BREWING TRADITIONS: AN AUTOETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY OF THE KABUI (RONGMEI) TRIBE IN MANIPUR

PSYCHOLOGY

This paper explores the indigenous brewing traditions of rice wine and beer among the Kabui (Rongmei) tribe in Manipur. Autoethnography method was used in this study to understand the process of brewing and the cultural meanings associated with it from an insider’s perspective. Snowball sampling method was used to identify the traditional brewers who were actively engaged in the brewing of rice wine and beer from the valley districts of Manipur. A sample of fifteen brewers were identified for the study who had long years of brewing experiences and methods involved in the production. Semi-structured interview was used for the data collection in Kabui (Rongmei) dialect which was later transcribed into English. Thematic analysis was used for analyzing the transcribed data. The outcome of the study alludes that the preparation, process and methods of brewing rice wine and beer were different. Brewing rice wine involves the complex fermentation and distillation process whereas the production of rice beer primarily involves the fermentation process. The main ingredients in brewing were the rice, yeast and water which could be seen mostly with all the brewing. Use of banana and passion fruit as an alternative ingredient could also be seen with some brewers. Almost all the brewers were women (mostly married) whose income were dependent on brewing the rice wine and beer. Cultural connections with the brewing traditions were reflected in the traditional Kabui (Rongmei) folk songs, dances, festivals and rituals.

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