Homepage
Login
Profile
BookClubs
dmBox
Read Ebook: The Warfare of the Soul: Practical Studies in the Life of Temptation by Hughson Shirley Carter
Font size:
Background color:
Text color:
Add to tbrJar First Page Next Page
Ebook has 617 lines and 53773 words, and 13 pages
Introduction xiii Bibliography xvii Glossary xix
PART I
THE LUSHEI CLANS
General 1
Domestic Life 17
Laws and Customs 41
Religion 61
Folk-lore 92
Language 113
Lushai or Dulien, Grammar, Word for word translation.
Families and Branches of Lushei Clan 125
PART II
THE NON-LUSHEI CLANS
INTRODUCTORY
Division of Clans into Five Groups 129
Clans included in the term Lushai 130
Chawte, Chongthu, Hnamte, Kawlni, Kawlhring, Kiangte, Ngente, Paotu, Rentlei, Vangchhia, Zawngte.
Clans which, though not absorbed, have been much influenced by the Lushais 136
Fanai, Ralte, Paihte or Vuite, Rangte.
The old Kuki Clans 148
The old Kuki Clans of Manipur, Aimol, Anal, Chawte, Chiru, Kolhen, Kom, Lamgang, Purum, Tikhup, Vaiphei. Other old Kuki Clans, Khawtlang and Khawchhak.
The Thado Clan 189
The Lakher or Mara Clan 213
Language 225
Resemblances between languages of clans, Change of certain letters, Comparative vocabulary.
PAGE
Khamliana, Sailo Chief Frontispiece Lushai Weapons, Ornaments, &c 10 Lushai Men's Hair Ornaments To face 12 Zawlbuk, or Young Men's House To face 22 Plan of a Lushai's House 26 A Rest by the Way--on the Way to the Jhums. Lushais and Pois To face 32 Lushais Threshing Rice To face 33 Zataia, Sailo Chief and Family To face 44 Lushai Girls To face 53 Copy of a Map of the Route to Mi-thi-khua, drawn by a Lushai 63 Khwatlang Posts Erected to Commemorate the Slaying of Mithans at a Feast To face 65 Chief's House showing "She lu Pun," the Posts Supporting the Skulls of Mithan Killed at One of the Feasts To face 90 Cane Suspension Bridge To face 110 Fanai To face 136 Memorial Stone in Champhai, Known as Mangkhaia, Lungdawr To face 140 Vuite Memorial To face 147 Rangte Grave To face 147 Aimol Nautch Party. The Youth is Holding a Rotchem To face 152 Heads of Kuki Clans To face 184 Memorial to a Man who has Performed the Ai of a Tiger 206 Memorial to a Woman who has Performed the Buh Ai 206 Lakher Chief and Family To face 215 Lakher Baskets To face 223 Map At end of Volume
INTRODUCTION
This monograph was originally intended to deal only with the inhabitants of the Lushai Hills, but on my transfer to Manipur, I found so many clans living in the hill tracts of that curious little state that I suggested that the scope of the monograph might be enlarged to include all clans of the Kuki race as well.
This term Kuki, like Naga, Chin, Shendu, and many others, is not recognised by the people to whom we apply it, and I will not attempt to give its derivation, but it has come to have a fairly definite meaning, and we now understand by it certain closely allied clans, with well marked characteristics, belonging to the Tibeto-Burman stock. On the Chittagong border the term is loosely applied to most of the inhabitants of the interior hills beyond the Chittagong Hill tracts; in Cachar it generally means some family of the Thado or Khawtlang clan, locally distinguished as New and Old Kukis. In the Lushai Hills nowadays the term is hardly ever employed, having been superseded by Lushai. In the Chin Hills and generally on the Burma border all these clans are called Chins.
The term Lushai, as we now understand it, covers a great many clans; it is the result of incorrect transliteration of the word Lushei, which is the name of the clan, which, under various chiefs of the Thangur family, came into prominence in the eighteenth century and was responsible for the eruption into Cachar of Old Kukis at the end of that century and of the New Kukis half a century later.
The Lusheis, however, did not eject all the clans they came in contact with, many of them they absorbed, and these now form the bulk of the subjects of the Thangur chiefs. In this monograph Lushai is used in this wider sense, Lushei being used only for the clan of that name. Among the people themselves the Lusheis are sometimes spoken of as Dulian, at the derivation of which I will hazard no guess, and the general population of the hills is spoken of as Mi-zo. Among inhabitants of the Lushai Hills are found a very considerable number of immigrants, or descendants of immigrants from the Chin Hills, who are found living among the Lushais under the Thangur Chiefs or in villages under their own chiefs. I have made no attempt to deal with these, as their proper place is the Chin Hills monograph, and Messrs. Carey and Tuck have already described them very fully in their Chin Hills Gazetteer.
I am conscious that there are many omissions in this book; the subject is a very wide one and the difficulty of getting at the facts from so many different clans, each speaking a different dialect and scattered over an area of about 25,000 square miles is extremely great. I trust therefore that my readers will excuse all shortcomings.
I have purposely avoided enunciating any theories and making deductions, considering it wiser to limit myself to as accurate a description as possible of the people, their habits, customs and beliefs. Regarding the affinities between the clans dealt with in this monograph and those described in the other books of the series, I venture to express a hope that the subject may be dealt with by some competent authority when the whole series has been published; until this is done no finality will be reached. It would be easy to fill several pages with points of resemblance between the different clans. Major Playfair, in his account of the Garos, has pointed out many ways in which the subjects of his monograph resemble the inhabitants of the Naga Hills, but reading his book I find many more in which they are like the clans I am dealing with. Sir Charles Lyall has drawn attention to the evident connection between the Mikirs and the Kuki-Chin group; I venture to think that a study of the following pages will confirm his theory. I may mention here that the main incidents of the "Tale of a Frog" given by Sir Charles are found not only in the folk-lore of the Aimol, as he has pointed out, but also among the Lushais, a very similar story having been recorded by Colonel Lewin in Demagri, 250 miles in an air line from the Mikir hills, and published in his Progressive Colloquial exercises in the Lushai dialect in 1874.
I am also indebted to Rev. W. K. Firminger for correcting the second proofs and making the index. I must also acknowledge the assistance I received from many Lushais and others, notably Hrangzora Chuprasie of Aigal and Pathong, interpreter of Manipur.
J. SHAKESPEAR.
Imphal, Manipur State.
September 12th, 1910.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Another most valuable book, as regard Thados and Old Kukis, which would well repay reprinting. Both these books contain comparative vocabularies.
Lewin, Captain Thomas Herbert. "Progressive Colloquial Exercises in the Lushai Dialect of the 'Dzo' or Kuki Language, with vocabularies and popular tales. " Calcutta, 1874.
A most fascinating book, full of information, expressed in good English. Pages 98 to 118 deal with Lushais and Shendus, i.e. Lakhers.
The portion concerning the Author's life among the Lushais is full of interest, and his word pictures of the scenery and life among the people, for "Thangliana" as he was called really did live among the people, sharing their food even, are accurate and graphic. To few Europeans is the power given to mix thus with such savages and yet retain their respect. I once heard a Lushai's comment on a young officer who with the best of intentions tried to imitate the great "Thangliana." A friend asked him what he thought of So-and-So, the reply being: "I don't know what sort of man he is, all I know is, that he cannot be a sahib to live as he does."
Carey, Bertram S. and H. N. Tuck. "The Chin hills: A History of the People, their Customs and Manners, and our Dealings with them, and a Gazetteer of their Country." Rangoon, 1896.
A very complete and accurate work. Unfortunately the standard system of transliteration has not been entirely adhered to.
Soppitt, C. A. "A short account of the Kuki-Lushai tribes on the North-East Frontier Districts: Cachar, Sylhet, Naga Hills, &c., and the North Cachar Hills." Shillong, 1887.
I believe this is a useful accurate work, but have not been able to obtain it.
Sneyd-Hutchinson, R. "Gazetteer of the Chittagong Hill Tracts."
As regards Lushais there is not much of value, as they are beyond the scope of the work, but few being found in the Hill Tracts.
GLOSSARY
Only the terms which occur often are given.
Add to tbrJar First Page Next Page