Assam is known to be a melting pot of various ethnic groups along with the North East. Tribal people are particularly known for their ethnic characteristics. The Miching people are also distinct in their language, religious beliefs, food, cultural, social and folk culture.
The Misings have a variety of different types of folk songs. these are-
Ahbang –Mibu A:bangs, the earliest variety of Mising folk songs, are rhapsodic chants of a Mibu, the medicine man amongst Misings. Such chants tell us tales of creation of the universe, of living and non-living things on earth, of human and supernatural beings, of early humans, of Mising genealogy, etc. At the time of Mibu dagnam, i.e. a performance by a Mibu, he invokes supernatural spirits through his chants to help him go through his performance smoothly and
successfully and goes on to narrate stories of the past, describing also the events and environment of his journey to the supernatural world to learn about the past, the present or the future of individuals, families or the community
Kaban – It is one of the oldest forms of Mising folk songs. It is lamentational music. A kaban is a song of lament. The theme is usually one of separation from near and dear ones, mostly from one’s beloved. The tune of a kaban exudes a sense of sorrow and it is rendered in a relatively slow rhythm.
Tebo Tekang – It is a romantic lyric.
Siuhung Nitom – It is a melancholic song.
Bini – These are lullabies sung either at home or in the field when taking babies to places of work. The baby is tied to the back of the mother or the young babysitter.
Midang Nitom – This is usually sung at the time of ushering a bride to her new home, often in order to tease her.
Oi Nitom –Oi ni:toms are the most popular variety of Mising traditional songs and are generally sung by young men and women. Traditionally, and mostly even now, they are amorous in content, and emotions are usually expressed with the help of similes and metaphors. Oi ni:toms often accompany an occasion of Mising so:man, singing and dancing performances of Misings, but they are sung on such other occasions also as when one is reaping crops in the field or gathering firewood or wild herbs in the jungle, and, these days, as musical pieces on stages or the media. The tunes are melodious.
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