The hallmark that emerges from the knowledge to create is the original entity of the creator which is different from another person with the same or similar aptitude- called Art. It could be the literary writing skill, music, and dance performing skill, painting and sculpting skill, or any such creative skill. Therefore, Art is the exclusive identity of the work created by the writer, poet, artist, and every creative person. Art denotes the emotional expression and social or political encounters depicted through the material products created by the artist. The whole world with all its components is the spiritual and material products of the Creator, where most cultures are ascribed as God.
Khasi belief considered the act of creating tangible images of something as taboo, especially the images of ancestors, divine entities, or anything that is revered in society or mankind. Any image-making material is perceived as a dummy of the original image; like the scarecrow chasing away birds and animals from the agricultural fields, and the mask which is used in fanfare for fun and amusement. This is the reason that during the funeral ceremony all the structures of certain forms are destroyed before the final rituals of cremation: even the hearse that is used to carry the corpse to the cremation pyre has to be destroyed before the body is incinerated. During the Behdeiñkhlam ceremony of the Pnar people in the Pnar or Jaintia region, all the colourful towering structures are dismantled and dumped into a ditch. Perhaps this custom is akin to other Asian cultures. On the one hand, it is similar to the Durga Puja festival of the Hindu custom where idols are immersed in the river and dismantled thereafter; and on the other hand, during the Muharram of Islam, the tazias are immersed in the river after the religious procession. The only difference is that Hindus revere and worship the idols, while the Muslims do not hold any significance to the structures; and the Khasis do not give any regard to the structures, they are considered as the superficial elements of momentary attraction and it is forbidden to worship these structures.
The monolith, ossuary, and all other stone structures of the Khasis do not have any carving image on them. In weaving also, there are no images apart from simple pattern designs on the hem. Even bamboo crafts are without any design because the plaits are stressing more on the functional convenience of the article. Therefore, aesthetics among the Khasis are functional and beneficial for personal satisfaction or social convenience. For that matter, there are no traces of visible folk art inherited from the ancestors. Khasis considers that life in the world is temporary and believes that God has provided with complete beauty in the surrounding environment, which might not be necessary for man to engage in the imitation process. Khasi philosophy revealed that the permanent abode is the home of God and that is why the mortal body may decompose but the spirit will stay at the threshold to the abode of God, literally referring in Khasi as bam kwai ha dwar U Blei or eaten betel nut at the threshold to the abode of God. Why eat betel nuts? – Khasi custom considers betel nut as the symbol of honour to welcome the guests, to rejoice or share a conversation around the hearth. There is no other opportunity in life or the afterlife to be ushered upon the abode of God, to rejoice and converse at the divine hearth. Why at the threshold? – Khasis regard reaching the doorstep to the abode of God as the ultimate and still much more to eat betel nut and share a conversation inside the home of God. Therefore, the temporal life on earth is to abide by the commandments: to earn righteousness, to know your kith and kin, and to know the man and know God.
In the present context, contemporary art expression is emerging and prevailing to reveal Khasi thoughts. Some artists portray elements of Khasi identity in their artworks. After the introduction of the architecture known as Assam-type, the façade of the house became the display area for the builder or the house owner to create images of their personal choice. Eminent local architect, Aiban Shngaiñ Mawkhroh stated that the creative pursuit of the house owner or the builder is depicted prominently at the façade of every house in Khasi region. Further, he confirmed that a similar trend is repeating at the present cement concrete buildings.
Perhaps, another artistic expression is the fixing of animal antlers at the top portion of the front door. The popular trend is the deer antlers that are related to the customary community hunting expedition. The traditional hunting expedition is being considered after chanting prayers to God seeking divine sanction. The foundation of the tradition is based on the myth about the Iew Luri Lura or chaotic market of all creatures on earth and Ka Ksaw Ka Kpong or literally the fortune of hunting expeditions. The folk tale narrated that all the animals ridiculed Ka Dom, the bitch for selling the stinking bean sauce at the market and ultimately trampled on the sauce only to leave a trace of smell for the dogs to trail. That is why it is believed that only dogs or the family Canidae can track any animal’s trail. Since that incident, dogs fled away from the jungle and were domesticated by humans with a vow to serve and assist in tracking animals during the hunting expedition sanctioned by God, while wolves stayed in the jungle in packs. After the rigorous chase by dogs and hunters in the jungle any animal that falls into the arrow of a particular archer is destined to be carried around the village amidst rejoicing and chanting of victory verses. It signifies the triumph of man over beast, good over evil because the victim could have intruded into the human domain and perpetrated harm to people and society. The antlers or the head of the hunted animal is regarded as the trophy in honour of the first shooter which they usually fixed for display at their respective front door with pride and jubilation.
Khasi custom forbids the creation of images and is considered taboo, therefore the artistic urge is indicated through the expression at the façade and the top portion of the front entrance to the house. The other portion of the house is meant for the convenience of utility and function for the inhabitants. The roof and the walls are meant to protect from wind and rain, the windows are meant to attract light and allow circulation of air, the staircase, and the door to be able to walk in and enter the house, and so on and so forth. However, the façade is a frame that is not required for any function to the inhabitants and this space is a prominent display area for the original artistic creativity of the owner or the builder. In a similar manner, the top frontal entrance is the ideal space for the exhibition of the symbol of victory and good fortune for the family.
Dr Desmond L Kharmawphlang of the Department of Creative & Cultural Studies, NEHU expressed that image creation is found in weaving, rituals, and some other daily chores and occasionally during festivals and ceremonies. However, all these images are not visible to the masses and could not penetrate into society. As it appears in the present juncture, especially when compared with neighbouring ethnic races or even the whole world; there is a conjecture that the visual art tradition is lost or it has matured beyond the tangible or it has never been in existence in Khasi society.
Introduction: The talent to create art is the superior skill to know, learn, study, to observe the practice of making beautiful and attractive materials or products; called art. The material or product has an aesthetic taste to read, to view, to listen, and to experience the joy of beauty. It is the supernatural inborn ability gifted by divine power that could attain perfection through consistent research and regular practice. The trick and the craft to create is the aptitude and the superior skill that can be known, learned through proper study, observation and practice to make attractive and beautiful material or product. Similarly, the material or product has an aesthetic taste to read, view, to listen, and experience the joy of beauty. It is the personal aptitude that emerged from within and with proper research and practices, it may attain perfection.
Talent is a naturally gifted attribute, while craftsmanship is human skill and ability. Talent is honest, clean, sacred, and divine; while trick and craftsmanship is a wise and calculative action, it is human and temporal. Art deriving from gifted original talent can be distinguished from the art deriving from innovative tricks and craftsmanship. Talent is an absolute intellectual element, while trick and craftsmanship involve elements of intellectual and application capability. Both are creative impulses motivated by the skill and ability to use personal aptitude. These two terms creative talent and creative trick or craftsmanship are comparable with each other as being genuine against imitative, original against imaginative, productive against sterile, beneficial against futility, and static against dynamic. However, both attributes can grow and attain a certain amount of quality and perfection through consistent usage and regular practice. Literature, Visual Arts, and Performing Arts are the primary components of creative expression commonly called art, although it more often refers to pictorial terms. However, the term art has been ascribed to various other skillful actions, which are more of application rather than intellectual ability. The magic trick is termed as art, physical fighting skill is called martial art, oral debating skill is art, cooking skill is art; even certain negative attributes like fraud, treason, burglary are called the art of deception, the art of treachery, the art of robbery, etc. But we are broadly dealing in the area of fine arts only which is literary, visual, and performing arts with emphasis on visual arts. Generally watching the wonder of nature and the beauty of the surrounding environment to the extent of human visibility, God is the greatest and finest artist ever. Therefore, talented artists are the products of divine character in human intellect that could not be fathomed and the combination of that supernatural trait with human skill will produce excellent art. While the supernatural trait remains constant, the human skill may vary from person to person. There is no harm for an artist to be careful about his personal creation and protect his intellectual property. However, it is a crime if the human intellect and skill is being abused to harm others in order to benefit oneself.
