandolin and tambourine - as well as clapping and harmonies kept the songs upbeat and lively.

Swish Cafe

So Swish is pretty much where I live in Shillong. It's a great space to hang out, has excellent coffee (thanks to the hotel-grade coffee maker you can see in the picture and a really nice roast), great food and friendly people. The owner happens to be my main Pnar contact and there are a lot of Pnar speakers that hang out there, so it's a great place to practice Pnar. I've also been coming here for the past couple weeks to work on translation. It can be a bit noisy, but I sit with a friend and we both wear headphones so we can play the sound file back bit-by-bit and translate each word and phrase. Swish is in Laitumkrah as well and can be a bit hard to find if you don't know where to look - but just ask any of the youngsters and they'll know where it is. The owner also happens to own the nightclub Tango, which is on the other side of town in Police Bazaar - a happening place on the weekends.

Cafe Shillong

Cafe Shillong is a great little cafe to visit if you are in Shillong. Good coffee, good food, and even wireless internet. I often go there if I want lunch/dinner and have some things to do online. In Laitumkrah, here's the view from one of my favorite spots on the balcony overlooking the street. Check it out next time you're in Shillong.

New Music for Pentecost

Our friend Bruce Benedict over at Cardiphonia has put together a compilation to celebrate Penteost, and 'Come Holy Spirit, Come' from our Pageant Music release '12 Gates' is the first tune. Check it out and donate to World Relief in Durham, NC to help refugees from all over the world.

India Week 3: Jowai

I recently got back to Shillong from Jowai, where I was gathering data on the main Pnar dialect. Jowai is the cultural and administrative centre of the Pnar community in Jiantia Hills, and I'll be focusing on learning to speak the variety of that place. I was able to connect with Ram, who is part of the Passah clan and very involved with the traditional religion. We were able to go down to the archery field where men shoot arrows at a target on a daily basis, and conduct some interviews about the origins of this event.

Ram also showed me around the area - on Sunday we went to a waterfall further south of Jowai, toward Bangladesh, which was a lot of fun. The walk down was a bit slippery, but once down the water was cool and inviting. I swam up behind the waterfall and waved to Ram and his cousins on the other side. Here's me and the waterfall in all its glory.

Language data-gathering was also productive. Besides the interviews, I was able to collect a couple wordlists and a retelling of The Pear Story, following a technique used by my advisor Alec Coupe for collecting language in context to make grammatical structures easier to identify. I'll be working on translating these texts in the coming weeks and in analyzing the wordlists to acquaint myself with the phonology of Pnar.

Mornings in Shillong

It's been raining a lot lately, being the monsoon season and all, which up here in the hills means it stays pretty cool. Apparently Cherrapunji, just south of where I am, is the rainiest place on earth, and near the end of monsoon season on a clear day you can look from there over the whole of Bangladesh, which looks like an ocean it's so flooded. But I digress.

When I wake up in the mornings here in Shillong I go up to the kitchen where Durga usually has some tea made - Indian chai, with spices and milk and sugar. Hard to beat when combined with toast and whatever else is available (leftover grilled pork, anyone?). On Sundays breakfast is more substantial with eggs and sausages and beans etc... I leave you with a picture of toned-down breakfast.