The village of Kongthong: where babies are named after their own whistles

In the Khasi village of Kongthong, mothers give each child a spoken name and a whistled melody — a ‘jingrwai lawbei’ — by which the village calls them across the hills.

The tradition, centuries old, has made Kongthong famous: documentary crews, linguists and tourists now make the journey up the mountain.

The village has built a small heritage centre, and its oldest whistlers are now its most in-demand guides.