Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 2(3), July 2003, pp. 230-235

Ethnobiological wisdom behind the traditional mug a silk industry in Assam

S K Borthakur Department of Botany, Gauhati University , Guwahati - 781014, Indi a

Received 28 March 2003

This article focuses on indigenous knowledge, innovations, practices and beliefs pertaining to muga silk industry - a traditional cottage industry in Assam, which had its origin in the dis­tant past and continued till today.

Keywords: Muga silk industry, Antheraea assama, Pen'ea bombycina, Litsea mOl/opetala, Brahmaputra Valley, Tai Ahoms, Rabhas, Garos, Traditional implements, tools and methods, Beliefs and associated prac tices.

The cottage sector textile industry is a habitual diligence among the communi­ties living in Assam. The antiqueness of this industry in the state is not definitely known. However, handloom weaving and rearing of mulberry, endi and muga worms for production of different kinds of silk yarn were known to be patronised by the Ahom Kings during their reign from 1228 to 1826. With the advent of mill-made yarn, the spinning of yarn from cotton was replaced by mill-made ones for use in handloom weaving in Assam. But the traditional production of different kinds of silk yarn and fabric still plays an important role in the economy of the rural people of the state. Tusser silk is not pro­duced in Assam and of the other three silks, the golden colour muga silk pro­duced by Antheraea assama Westwood is confined to the Brahmaputra Valley of Assam only, in the whole world. Even in Assam, rearing of muga silkworms for

the production of this precious silk is mainly practiced by the Tai Ahoms of upper Assam districts and to a limited extent by the Rabhas and the Garos of Goalpara district of lower Assam l

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Muga silkworm is polyphagous, semi­domesticated and multivoltine in nature having five generations in a year. In ac­cordance with Assamese calendar the dif­ferent generations are known as: (i) larua - winter, (ii) Chatua - early spring, (iii) lethua - spring, (iv) Aherua -early summer, and (v) Kotia - late summer or early winter. Of all these gen­erations, the early winter and spring gen­erations produce silk best in quality and also in quanti ty5.6.

The primary host plants of muga silk­worm are Persea bombycina (King ex Hook.f.) Kost. (Sum, local name) and Lit­sea monopetala (Roxb.) Pers. (Sualo) of the family Lauraceae. In addition to the primary host plants, Litsea salicifolia

BORTHAKUR : TRADITIONAL MUGA SILK INDUSTRY IN ASSAM 231

(Roxb. ex Nees) Hook. f. (Dighlati) , L. cubeba (Lour.) Pers. (Mejankari), Persea odoratissima (Nees) Kost. (Jati-sum), Melastoma malabathricum L. (Melas­tomaceae : Phutuka) , Averrhoa caram­bola L. (A verrhoaceae : Kordoi), Meyna laxijlora Robyns. (Rubiaceae : Kotkora) and Barringtonia acutangula (L.) Gaertn . (Barringtoniaceae : Hijal) are also used as secondary host plants.

The laying of eggs and formation of cocoons are the only two stages of rearing of muga silkworm, which are confined to indoors. Once the worms emerged from the eggs, they are shifted to the host plants grown in exclusive gardens, locally known as Sumani (Fig. 1). On maturation, the worms come down of the host plants, which are collected and allowed to form cocoons. For successful rearing of the insect, the rearers are still guided by tra­ditional customs and beliefs. Moreover, the people still prefer to use tools and implements innovated indigenously, and other local materials for rearing the worms, spinning and dyeing the yarn, and weaving the cloth4

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The purpose of this article is to focus on traditional knowledge, innovations, practices and beliefs associated with the rearing of rpuga silkworms, spinning and dyeing of yarn, weaving, and other ac­tivities involved in the industry. The work is based on observations made during the ethnobotanical studies among the Tai Ahoms of upper Assam.

Observations The findings of the study are

broadly categorised into following headings:

(i) Traditional implements and tools used for rearing the worm:

All the traditional implements (Fig. 2) used for rearing of TYlll0<'l silk worms are made of bamboo belonging to the species Bambusa tulda Roxb. (Jatibah), B. arundinacea (Retz.) Willd. (Tomalbah) and B. balcooa Roxb. (Bholukabah) . These include Muga-para basket for col­lection and storage of cocoons, Chelingi -a triangular sieve used for shifting worms from one host plant to another, Batalu­dhanu bow for shooting pellets and Khu­rung - a small basket for keeping clay pellets.

(ii) Materials used during the rearing of worm:

The male and female moths are tied in pairs on a stick-like bundle of culms of Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv. (Poaceae: Ulukher) , locally known as Kathi . Likewise, the worms on maturity are provided with bundles of withered leafy twigs, locally known as Jali, of one or the other of the following selective plants viz., Symplocos racemosa Roxb. (Symplocaceae : Bhumlati), Mesua ferrea L. (Clusiaceae : Nahar) and Lagerstro­emia speciosa Pers. (Lythraceae : Ajar), for formation of cocoons (Fig. 3).

(iii) Biological control of predators and other associated aspects :

The moths are provided with a room in a thatched hut, the walls of which are plastered with mud, for copulation and subsequent laying of eggs. The floor of the hut is sprinkled with wood-ash, which prevents the entry of other insects . Even in the room nobody is allowed to enter to

232 INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL 2, No. 3. JULY 2003

Fig. I - Exclusive garden Sumani of Persea bOlllbvcilla plantation .

Fig. 2 - Accessories made of bamboo used for rearing muga silkworms: On the foreground - Cheiillgi ; On the right and left of background - Muga-para ; On the middle of background - Khurung ; and On the middle of the picture -Batalu-dhanu.

BORTHAKUR : TRADITIONAL MUGA SILK INDUSTRY IN ASSAM

Fig. 3 - lali or bundles of withered leafy twigs of Lagerstroemia speciosa provided for formation of cocoons.

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Fig. 4 - A woman rearer in her rearing yard. Note the girdle of leaf-sheath of CatimbiulIl malaccense at the base of the host plant and also the Chelingi - the triangular sieve, used for collecting and shifting the worms.

234 INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL 2, No. 3, JULY 2003

ensure the protection of eggs and the worms from other germs. The moths are allowed to copulate only for an overnight and then they are decoupled and male moths are driven away by lighting a fire at some distance in the next morning. Likewise, the female moths are allowed to lay eggs for a maximum of three days and then they are removed from the sticks.

Before transferring the worms to the feeding yard, the trees are cleaned by re­moving dried leaves and twigs, and the undergrowths are completely weeded out.

The rearers recognise the birds and other animals predacious on muga silk­worms and during day time these are driven away by shooting pellets with a bow. But nocturnal predators are driven away by a unique device. A duck is en­caged in a bamboo basket and hang from a twig atop a tree in the feeding yard. With slightest disturbance the duck screams, which drives away the nocturnal predatory birds and bats. There are many insects, which also attack the worms. For controlling the insects a few scaly fishes like Puntius sophore Ham. (Cyprinidae: Puthi), Channa punctatus Bloch. (Chan­nidae: Goroi) and C. orientalis Bloch. (Changeli) are tied at the base of trees, which keep the insects engaged at the base of the trees and they never climb above to reach the worms. The scaly fishes are used because the insects require a longer time to eat them.

Sometimes the worms climb down the trees before maturity and to prevent this, a girdle (Fig. 4) with leaveS of Microso­rium punctatum (L.) Copel. (Polypodia­ceae : Miriani-mura) and leaf-sheaths of

Catimbium malaccense (Burm. f.) Holt­tum (Zingiberaceae : Tora) or Musa bal­bisiana Colla (Musaceae : Athiacol ) is provided at the base of each plant. The worms never cross or even touch this gir­dle. Probably the chemical substances present in these plant materials are re­sponsible for the repel of the worms.

(iv) Beliefs and associated practices: One of the members of the rearer fam­

ily stays in a hut in the feeding yard from the very day the worms are transferred to the host plants, till maturity. During this period, which varies from 30 to 45 days, it is customary not to cut hairs, shave beard and trim nails by the person staying in the feeding yard and he or she has to prepare his or her food himself or herself.

Before the worms are transferred to the feeding yard and after collection of the worms on maturity, the rearer performs sacrificial rites to appease the sylvan de­ity, locally known as Phi-thun of the feeding yard, by offering eggs, fowls and rice-beer.

(v) Traditional spinning and weaving implements and method of dyeing the yarn:

The spinning is done with a traditional implement which is known as Bhanguri, made of timber, and the weaving is done through shuttle looms (Maku-sal). The muga silk yarn usually does not require any dyeing. But to brighten the natural golden colour, the yams are boiled in an alkali solution, which is prepared by leaching the sash of dried leaf-sheaths of Musa balbisiana Colla (Musaceae : Athi­acol).

BORTHAKUR : TRADITIONAL MUGA SILK INDUSTRY IN ASSAM 235

Discussion The rearing of the muga silk worm

(Antheraea assama) is an age old practice confined only to a few communities in some parts of Assam. It not only yields a precious golden coloured natural silk but the worms after formation of cocoons are removed and used as a source of protein, which are eaten fresh or dried. During the reign of Ahom kings, the practice of rearing of this worm was patronised by them and is evidenced by the title Muga­chungia conferred by the Ahom Kings, still retained by many of the rearer fami­lies.

Since the practice of rearing of muga silkworms is traditional, the rearers fol­low the custom and beliefs associated with it, and designing of tools and im­plements used for rearing, spinning and weaving was based on empiric knowl­edge. Probably it is the traditional prac­tices followed in rearing of muga silk­worms make this indigenous knowledge unique and make Assam as the only proud producer of this golden silk in the world.

Acknowledgement The author is thankful to the rearer

families of Tai Ahom community in Dha­kuakhana, Patasaku and Sapekhati for

allowing the investigator to record the information on rearing mug a silkworms for this paper.

References 1 Anonymous, Muga silk Industry , (Directorate

of Sericulture and Weaving, Gov!. of Assam, Guwahati), 1981.

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4 Chowdhuri S N, Reeling and weaving of muga silk, Indian Silk, 19 (5) (1980) 15.

5 Bora A, Shukanand S N & Samson M V, Variation in cocoon characters of Antheraea assama West wood during different seasons, Sericologia, 28 (1988) 215.

6 Barah A, Goswami M C & Samson M V, Consumption and utilization of food in differ­ent instars of muga silkworm Antheraea as­sama Westwood, Proc Indian Acad Sci (Anim Sci), 98 (2) (1989) 99.

7 Bharali N, Investigation on the growth and development of muga worm Antheraea as­sama Westwood on different morophophysio types of Som plants Machilus bombycina and chemical analysis of leaves and hormone treatment of seeds to select the best variety of plants, Ph. D. Thesis, Gauhati University, Guwahati, 1984.

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