UM MOONINGE 1 (Krem)

Location

An unspecified cave entrance with unidentified shape, unspecified size and with fully ignored characteristics, faces an unidentified direction and gives access to a cave with unspecified seondary calcite formations (speleothems) and the vertical cave passage dubbed Joke Pot, which drops 15 m down and intersects a cave passage (note 1) in Krem –>Labit, Kseh. ETYMOLOGY: The origin and meaning of the recorded cave names, which refer to the stream »Um Mooninge« (Anonymous et al. 2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc: 20th February) or »Um Mooninge 1« (Arbenz, T 2010.03.28 personal correspondence) or "mu ninge" has not been discovered but appears to combine the Khasi words "um" (water), "mu" (rock) and a difficult to interprete "ninge" of sorts (note 2). SITUATION: »In the middle level of a completely close doline« (Arbenz, T 2010.02.21 Mss ”JP Bartholeyns 2010.02.21” Krem Um Mooninge 1, 14.2.2010), which was understood to lie not only at an unspecified location somewhere in the vicinity of the village of Umkyrpong (25°26'04”N: 92°34'48”E) but also in an unidentified spatial relation to Krem –>Labit (Kseh). POSITION: The GPS position (note 3), which has been recorded for the entrance to Krem Um Mooninge 1, indicates a spot about 560 m in a direct line approximately WSW (-244 m north, -513 m east) from the GPS position (2010) that has been recorded for the entrance to Krem –>Labit (Kseh) but vertically 58 m higher up. APPROACH: »From the church in Kseh [note 4] follow a 4WD-track down to a football pitch. At the eastern end of the pitch follow a track for 150 m down to a flat area with gardens and paddy fields. Leave the path near N25°25’40”: 092°35’58”: 800 m asl) and continue for »800 m« (or 500 m) north-west along the contour line: »By keeping to the same altitude the Um Mooninge doline is reached after 500 m [or 800 m]. On the west of a gully, a climb 5 m down »leads to a 30 m rock shelter with the entrance on one end« (Arbenz, T 2010.02.21 Mss ”JP Bartholeyns 2010.02.21” Krem Um Mooninge 1, 14.2.2010). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2010a: The cave entrance to »Krem Um Mooninge opened in the middle level of a completely close doline« where, believe it or not, »water can only go to the bottom« (Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns in: Anonymous et al. 2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc: 20th February). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2010b: »Horizontal relic cave on two levels. Occasionally draining some water from a limited area during heavy rain fall. The entrance is down through boulders on the SW-face of the doline. A little water is flowing into it. Relic cave starting from the bottom of a doline. Two levels and a pitch. Rich calcite formations« (Arbenz, T 2010.02.21 Mss ”JP Bartholeyns 2010.02.21” Krem Um Mooninge 1, 14.2.2010). SPELEOMETRY: 480.62 m (Arbenz, T 2012.12.11 personal correspondence). CAVE CLIMATE: Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns noticed at an unspecified time on 20th February 2010 a relatively »warm and humid draft« [sic! qua: draught in the sense of an air current] that gave the impression to »come from« the »doline boulder choke« (Anonymous et al. 2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc: 20th February).CAVE LIFE: »Crickets« (Arbenz, T 2010.02.21 Mss ”JP Bartholeyns 2010.02.21” Krem Um Mooninge 1, 14.2.2010) in the sense of insects apparently related to the grasshoppers. Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 09/02/2016

NOTE 1: »Krem Um Mooninge 1, die über einen Schacht mit der Krem Labit Kseh verbunden ist« (Arbenz, T 2010.03.28 personal correspondence). »The [survey of this] cave is connected to Krem Labit Kseh through the 15 m “Joke Pot” = Labit Kseh station 101.0« (Arbenz, T 2010.02.21 Mss ”JP Bartholeyns 2010.02.21” Krem Um Mooninge 1, 14.2.2010) under the condition that »a side passage, south of the high gour dam and of similar dimensions, sumps after 150 metres. Above it lies Krem Um Mooninge which is linked via Joke Pot« (ARBENZ, T 2012: 56). NOTE 2: For me, the unexplained »ninge« (Arbenz, T 2010.03.28 personal correspondence) is not easy to identify. The standard Khasi: 'n an abbreviation of: yn (auxiliary verb) emphasizes the future (GURDON 1906: 209). ni (adjective) smooth, fine (SINGH, N 1906: 140).[ka] iing pronounced: ying (noun) a house (SINGH, N 1906: 90; OLDHAM, T 1854 / 1984 appendix C: lxi, lxvii); the family (GURDON 1906: 63).ing to be burnt, to catch fire (SINGH, N 1906: 91). [u] 'ing an abbreviation of: u syìng (noun) the ginger (SINGH, N 1906: 91). [ka] 'ing an abbreviation of: ka sh'ing (noun) a bone (SINGH, N 1906: 91). nge -- (no Khasi word as such) ngi (personal pronoun), we (SINGH, N 1906: 78; OLDHAM, T 1854 / 1984 appendix C: LXII). 'ngi an abbreviation of: sngi (suffix) the sun, the day) and is used im compound words, as in "ka mih'ngi" »the sunrise« (SINGH, N 1906: 78). ngi'm (phrase) we . . . not (SINGH, N 1906: 78). ngi'n (phrase) we will … (SINGH, N 1906: 78). ngiah (adverb) enough (SINGH, N 1906: 78). ri-ngér (noun) kind of small rattan cane; Botanically: Calamus (SINGH, N 1906: 174). rngiew a short form of ryngiew (noun) luck, individuality, essence of humanity, spirit (SINGH, N 1906: 172). ryngngi (noun) the sunny side of a place (SINGH, N 1906: 177); the name of a clan in the Khyrim State (GURDON 1906: 220 no. 168). ryngkhi (noun) the back of a knife or sword (SINGH, N 1906: 177). NOTE 3: The GPS position, which had been recorded in 2010 for the cave entrance to Krem Labit (Kseh), was interpreted as confirmed due to the relatively fitting spatial relation to the GPS position for the cave entrance to »Krem Um Mooninge 1, die über einen Schacht mit der Krem Labit Kseh verbunden ist. Ihre Position N25°25'45.6”/ E092°35'47.8'”/ + - 30 m / alt 774 m (Garmin12 Expedition GPS). Auf der 1: 10,000 Karte passt das« (Arbenz, T 2010.03.28 personal correspondence). NOTE 4: ka kseh (Khasi; noun, feminine) a pine tree (SINGH, N 1906: 49); u kseh (Khasi; noun, masculine) a resinous pine wood (SINGH, N 1906: 49) but a »church in Kseh« (Arbenz, T 2010.02.21 Mss ”JP Bartholeyns 2010.02.21” Krem Um Mooninge 1, 14.2.2010) is probably neither a church in a pine tree nor a church in resinous pine wood but the church dedicated to St, Joseph (25°25'24.2”N: 92°35'32.7”E: 880 m Arbenz, T. 2010.05.14 map: Pala relief.pdf) in the village of Kseh (Arbenz, T 2012.09.06 Mss "Alys Mendus 22ndFeb.2010" Krem Lymoh 17.2.2010). Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 09/02/2016