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INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
J. SHAKESPEAR. Imphal, Manipur State. September 12th, 1910. McCulloch, Major W. “Account of the Valley of Manipore and the Hill tribes; with a comparative vocabulary of the Manipore and other languages.” Calcutta, 1859. Selections from the Records of the Government of India (For. Dept.) XXVII This is a most valuable book, full of useful information as regards all the Hill tribes of Manipur. I have made use of it freely in Part II., but space did not allow of my extracting all that I should have
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lewin, Captain Thomas Herbert. “Progressive Colloquial Exercises in the Lushai Dialect of the ‘Dzo’ or Kuki Language, with vocabularies and popular tales. (Notated.) ” Calcutta, 1874. One of these tales is reproduced in Part II. The tales are well translated, but the Lushai is transliterated in a manner now out of date. The notes are as excellent as one would expect from a writer who certainly knew more of the Lushai than anyone else at that time, and who was more admired by them than any other
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GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY
Khuavang.—Lushai. A powerful spirit, sometimes used for “luck.” Kum-ai.—Children’s sleeping platform. Kum-pui.—Parent’s sleeping platform. Kut.—Lushai. Festivals connected with the crops. Lal.—Lushai. Chief. Lashi.—Lushai. Mythical beings who control wild animals. Known also to Aimol and Vaiphei. Mi-thi-khua.—“Dead men’s village.” Expression used by all clans for the place of departed souls. Mi-thi-rawp-lam.—A feast in honour of the dead. Palal.—A man who receives part of the bride-price, and ac
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CHAPTER I GENERAL
CHAPTER I GENERAL
3. History. The existing Lushei Chiefs all claim descent from a certain Thang-ura, who is sometimes said to have sprung from the union of a Burman with a Paihte woman, but, according to the Paihtes, the Lusheis are descended from Boklua, an illegitimate son of the Paihte Chief Ngehguka. The Thados say that some hunters tracking a serao noticed the foot-marks of a child following those of the animal, and on surrounding the doe serao they found it suckling a child, who became the great Chief Thang
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CHAPTER II DOMESTIC LIFE
CHAPTER II DOMESTIC LIFE
3. Villages. The Lushai likes to perch his village on the top of a ridge or spur, partly because, hillsides being steep, it is difficult to find sites elsewhere, partly for the sake of the climate, but chiefly, I think, in order to get a good defensive position. His migratory habits disinclining him to make the elaborate defences over which the Chins, Nagas, and other dwellers in permanent villages took so much pains, he therefore sought for a site which was difficult of approach. When we first
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CHAPTER III LAWS AND CUSTOMS
CHAPTER III LAWS AND CUSTOMS
Before the Thangur chiefs had risen to their present predominant position there were many consanguineous communities scattered over the hills, living under headmen of their own and each using a dialect of its own. Some of these communities appear to have had separate corporate existence for long periods and in consequence to have been sub-divided into many families and branches, while others were quickly absorbed by the Thangur and consequently have few sub-divisions. I have been accused of deri
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Translation of a Lushai’s account of the World beyond the Grave
Translation of a Lushai’s account of the World beyond the Grave
“After death the dead man holds the horns of the sambhur while sitting on its head, the rulngan will wind itself round him and the horns, the mu-vān-lāi will try to seize the rulngan, but the Thangchhuah can drive them off. That is why they always fly screaming so high in the sky. The vāhluk shade him by flying above him and also hide him from Pupawla, and thus the Thangchhuah is carried to Pial-ral.” In Pial-ral food and drink are to be obtained without labour, which to the Lushai appears the h
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Translation of Lushai Account.
Translation of Lushai Account.
“When Bengkhawia’s village was at Thenzawl, a tiger beset the village and in one day killed a mithan and two goats. The crier called on the people to surround it, and they did so. Thangbawnga shot it and performed the Ai ceremony; the night before he must not sleep. A young man cut its tail off; he also must keep awake all night. The next day he performed the Ai ceremony, sacrificing a mithan. Thangbawnga, who was performing the Ai, dressed himself up as a woman, smoked a woman’s pipe, wore a wo
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Translation of a Lushai Account of the Sakei-Ai.
Translation of a Lushai Account of the Sakei-Ai.
6. Ceremonies connected with child birth. The particular sacrifices to be performed in connection with a child’s birth vary considerably in different clans and families. Within seven days of the birth, the sacrifice known as the “Arte-luilam,” consisting of a cock and a hen killed just outside the house, must be made; till this is done the woman cannot go to the spring and is “sherh,” and had better not leave the house. Should the woman not observe the custom the child will suffer in health. Thr
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The Tale of Granddaddy Bear and the Monkey.
The Tale of Granddaddy Bear and the Monkey.
The Bear made a dam to collect water, and put the Monkey to watch it. Every sort of animal came crying, “I am dry. Who has water which he does not want? I am dry.” The Monkey always said, “The water belongs to Granddaddy Bear. If you dare to drink, drink; if you dare to suck, suck it up.” Then the Tiger came along, saying, “I am dry. Who has water which he does not want? I am dry.” The Monkey replied, “It is my Granddaddy Bear’s water. If you dare to drink, drink; if you dare to suck, suck it up
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The Bear’s Water Hole.
The Bear’s Water Hole.
There are many tales of this hero, who is especially honoured by the Khawtlang. Mualsavata is another mythical hero of immense stature. The smoke from his pipe was like that of a jhum burning. His whetstone, some 18 inches long, lies beside the road near Chongthleng, where it fell from his haversack, which his wife had neglected to mend. I have given so many tales in other parts of the monograph that I shall only add one more here. He went to the west to demand his sister’s price. The debtor gav
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The Tale of Him who Demanded His Sister’s Price.
The Tale of Him who Demanded His Sister’s Price.
The following translation of a Lushai’s reason for considering the sight of an atlas moth “thianglo” shows the origin of such superstitions. Atlas moths are rare in the Lushai hills. The “keptuam” (atlas moth) was the letter bearer between Pathian and the Vai (foreigner); and once when he was carrying Pathian’s letter to the Vai chief the keptuam made the letter into wings, and flew away and disappeared, and Pathian was much disturbed at the loss of his letter and at the disappearance of his mes
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Chhawng-chili and the Rulpui.
Chhawng-chili and the Rulpui.
This belief may be accounted for by the superstition that projects undertaken on such occasions are likely to succeed. Once when starting on a night expedition to capture a rebel chief, I noticed my guide staring up intently at the moon, and he expressed great satisfaction at seeing a star quite close to its edge, and exclaimed that our expedition was now sure to succeed, which I am glad to say proved true. 5 . Witchcraft. The Lushais are firm believers in witchcraft. There are several ways of b
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Translation of a Lushai Version of the Origin of Khawhring.
Translation of a Lushai Version of the Origin of Khawhring.
1 See above as to windows, page 27 . ↑ I propose, in this chapter, to deal only with Lushai, and to treat of the connection between the different dialects spoken in these Hills at the end of Part II. Lushai or Dulien, which is the dialect of the Lushei clan, modified, doubtless, by contact with those of other clans, is now the lingua franca of the whole Lushai Hills, and is understood in many parts of the adjoining districts. A very complete grammar and vocabulary has been published by Messrs.
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CHAPTER VI LANGUAGE
CHAPTER VI LANGUAGE
When a suffix is added to a noun to denote case, the plural suffix follows the case suffix. Zawng-a-te Monkey into s an they lo became changa. changed. Kan in-a-te Our house into s an they lo-lut-a. entered. Case. —Nouns are not inflected. The agent is denoted by the suffix “in.” The same suffix is used to distinguish the instrument. “In” is therefore exactly equivalent to “na” used in Manipuri to distinguish the agent or instrument. The other cases can only be inferred from the position of the
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APPENDIX Families and Branches of the Lushei Clan.
APPENDIX Families and Branches of the Lushei Clan.
Besides the above families, there is one called Chhak-chhuak, i.e. , “Come out of the east.” In spite of all enquiries I was unable to find out any reason for the name, which was sometimes said to be the name of a branch of one of the other families and sometimes that of a separate family. In this part all the clans of the Lushai-Kuki race which are not included by the people themselves among the Lusheis will be briefly dealt with. All these clans practise the jhum methods of cultivation and wer
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INTRODUCTORY
INTRODUCTORY
These clans have adopted most of the manners and customs of their conquerors, and to an ordinary observer are indistinguishable from the true Lushei. In many cases the only difference is in the method of performing the Sakhua sacrifice. In few cases some words of the clan dialect are still used, but, generally speaking, there is but little difference noticeable. In cases where the clan had attained considerable strength before its overthrow by the Lusheis the process of assimilation has naturall
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CHAPTER I CLANS INCLUDED IN THE TERM LUSHAI
CHAPTER I CLANS INCLUDED IN THE TERM LUSHAI
Kawlni. A widely-distributed clan sub-divided into at least 12 families said to be connected with the Ralte, q.v. Kawlhring. Kawl = Burma. Hring = Born. This clan had a big village on the Hringfa hill, where the remains of earthworks made by them in their final struggle against the Haka people may still be seen. Messrs. Carey and Tuck in their “Chin Hills Gazetteer,” p. 153, say:—“Having settled with their formidable neighbours on the north, the Hakas turned their attention to the Lushais, who a
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CHAPTER II CLANS WHICH, THOUGH NOT ABSORBED, HAVE BEEN MUCH INFLUENCED BY THE LUSHEIS
CHAPTER II CLANS WHICH, THOUGH NOT ABSORBED, HAVE BEEN MUCH INFLUENCED BY THE LUSHEIS
The Fanai now talk Lushai and dress in the same way, except as regards the method of dressing the hair, which is parted horizontally across the back of the head at the level of the ears, and the hair above this is gathered into a knot over the forehead, while that below is allowed to hang loose over the shoulders. They generally follow Lushai customs. In the series of feasts which an aspirant for the title of Thangchhuah has to perform, the Chong is replaced by the Buh-za-ai (buh = rice, za = 10
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Folklore.
Folklore.
(From “Progressive Colloquial Exercises in the Lushai Dialect” by Captain H. Lewin, 1874.) Her father, who was unmarried, was splitting cane to make a winnowing basket when he ran a splinter into his hand: the splinter grew into a little child; (after a time) the child was brought forth motherless and they called her Kúngóri. They fed her with single grains of millet and rice, and so little by little she grew big. Two or three years passed by and she attained puberty; she was very pretty, and al
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Old Kuki Clans—Khawtlang and Khawchhak
Old Kuki Clans—Khawtlang and Khawchhak
The Biate in the Lushai Hills worship the images in the Bhuban caves, but I am told that those in the North Cachar Hills differ in this respect. The three images are called Bolawng Raia, Chhinga Raia, and Maituki Raia, Raia being a corruption of Rajah. A fowl, a pig, two eggs, and two kinds of jungle vegetable called “chinghrut” and “hruitung” are offered to these deities outside the village once a year. The following tale is told to account for this worship of images, which is so opposed to gen
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Thado Folk Tales.
Thado Folk Tales.
“Formerly Ngamboma and Khuptingi, before they were born, while in their mothers’ wombs, they loved each other. When the time for them to be born came near their mothers’ bellies pained them. Then if their mothers put their bellies near to each other they got well. Then the children were born. In the jhums when they were placed apart in the jhum house while their mothers were at work they always got together. When they grew bigger they loved each other, and Ngamboma wanted to marry Khuptingi, but
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Constitution of Society.
Constitution of Society.
Rs. 10/- or more. Gong. This price is often nearly as heavy as the “O-kia.” Rs. 80/- or more. One Mithan (large). At the death of a wife this price has to be paid as a death due by the husband to the dead wife’s father or eldest brother as the case may be. At the death of a husband the eldest son of the dead man has to pay the price to his father’s mother’s brother (the dead man’s uncle). If there is no son, the dead man’s brother will pay, and then the dead man’s daughters, when they marry, the
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CHAPTER VI LANGUAGE
CHAPTER VI LANGUAGE
In many cases F in Lushai, Rhangkhol, and Langrong is replaced by Ch, sometimes softened into S in Thado, Manipuri, and some Old Kuki dialects. I have so far only found the following examples, but the material at my disposal is very insufficient, and I have no doubt that, given complete vocabularies, many more would be found:— “Fa” in Lushai, “cha” in Manipuri and Thado, meaning “child.” “Fār-nu” in Lushai and Langrong, “chār-nu” in Aimol, Kolhen and Lamgang, “sār-nu” in Chiru, Kom, and Hallam,
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COMPARATIVE VOCABULARY OF THADO AND LUSHAI LANGUAGES, WITH NOTES ON THE OTHER CHIN LANGUAGES AND MANIPURI OR MEITHEI.
COMPARATIVE VOCABULARY OF THADO AND LUSHAI LANGUAGES, WITH NOTES ON THE OTHER CHIN LANGUAGES AND MANIPURI OR MEITHEI.
The Lushai Clans SKETCH MAP SHOWING THE LOCALITIES INHABITED BY THE DIFFERENT CLANS John Bartholomew & Co., Edin r ....
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WORKS ON ANTHROPOLOGY.
WORKS ON ANTHROPOLOGY.
ANCIENT HUNTERS AND THEIR MODERN REPRESENTATIVES. By Prof. W. J. Sollas , D.Sc., F.R.S. Illustrated. 8vo. 12s. net. THE MAFULU MOUNTAIN PEOPLE OF BRITISH NEW GUINEA. By Robert W. Williamson . With an Introduction by A. C. Haddon , F.R.S. Illustrated. 8vo. 14s. net. MELANESIANS AND POLYNESIANS. Their Life-Histories Described and Compared. By George Brown , D.D. Illustrated. 8vo. 12s. net. NATIVE TRIBES OF SOUTH-EAST AUSTRALIA. By A. W. Howitt , D.Sc. Illustrated. 8vo. 21s. net. THE NORTHERN TRIBE
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