WAH STEIÑ (Jarratt 1997a) (Cave near)
25.151900,92.346100
Description
The relatively »small entrance« (2 m wide, 5 m high) faces north-east and gives access to a walking-sized bedding plane cave where a steeply descending and clean-washed cave passage (dubbed Arachnophobia Avenue) zig-zags down along the local dip of the strata. The entered part of the cave passage, which is accompanied by several side passages along the strike, eventually leads to a boulder choke vertically 28 m below the entrance. The choke is not only reputed to emit an aircurrent but also is known among colleagues as The Rib-tickler. EVALUATION: The relatively »small cave« has been considered peculiar insofar as it can be made to contain the number of 84.4 more or less lengthwise measurable survey metres which (the survey length) Simon J Brooks, however, bettered easily to »90 m of passage« (Simon J Brooks in: BROOKS, S J et al 1998: 30). IDENTITY: This somewhat "porcupinish" cave is possibly identical with Krem –>Wah Lareng. ETYMOLOGY: No autochthonous, indigenous or locally known name has been identified for what has been christened »Krem Wahstein« because it lies close to the village of Umsteiñ. The Khasi "u steiñ" signifies the fibre obtained from the bark of »a tree« (SINGH, N 1906: 211) or »fibreous plant« (SINGH, N 1906: 182), which is used for making thread ('sái steiñ) and rope. According to GURDON, P R T (1906: 36), however, the Khasi "u stein“ and Assamese "riha" is the »pineapple fibre« obtained from Boehmeria nivea. SITUATION: Unknown but obviously closer to the village of Umsteiñ than to the village of Wahsteiñ. The cave entrance to this »Krem Wahstein« (Brooks, S J in: BROOKS, S J et al. 1998: 30) had been reached in February 1997 from a certain »Um Satad village« (note 1) along a route via Wahstein (note 2) to Umsteiñ (note 3) and from there within »almost an hours walk« into an unidentified direction »into the jungle« and eventually to what had been on 26th February 1997 the »dry riverbed« of a stream with an unidentified name (Jarratt, A. R. 1997 Mss 26/2/97). Both the cave Krem –>Wah Lareng and the spring Umpohliew –>Wah Lareng seem to be somewhere nearby. APPROACH: Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt narrates how »Kaimon« (Kyrmen 'Hope' C Hiwot Passah), Boycott, Antony 'Tony', Estelle Sandford and he himself took somebody else's jeep with which they were driven from Lumshnong (N25°10'45”: E092°22'50”: 620 m asl) »… down to Umsatad where we met the headman who told us of several caves. Our local guide [Swit] took us to Umstein village where we had tea, biscuits and betel with an elderly exheadman. He then took us on almost an hours walk into the jungle to end up at a small cave entrance near a dry riverbed … A long walk for a short cave« (Jarratt 1997 Mss 26/2/97).CAVE DESCRIPTION: »A steep, walking sized phreatic [i.e. vadose, of phreatic origin] gallery zig-zagged down past several side passages to end in [sic! qua: to give access to] draughting choke. This steep, short cave dropped deeply down dip …« (Jarratt 1997 Mss 26/2/97). CULTURAL HISTORY - human use: Porcupine hunting ground: »This [relatively small sized cave entrance near a dry riverbed] had apparently been found whilst porcupine hunting« (Jarratt 1997 Mss 26/2/97). CAVE LIFE: On 26th February 1997, »This steep, short cave … had a plentiful population of hand sized spiders« (Jarratt 1997 Mss 26/2/97) or, perhaps, giant crab spiders (Arachnidae: Aranea: Sparassidae: conf. Heteropoda sp.).
NOTE 1: Umsatad (Jarratt, Anthony 'Tony' R 1997 Meghalaya Cave Log, vol. 7: 26/2/97), Um Satad (Brooks, S J in: BROOKS, S J et al 1998: 30) or, perhaps, Um Satap (Crevice Stream), is the name of a village which was understood to lie in an unidentified setting and at an unspecified location where Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt, Antony 'Tony' Boycott and Estelle Sandford read and recorded on 26th February 1997 not even one single GPS position. ORIGIN: Unknown sa (Khasi; prefix) to contract a disease, to be affected with (SINGH, N 1906: 178) ba tad (Khasi; adjective), also: batat (BLAH, E. 2007: 48), cheap (SINGH, N 1906: 218; SINGH, N 1920: 67; BLAH, E. 2007: 48). -- if origin from sat + ad ka sat (Khasi; noun) the trouble, a calamity (SINGH, N 1906: 183). ba sat (Khasi; adjective) hot, acrid, pungent (SINGH, N 1906: 183; SINGH, N 1920: 6). sat (Khasi; adverb) sorely (SINGH, N 1906: 183). sat (Khasi; adverb), s'at, a contraction of syat, addicted to, much given to (SINGH, N 1906: 184). ba'n ad (Khasi; transitive verb) amplify, append (SINGH, N 1920: 17, 23). at (Khasi; intransitive verb) to swell, to bulge out, to harbour ill feelings (SINGH, N 1906: 5); bulge, distend (SINGH, N 1920: 55, 133); to swell out because of pressure from inside. NOTE 2: Wahstein 25°09'05”N: 92°20'50”E (Boycott, Antony 'Tony' 1997 February). NOTE 3: Umsteiñ (unspecified precision error) 25°09'21”N: 92°21'49”E (WGS84, Boycott, A 1997 February GPS Garmin 12XL).
Documents
Bibliography 04/07/2016History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1997.02.26: Swit Sungoh from Umsteiñ guided Kyrmen 'Hope' C Hiwot Passah (interpreter), Antony 'Tony' Boycott, (scouting), Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt (scouting), and Estelle Sandford (scouting) from a certain »Umsatad village« (or, perhaps, Umsatap) via the villages of Wahsteiñ and Umsteiñ to the cave (Jarratt, A R 1997 Mss 26/2/97 page 69; BROOKS, S J et al. 1998: 29).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.4 | WAH URLA (Krem) | ||
| 0.4 | WAH STEIÑ (Jarratt 1997b) (Cave near) | ||
| 0.9 | WAH LARENG (Müller 1999) (Krem) | ||
| 1.0 | WAH LARENG (Brooks 1997) (Umpohliew) | ||
| 1.5 | SHNONG, Umsteiñ (Ngam) | ||
| 2.2 | WAHBAH SANG (Krem) | ||
| 2.2 | UMLONG SOUTH POT (aa -) | ||
| 2.4 | UMLONG WEST POT (aa -) | ||
| 2.5 | KNAH (Krem) |