Reading Notes: Part B Khasi Folktales

Part B of the Khasi Folktales continues from Part A with a collection of short stories. One story of interest was The Leap of Ka Likai. It follows the story of a widow who becomes distraught due to the unfortunate loss of her daughter. The waterfall she jumps into due to her distress is named after her. When researching Kai Likai, it appears the actual waterfall is in north-eastern India, specifically in the East Khasi Hills of the Meghalaya. The wikipedia page also mentions the story when explaining how the waterfall got its name. Regarding the story, it is weird how the husband seems to suffer no punishment for his actions. He killed the daughter of his step-wife and prepared her remains in a curry dish. Perhaps if I choose to rewrite the story, I would create a punishment for the husband and his deeds. The only explanation I could see for the lack of punishments is the lack of women empowerment in the region. Nonetheless, this is an aspect of the story I could explore in a unique retelling. The other story, How the Tiger got his Strength, is yet another story of a tiger, only highlighting the prominence of the animal in India. It explains why the tiger is so powerful but also why the human can utilize his tools to take advantage of animals. The character Bleis has a significant role in the story, but I had difficult finding out more about who exactly is Bleis. Bleis is characterized as some all powerful being that can bestow gifts and traits onto animals, so perhaps he is some god or goddess in the region of the Khasi people. The introduction of the story reminds me of Adam and Eve in the Jewish Fairy Tales in how the animals were created and given traits by the creator. There could be some relationship between these two stories that I could explore.

Bilbiography:
Folk-Tales of the Khasis by Mrs. K. U. Rafy (1920).
Folk-Tales of the Khasis by Mrs. K. U. Rafy (1920).

Wikimedia: Kai Likai, the tragic waterfall

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