WRITTEN BY GINPU GUITE
LENGTONGHOIH, the renown ancient Zo beauty was the only sister of seven brothers. Endowed with the pride of a lady, the symbol of feminity and beauty in her long hair hanging down her waist she was an extraordinary beauty. Her brothers loved and took extra care of her and ensured whatever she demanded of them were met by them.They took extra pains to see that she is always happy, eats whatever she relished. She lived in a palace of iron with her seven brothers.
One day, to reaffirmed their love and concern, her brothers asked Lengtonghoih what she wanted the most in life. She asked for AKSINELKAI (may be a comet). Although it would be a very difficult task to get it, her brothers promised her what she asked. Before they set out for the mission, they instructed her to remain indoors and never set her foot out of the palace. She was also not to entertain anybody in the palace during their absence. After arranging all the provisions needed by Lengtonghoih during their absence, they left her alone in the palace for the mission to get AKSINELKAI.
During that time, while bathing in a stream KAWLMANGPA (Burmese king) found a very long and special hair which stirred his curiosity and he wanted to find out to whom the hair belonged. He led his servants and men on a mission to find out the owner of the hair. As he believed the girl would be somehere upsteam, they followed the stream towards the source. Finally they reached the palace where Lengtonghoih lived. Kawlmangpa started to plead Lengtonghoih to open the door so that he can meet her. As she was under instruction not to open to strangers by her brothers she refused. Kawlmangpa then pretended to be one of her brothers. Then Lengtonghoih repled:
"Ka u tak takte na hih le,Na tuichin khuang hon beng aw".
This means if you are truly my brother beat your drum to produce the tune of the river dam. But Kawlmangpa could not produce the secret password sound of the brothers and sister. Lengtonghoih refused to open. She made clear to him that she could not allow entry of strangers in the palace till her brothers return. Kawlmangpa pleaded again and again. But she remained adamant. Finally kawlmangpa requested her to at least show the tip of her fingers from a small hole in the wall before he leave. As she badly wanted him to leave and thinking the man to be sincere enough the naive Lengtonghoih at last agreed to show the tip of her fingers. No sooner did she let her fingers out Kawlmangpa pierced it with the pointed tip of a TUKKILH,(a sharp and pointed stick of cattle bone used by Zo women to position threads in a loom while weaving also use as a hair pin by both sexes) and she was caught like a fish by a hook.However hard she tried, Lentonghoih could not withdraw her hooked finger. She cried out in pain and requested Kawlmangpa to let her fingers free. Kawlmangpa agreed to release her fingers provided she open the door. Lenngtonghoih had succumbed to Kawlmangpa's trick.To relieve her pain she open the gate. Immedietly Kawlmangpa overpowered and took her captive to be his wife and returned to his kingdom.
When the seven brothers returned home after accomplishing their mission with the AKSINELKAI, they repeatedly call their sister to open the door by singing:
Leng aw leng aw,Lengtonghoih aw, I sikin kongpi hon hon aw..
But there was no response from their sister and nobody opens the door inspite of their producing their secret password sound. After some enquiry they come to know that Lengtonghoih was taken captive by Kawlmangpa. It hurt them that their only sister whom they love so dearly would be taken captive by a stranger. They vowed to revenge Kawlmangpa for kidnapping their sister, and as a test of strength for the mission decided to break their sevenfold fold gates and then turn and fly as a dove. The test begun starting from the eldest. In the difficult test of strength all the six brothers died; only the youngest brother could succeed in breaking the seven walls. Then he transform into a dove and begin to hover in the sky in search of his sister.From above he saw a group of men working the in the field and enquired:
Ka nuai a lawm taangte aw e,Ka u Lenghoih na mu n'am..
They replied:
Mu tuh mu,muna lawm lawm,anu vangkhua,apa vangkhua tungtan chia.
You men working in the field have you by chance saw my dear sister Lengtonghoih.
Indeed we saw her. By now she would have reached the lands of her father-mother.
Then he continued the search and asked to a lady fetching water. She replied the same way. Again he asked to an old carpenter making a mortal and got the same reply. Finally he saw a weaver siting at her loom in the front platform of a house and ask:
Ka nuai a siamgan nu aw e,Ka u Lenghoih na mu na'm..
(You lady weaving down there,Have you seen my beloved sister Lengtonghoih.)
The lady replied:
Ka nau tak tak na hih leh ka tangzawm ah hong tuang inla ka siamtui hong dawn in.
The lady weaver is Lengtonghoih and she could recognised the voice of his younger brother and asked:
"If you are really my younger brother, you sit on the clothesline"
The dove did exactly as Lengtonghoih ask.She asked again
"If you are really my brother come down and drink from the cup where I moisten my loom"
The dove flew down and began to drink the water from his sister's cup. After confirming the dove was her younger brother reincarnated; she killed it with her Chiampek(a thin wooden implement to beat and fasten the cloth). She took out the bones of the dove and began to beat it. She seperated the bones in two groups- one producing high pitch sound the other low pitch. She threw away the group that produce the bass sound and preserve the other group well covered in a small pot. After seven days when she open the container chanting "Handsome young men,and rise up". Immediatly a handsome young men rose up. Her husband who was observing the whole process was very surprised. He too wanted to reincarnate into a handsome youngmen.He asked Lengtonghoih to do the job for him. She killed Kawlmangpa as he desired and repeated the whole process one by one; but this time she preserved the bones with the bass sound. When she open the bones after seven day she with the words: "Arise,street dog.Lick the excreta of the infant". A big dog arose and began to eat whatever he finds to eat.
Now Lengtonghoih is relieved from the forced marriage ties with Kawlmangpa.Immediatly she returned to their palace with her brother.But things were not as they were before.Without the remaining brothers they felt emptly and lonely in the big house.They wanted to bring back their brothers to life and begin to search for their bones. Luckily they found all the bones of the six brothers intact.Lengtonghoih did the same thing as she did to the bones of her youngest brother.And after seven days when she open the seven containers all her brothers life's were restored.And they lived happily ever after in their palace.
LENGTONGHOIH, the renown ancient Zo beauty was the only sister of seven brothers. Endowed with the pride of a lady, the symbol of feminity and beauty in her long hair hanging down her waist she was an extraordinary beauty. Her brothers loved and took extra care of her and ensured whatever she demanded of them were met by them.They took extra pains to see that she is always happy, eats whatever she relished. She lived in a palace of iron with her seven brothers.
One day, to reaffirmed their love and concern, her brothers asked Lengtonghoih what she wanted the most in life. She asked for AKSINELKAI (may be a comet). Although it would be a very difficult task to get it, her brothers promised her what she asked. Before they set out for the mission, they instructed her to remain indoors and never set her foot out of the palace. She was also not to entertain anybody in the palace during their absence. After arranging all the provisions needed by Lengtonghoih during their absence, they left her alone in the palace for the mission to get AKSINELKAI.
During that time, while bathing in a stream KAWLMANGPA (Burmese king) found a very long and special hair which stirred his curiosity and he wanted to find out to whom the hair belonged. He led his servants and men on a mission to find out the owner of the hair. As he believed the girl would be somehere upsteam, they followed the stream towards the source. Finally they reached the palace where Lengtonghoih lived. Kawlmangpa started to plead Lengtonghoih to open the door so that he can meet her. As she was under instruction not to open to strangers by her brothers she refused. Kawlmangpa then pretended to be one of her brothers. Then Lengtonghoih repled:
"Ka u tak takte na hih le,Na tuichin khuang hon beng aw".
This means if you are truly my brother beat your drum to produce the tune of the river dam. But Kawlmangpa could not produce the secret password sound of the brothers and sister. Lengtonghoih refused to open. She made clear to him that she could not allow entry of strangers in the palace till her brothers return. Kawlmangpa pleaded again and again. But she remained adamant. Finally kawlmangpa requested her to at least show the tip of her fingers from a small hole in the wall before he leave. As she badly wanted him to leave and thinking the man to be sincere enough the naive Lengtonghoih at last agreed to show the tip of her fingers. No sooner did she let her fingers out Kawlmangpa pierced it with the pointed tip of a TUKKILH,(a sharp and pointed stick of cattle bone used by Zo women to position threads in a loom while weaving also use as a hair pin by both sexes) and she was caught like a fish by a hook.However hard she tried, Lentonghoih could not withdraw her hooked finger. She cried out in pain and requested Kawlmangpa to let her fingers free. Kawlmangpa agreed to release her fingers provided she open the door. Lenngtonghoih had succumbed to Kawlmangpa's trick.To relieve her pain she open the gate. Immedietly Kawlmangpa overpowered and took her captive to be his wife and returned to his kingdom.
When the seven brothers returned home after accomplishing their mission with the AKSINELKAI, they repeatedly call their sister to open the door by singing:
Leng aw leng aw,Lengtonghoih aw, I sikin kongpi hon hon aw..
But there was no response from their sister and nobody opens the door inspite of their producing their secret password sound. After some enquiry they come to know that Lengtonghoih was taken captive by Kawlmangpa. It hurt them that their only sister whom they love so dearly would be taken captive by a stranger. They vowed to revenge Kawlmangpa for kidnapping their sister, and as a test of strength for the mission decided to break their sevenfold fold gates and then turn and fly as a dove. The test begun starting from the eldest. In the difficult test of strength all the six brothers died; only the youngest brother could succeed in breaking the seven walls. Then he transform into a dove and begin to hover in the sky in search of his sister.From above he saw a group of men working the in the field and enquired:
Ka nuai a lawm taangte aw e,Ka u Lenghoih na mu n'am..
They replied:
Mu tuh mu,muna lawm lawm,anu vangkhua,apa vangkhua tungtan chia.
You men working in the field have you by chance saw my dear sister Lengtonghoih.
Indeed we saw her. By now she would have reached the lands of her father-mother.
Then he continued the search and asked to a lady fetching water. She replied the same way. Again he asked to an old carpenter making a mortal and got the same reply. Finally he saw a weaver siting at her loom in the front platform of a house and ask:
Ka nuai a siamgan nu aw e,Ka u Lenghoih na mu na'm..
(You lady weaving down there,Have you seen my beloved sister Lengtonghoih.)
The lady replied:
Ka nau tak tak na hih leh ka tangzawm ah hong tuang inla ka siamtui hong dawn in.
The lady weaver is Lengtonghoih and she could recognised the voice of his younger brother and asked:
"If you are really my younger brother, you sit on the clothesline"
The dove did exactly as Lengtonghoih ask.She asked again
"If you are really my brother come down and drink from the cup where I moisten my loom"
The dove flew down and began to drink the water from his sister's cup. After confirming the dove was her younger brother reincarnated; she killed it with her Chiampek(a thin wooden implement to beat and fasten the cloth). She took out the bones of the dove and began to beat it. She seperated the bones in two groups- one producing high pitch sound the other low pitch. She threw away the group that produce the bass sound and preserve the other group well covered in a small pot. After seven days when she open the container chanting "Handsome young men,and rise up". Immediatly a handsome young men rose up. Her husband who was observing the whole process was very surprised. He too wanted to reincarnate into a handsome youngmen.He asked Lengtonghoih to do the job for him. She killed Kawlmangpa as he desired and repeated the whole process one by one; but this time she preserved the bones with the bass sound. When she open the bones after seven day she with the words: "Arise,street dog.Lick the excreta of the infant". A big dog arose and began to eat whatever he finds to eat.
Now Lengtonghoih is relieved from the forced marriage ties with Kawlmangpa.Immediatly she returned to their palace with her brother.But things were not as they were before.Without the remaining brothers they felt emptly and lonely in the big house.They wanted to bring back their brothers to life and begin to search for their bones. Luckily they found all the bones of the six brothers intact.Lengtonghoih did the same thing as she did to the bones of her youngest brother.And after seven days when she open the seven containers all her brothers life's were restored.And they lived happily ever after in their palace.
