The Future of The Tarok Culture and Tradition!
The Tarok people are mainly farmers producing both food and cash crops such as guinea corn, millet, maize, rice, groundnut, cotton, and yam etc. Rearing some domesticated animals such as local chickens, ducks, goats, sheep, dogs and cattle etc. Other economic activities of the Tarok people include Carving, Fishing, Blacksmithing, hunting and Pottery making.
Carving (npak akun), carving activities of the Tarok people is no longer in existence, in years back in Tarok market, various types of carving arts are display at the market such as mortar an pestle (atum), wooden bed (igbang), wooden chair (ituk), wooden spoon (igapji). In recent years, such items are no longer in existence in the market, except in some private homes. As future leaders what are we doing to preserved or bring back the forgotten cultural and traditional items?
Blacksmithing (ala), is one of the best economic activities of the Tarok man, in blacksmithing many materials are produce such as Hoe (adir), knife (ikpal), big hoe (ashan), Arrow (iwar) etc. In years back all those materials can be gotten in the market everywhere in Tarok land. But, in recent years, is difficult to see a blacksmith, either they have die or their children are not interested in blacksmithing activities.
Hunting (abaar), local hunting is another area of interest in the past, our ancestors always go as far as the south for hunting call (aninwar), during their many months of hunting, apart from the game they brought home, they will also discover fertile land for agriculture. Example is Langtang south, through local hunting, fertile land of Langtang south was discover and the movement of the people from north to south for farming, known as resettlement area. In recent past, the local hunting at home is a good business, fresh bush meat from the mountain are available to buy, but now, only very few people take to hunting.
Igee or ntaida (shooting competition), is a local shooting competition with bow and arrow, group by group or clan by clan challenge each other for shooting competition, a group or a clan will be known as the best shooters in the community. We have some best military from Tarok land. Nowadays, no group or clan challenge each other for such competition in Tarok land. In years to come, we would not have any culture and tradition in the future in Tarok land, our children children will never know about their culture and tradition.
Pottery (nmayiyem), is a big business in the past, pottery ware such as ideri, Isar, asu, agantang, ibechi etc, are earthenware items and are generally produced by women and are the source of income to their family. But, today is a different story and a sad one at that, you would no longer see any pottery ware in the market anywhere in Tarok land. This is a nightmare, it was replace plastic container.
Ideri and ibechi are use to store locally brew beer called burukutu is more chilling to take, drew from the earthenwares than from plastic container, is now been replace in the use of Jerry-can a plastic container, that has a health implications.
In the late 2000 to 2011, the use of pottery for brewing or storage of locally brew beer burukutu has completely disappear in Tarok land. What is now been use for brewing burukutu is a big aluminum pot instead of Isar. This also has a negative effect on the culture and tradition of the Tarok people. Apart from putting women out of job, it also bring our cultivated heritage to a stop.
In the same way, the use of calabash (adagde, achoya) for eating and drinking are no longer in existence. ( find out from your villages or community, how many homes are using adagde for eating and achoya for drinking), you will discover that only few people use it in the name of modernization.
We particularly grateful to one person who maintain the Tarok culture and tradition (Igbarman Otarok) and some few other sons and daughter's of the soil.
The village heads and the Ponzhi nbin in every Tarok community should in the matter of urgency discouraged the use of Jerry-can and plastic containers in our market in Tarok land. When we do this, we will bring back our lost heritage. The more we stick to our pottery ware and calabash, the more it would be good for us and our future culture and tradition...
In recent years, there are many challenges on our ancestral worship, the challenge come mostly from the Christian religious belief, they can not mind their business as mostly trying to undermine the ancestral belief.
The question that need a honest answer from the Christian is, "Where was Jesus or God when the ancestral worship began?"
"We would wake up some day in the future, there will be no Tarok culture and tradition -the time to wake up is now"
~Nandip Andrew
