Darlongs In Tripura



The Darlong resides in the present state of Tripura that witnessed influx of tribal n the past from places like Mongolia, Tibet, China, Burma and others. The migrants settled in the state and became the sons of the soil. The tribal settlers mainly comprised of non-Aryan stock, speaking dialects that belonged to Tibeto-Burman language group. Presently he state has 19 schedule tribe listed as follows; Tripuri, Reang, Jamatia, Chakma, Lushai, Mog, Garo, Kuki, Chaimal, Uchoi, Halam, Khasia, Bhutia, Munda, Orang, Lepcha, Santal, Bhil and Noatia. However, only nine are considered to be major tribes i.e. Tripuri, Reang, Jamatia, Noatia, Halam, Chakma, Mog, Lushai and Kuki. The Kuki included 17 unrecognised sub-tribes of which Darlong community is one. It is very unfortunate to know that the Darlong has never been mentioned in the Schedule Tribe List of Tripura despite of their presence being known to the Rajas and Maharajas of Tripura many decades back. Nevertheless, on 26th May 2016, a declaration was made on the inclusion of the Darlong community in the list of Schedule Tribe in Tripura by Union Cabinet,
            “...they will be listed as tribes in the schedule appended to the constitution and entitled to 
               slew of benefits conferred by Centre on all schedule tribe communities”.
In the words of Radhacharan Debbarma, the then chief executive member of TTAADC, “the Darlong in Tripura are a minority tribal group and they deserved to be listed as such in the constitution but somehow missed the bus; we in Tripura however extended recognition to the schedule tribes and all due benefits were extended; this decision will help them advance further”. With the inclusion of the Darlong, Tripura will have a total of 20 communities in the list. The earlier 19 communities had been included in the constitution in 1950. S.K. Darlong, a retired govt. officer concluded, “We have a separate language which is similar to Mizo, a distinctive culture and lifestyle. We have progressed in many respects but at time of inclusion of ST communities in the constitution we had missed the bus. We are recognised as STs by the state government and get all facilities. But our longstanding demand for inclusion in the central ST list has now been fulfilled”. Thus, the community will be entitled to a number of benefits, including reservation in jobs and education, scholarship after passing class-x, national overseas scholarship for studies, national fellowship, soft loans and free residential and food facilities in the student hostels.  
            The Darlong anthropologically is said as belonging to one among the many communities of the Zo mi. Zo mi is the name of a major tribe found in various parts of South and South East Asia. They are a tribe comprising of large ethnic group which Britishers called Chin in Myanmar and Kuki in Manipur and Lushai in Mizoram which is why they are also known as Kuki-Chin. They are found to have been geographically concentrated in such locations as Mizoram, the north Cachar Hills, Karbi Anglong districts of Assam, northeast part of Tripura, Chittagong Hill Tract of Bangladesh and some parts of Burma[i]. The ‘Zo mi’ tribes inhabiting the state of Tripura are Molsom, Ranglong, Chorai, Bong, Kaipeng, Hrangkhawl, Rokhum, Darlong, Lushai, Rangchan, Paite/Paitu, Namte, Mizel, Lantei, Laifang, Khephong, Khareng, Balte, Jantei, and Hajango. In Bangladesh, about seven ‘Zo mi’ tribes can be identified viz; the Bawmzo, Asho, Khami or Khumi, Kuki, Lushei, Mosho and Pankhu. Ethnologically, the above named tribes belong to Zo mi group because their progenitor was said to be Zo. Besides, there exists proximity between the tribes in all aspect. The close ethnicity is proved by the peculiarity that though variations in dialects exist, the Zo mi unlike other tribes can converse with one another in their respective dialects with 70% comprehension. Secondly, the dress code, lifestyle, appearance, passion and other emotions can hardly be distinguished. Thirdly, the orature and folklore too have similarity and familiarity as J. Shakespeare states;
            “There are many tales common to all the Kuki-Lushai clans, though the       
             names under which the various personages figured in them are not    
          always the same. A numerous class of legends deals with the creation of      
           the world and the first appearance of mankind thereon and other natural     
          phenomena; another class accounts for the names of hills and rivers; a       
          third class remind one of Uncle’s Remu’s tales of the doings of Brer             
          Rabbit; but there are also a great many which are simply tales and which     
             are generally a trifle obscene” (91).  
Thus, the chain of their relationship is circumscribed not only by geographical bounds, but more often by racial unity having common primordial name, history, cultural affinities, belief system and economic life.
            In the The Kukis of Tripura, Ram Gopal Singh states that Darlong are none but Kuki “...that entered the present state of Tripura in different waves in different times...They do not call themselves as Kukis. They call themselves as Hre-em. They are known as Kukis to Bengalees and other plain living people. The Cacharis called them Lushais. This connotes something alarming; Lu means head and Chai means to cut. Hence, the word Lushai means head hunters...Lushai is the corrupted form of Luchai. The Manipuris called them ‘Khongjais’ which means the people who used to live in a dispersed way. In primitive time they were known as Kirats to the plain settlers who came over to Tripura from East Bengal. In the Chin Hills and generally on the Burma border all these clans are called Chins. The Kukis are also known as Darlong in Tripura” (8). According to Mackenzie, Kirat was an exiled son of Yajati who founded a kingdom called Tripura after the name of his successor. Tripura begot a son namely, Trilochun “devoted to the worship of fourteen gods who increased in wisdom and stature and was presented the unmistakeable royal marks-- a medium height, a moderate nose, a rounded body, well-shaped ears, a deep chest, a modest paunch, elephantine neck, plantain tree legs, with arms turned like the stem of a palm” (269). The Kokborok speaking communities in the present Tripura called them Sikam.
            Singh in his Preface also argued that the Kukis of Tripura may be broadly divided into two major groups like “Darlong Kukis” and the “Rokhum Kukis”. According to them the Darlong Kukis are “Mar-Mi” means “men of north” while the Rokhum Kukis are “Sim-Mi” which means “men of south”...The first wave which came into this land have become a faithful subjects of Tripura Rajahs and named as “Halams”. The Halams are known as “Mila-Kuki” in this state...The latter waves of them are probably the “Darlong” and the Lushais”. The Darlong and Lushais “have their own kings or chieftain whose titles were granted by the Tripura Rajah Darbar for controlling and internal ruling of the communities. It was not as late as the middle part of the 19th century that the Kukis caused a series of troubles to the British Government and the Tripura Rajahs” (Singh 9). According to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Orders, Amendment Act 1976, the Kuki are listed as Schedule Tribes of Tripura along with few sub-tribes. However, the field investigations revealed that only three sub-tribes were recorded. Two of them are Darlong and Kozoi. The third sub-tribe has no separate name other than Kuki itself. The Kozoi are also called as Halam in spite of they being least bothered with the names they are called.
            The Kuki communities are said to be among the earliest settlers of preset Tripura. The Rajmala represents Shiva falling in love with a Kuki girl who was in consequence put to death by his shrew of a wife. The fact was further explained by Alexander Mackenzie in his book The North East Frontier of India;  
            “on the occasion of a visit paid by one of the kings of Tripura to the abode of Siva, 
             it would seem that the Kukis brought trouble even in the celestial mansions;
             for Siva conceived a violent passion for a Kuki woman in the Raja’s retinue and 
          that her neck was thereupon broken by a divine kick delivered by Parvati, the 
           jealous spouse of the enamored deity” (69).
Secondly, the Kuki are represented as the ruler of Udaipur who invaded Tripura, but was defeated and Udaipur became the capital of Tripura. “It is stated in the Mahabharat that the Kirats were present at the Rajashuya ceremony. The kings of Tripura had long before this conquered the Kirat country. The Kirats were, therefore, there as retinue of the kings of Tripura” (Bhattacharyya 3). Thirdly, “the Kuki forwarded a case to the Raja of Tripura accusing his general Raja Chachag of a design to make Tamul an independent state” (3).
           In recent times, the Darlong have been enlisted within the subtribe of Kuki in the present state of Tripura. The following is a note on the Celebration of the Recognition

A Note to the Celebration

            The Tharlȃk Kût 2023 cum Recognition Celebration was a grandly extravaganza celebration festival observed by the Darlong folk where flashes of their grand past can be reflected by the common men and women. Fashioning oneself in Black, yellow, green, red, green, yellow and black strip, the festival’s arena can never be much magnificent and astonishing: it is a time for sharing joy and woe, an hour of love for lovers and beloveds, a moment to cherish for families, a platform to pluck beautiful and handsome life partners and a leisure period for busy men and women, the arena’s melody is a whistle of phone and camera clicks, the bikes station in colours, the vehicles parks in file, the banners singing alongside the sign of the breeze, the exhibitionists in public’s trial, the models flung their beauties in gaze lust, the passers-by in wonders, the singers, dancers and performers all in the tune of the mood – a twenty seven years of wait coup at the season of harvest.      

Brief Account on the Recognition

            Application for recognition of Darlong as separate tribe in the list of Sch. Tribes of Tripura was jointly signed by the following beloved elders of Darlong community and submitted to the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Welfare, Tribal Development Division, Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi-110001 vide letter dated 17th July 1995 for consideration by the following personnel namely, Late Rev. Lalsiama Darlong, Late Rev. Lalhuala Darlong, Late Rev. Tlanglawma Darlong, Late Johana Darlong, Late Rev. Lalkhawlawma Darlong and Co-ordinating Members. Thereafter, the Dy. Director, Ministry of Welfare, Govt. of India vide letter, dated, 17th August 1995 has forwarded a copy of the representation submitted by the above respected elders of Darlong tribe to the Commissioner-cum-Secretary, SC Welfare Dept., Govt. of Tripura requesting to furnish comments/recommendations of the State Government into the matter. This was followed by a reminder vide letter, dated, 20th November 1997 from the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.

            In the light of the above notes, the Director, Tribal Welfare Dept. constituted a committee vide notification, dated, 1st January 2000 to examine and submit a report in matter of inclusion of Darlong tribe independently in the list of Tribal of Tripura. The member of the committee comprised of the following:

            •Mr. Depak Choudhury, Member, Registrar, Tripura University.

            •Mr. Surendra Debbarma, Member, Publication Officer. (Rtd.), SCERT.

            •The Director, Tribal Welfare. Member Secretary.

Meetings of the committee were held on 5th August 2000, 13th March 2001 & 3rd June 2002 respectively. The foresaid meetings were attended by the then Darlong tribe’s leader viz. Mr. V L Lawma Darlong, the then General Secretary, DHI, Late Rev. Tlanglawma Darlong, Late Rev. Lalhuala Darlong and Late. Johana Darlong on one occasion i.e. 13th march 2001 where individuals strongly deputized the case before the committee. Besides, Late Rankhuma Darlong, Ex. President, DHI, Late Rev. Tlanglawma Darlong & Late, Rev. Lalhuala Darlong submitted documents (as per say) sought by the committee from time to time.

            Eventually, the committee finalized a report with recommendation for recognition of Darlong tribe as sub-tribe of Kuki Community wherein the Tribal Welfare Department placed the report before the Council of Ministers in its meeting held on 16th November 2002 for consideration and approval. The Council of Ministers approved the proposal for recognition of Darlong tribe as Sub-Tribe of Kuki community in its meeting held on 16th November 2002, aftermath of which Mr. Banamali Sinha, IAS, the then Commissioner, Tribal Welfare Department, submitted the proposal to the Joint Secretary to the Govt of India, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment vide letter dated 1st January 2003 for consideration. In parallel, in the year 2003, Mr. V. L. Lawma Darlong (the then General Secretary, DHI) was herald as representative visiting Delhi with an objective to pursue the matter to higher authority.

            In the following year, the Joint Director, Ministry of Tribal vide letter,  dated, 9th June 2004 intimated the Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Govt. of Tripura, Tribal Welfare Department that the proposal for recognition of Darlong tribe as Sub-tribe of Kuki community was forwarded to the Office of Register General of India on 17th May 2001 for necessary action. However, the office failed to communicate the matter. The failure was pursued by a reminder that is sent to the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment by the Joint Secretary to the Govt. of Tripura. Tribal Welfare Dept., vide letter dated 9th July 2004. Unfortunately, the voice of the Darlong folk failed in being heard.

            In the next episode, Late Mr. Neikhuma Darlong, the then President of DHI, visited Agartala, the Capital city of Tripura state, (sometime) in the year 2008 to pursue the recognition of the tribe resulting in a meeting at the residence of Mr. Laihlia Darlong, Mission Compound, Arundhuti Nagar, Agartala West. In that meeting, Rev. Lalrema Darlong, Mr. Lalhminga Darlong, Mr. Letthuama Darlong and others participated. Nonetheless, the meeting was a failure.

            In the early 2010s, fortune smile on the tribe for good. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs called a Review Meeting at Vigyan Bhawan, Delhi on 6th & 7th August 2012 – one of the agenda for the review meeting was scheduling/re-scheduling of Scheduled Tribes. As per the letter of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt. of India, it appeared that the proposal of Tribal Welfare Dept., Govt. of Tripura for recognition of Darlong as Sub-tribe of Kuki Community was missing but proposal for inclusion of 2(two) tribes from Assam was found. In spite of the fact, Mr. Laihlia Darlong, (then IAS officer) Director-cum-Secretary, Tribal Welfare Dept. raised the matter in the Review Meeting on 6th & 7th August 2012 and all correspondences in the matter were submitted to the then Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs followed by closed-door discussion with Dr. A K Dubey, IAS, Joint Secretary to the Govt. of India. This was followed by D.O letter from Mr. Laihlia Darlong, IAS, the then Director-cum-Secretary, Govt. of Tripura vide letter dated 3rd September 2012 requesting the Joint Secretary, Govt. of India to consider the proposal of the Govt. of Tripura.

            Much to the delight of the folk-applicant, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt. of India, out from the blue received feedback from the Register General of India, Govt. of India, requesting to the Director, Tribal Welfare Dept. to submit a ethnographic study report including size of population of the Darlong, socio-economic and educational status, No Objection Certificate from the TTAADC and more. The Director of Tribal Research, Govt. of Tripura, asked to submit an ethnographic study report of the Darlong tribe, failed to do so on account of unspecified reasons. Consequently, Mr. Saithankhuma Darlong, (then IPS officer) Dy. Inspector General of Police, Govt. of Tripura, was requested to write about the ethnographic study report on tribe. Accordingly, Mr. Darlong submitted the ethnographic study report including size of population, socio economic and educational status and the likes within a stipulated time. The action was subsided by submission of the report to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for consideration. In reaction to the above report, the Ministry called a ‘Task Force Meeting’ at Bhubaneswar, Odisha on 24th & 25th April 2014, to have a discussion on the recognition of Darlong as Sub-tribe of Kuki by the Govt. of India. It was also recommended by the Tribal Welfare Dept. Govt. of Tripura, that, Mr. Laihlia Darlong & Mr. Saithankhuma Darlong will participate in the meeting while the meeting expenditure was held accountable by the Tribal Welfare Dept. Govt. of Tripura. Nonetheless, foresaid personnel could not attend the meeting due to unavoidable circumstances. Hence, the Ministry informed the Secretary, Tribal Welfare Dept., Govt. of Tripura, that a team from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and National Commission for Scheduled Tribes will be visiting Tripura in subject to the matter and yet the visit was cancelled lately. 

            In 2014, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, Govt. of India, in its 62nd Meeting held on 17th October 2014 recommended the recognition of Darlong as Sub-Tribe of Kuki Community. The Director, Ministry of Tribal Affairs vide letter dated 3rd December 20114, forwarded a copy of the minutes of the 62nd Meeting of the National Commission for Sch. Tribes, Delhi to the State Government with a request to send the correct Devnagiri version of Darlong at the earliest possible. The Devnagiri version of Darlong was sent to the Director, Ministry of Tribal Affairs vide letter dated 3rd January 2015. The proposal of Govt. of Tripura, along with the proposals from Assam, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand were placed before the Council of Minister, Govt. of India, for consideration and approval. The Council of Minister has approved the proposals. Accordingly, Draft Bill 325 of 2016 under the title “The Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Orders (Amendment) Bill 2016, was prepared for lying on the floor of Parliament. But before the Bill was placed, on further scrutiny, it was noticed that one tribe approved by the Council of Ministers has already been included as SC.  Hence, the Bill-325 could not be laid on the floor of the Parliament for discussion. Ever since, there was neither development nor enhancement in regard to the progress of recognition of Darlong as Sub-tribe of Kuki Community in Tripura.

            In the late 2010s , Mr. Buatsaia Darlong, Ex. President, DHI, Mr. Zosanga, Ex. General Secretary, DHI & Mr. Tinkunga Darlong, Ex, President, Darlong Socio-Cultural Society, visited Agartala to pursue the matter once more time. The visited was welcomed by a meeting, organized by DHI officials at the residence of Mr. Laihlia Darlong, Nandannagar, Agartala, West Tripura. In the said meeting, Mr. Ngurchawikunga Darlong, (then IAS officer), Secretary, Tribal Welfare Dept., Mr. Tinkhuma Darlong, (then TCS officer), Addl. Director, Tribal Welfare Dept., Mr. Vanlalmuana Darlong, Assistant Professor, Tripura University  and few more participated in the meeting. The meeting prioritizes 2(two) decisions;

            i. Mr. Tinkhuma Darlong, then Addl. Director, Tribal Welfare should visited Delhi to enquire about the latest update of the proposal made years ago. 

            ii. The President, DHI & other officials should seek and appoint a meeting with the then Chief Minister, Tripura, to apprise him on the matter.  

Accordingly, Mr. Tinkhuma Darlong, then Addl. Director, Tribal Welfare Dept., (SSG), visited the office of Ministry of Tribal Affairs, New Delhi, to persuade the matter. On his return from Delhi, Mr. Tinkhuma Darlong reported that there is no progress relating to recognition of the Darlong tribe. At the same time, the DHI official failed to meet the then Chief Minister of Tripura. However, in a period of six months, Mr. Tinkunga Darlong contacted Mr. Laihlia Darlong to arrange a meeting at Agartala. However, the objective was not met.

            The above agenda(s) was soon collaborated with the effort of Mr. Lalhmingthanga Darlong, (IAS officer) the hour he was posted as Director, Tribal Welfare Dept., on 27th January 2020. He pursued the matter with the concerned authority in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs post pandemic Covid-19.  Stepping further, when he was transferred and posted as Addl. Secretary, Finance w.e.f 30th October 202,  Mr. Lalhmingthanga continued to pursue the matter on regular basis with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. Besides, in Delhi, Mr. John Thanglura, (then IFS, govt. of India) & Mr. Vincent Thansanga Darlong, (Scientist & then Country Programme Officer at International Fund for Agricultural Development, Delhi, India) too were constant in their pursued to the Govt. of India. It is also mention worthy that the then Secretary to the Govt. of India, Ministry of Tribal Affairs was very positive and helpful on the matter while also expressing his high hope of approval once the proposal is to be put up in the Cabinet, Government of India.

            Eventually, the Govt. of India and Govt. of Tripura notified the Darlong (the people) as sub tribe of Kuki community vide Dated 18th April 2022 and 4th August 2022 respectively. It took not less than twenty seven years of wait for the Darlong to make an entry in the Tripura Scheduled Tribe list. Nonetheless, the wait was worth it for the tribesmen and women. It was concerted and collective efforts of all Darlong – the common folk that championed it. With this note, ‘We’ – the people salute our bygone leaders who couldn’t reap their harvest in their living years:

            •Late Rev. Lalsiama Darlong

            •Late Rev. Lalhuala Darlong

            •Late Rev. Tlanglawma Darlong

            •Late Johana Darlong

            •Late. Rev. Lalkhawlawma Darlong

            •Late Neikhuma Darlong

            •Late Rankhuma Darlong 

In yet another triumph of the tribe, the Government of Tripura has made the following declaration 


[i] The Tonzang district, the Tedim district, Hkamti district, Somra tracts and Kale-Kabaw valley.


Comments

  1. Kirats, Darlong, Kuki relation ani chiang no chu te

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    1. Kuki ti hi tak taka chun hnam rihming a chang no a, 'Hnam Changkangloi, Mi hnokhnawl, Miluk MIlai' eiti thin angka hi a loi chang zawk.
      Kuki tihi sap heiin eini Zo-kuki-Chin hnam hei hi anni koina thin. Mahabharat lai hachun 'Kuki' anloi ti no a, 'Kirat' tiin an loi koi thin. Chun, Bristish imperial hunlai han 'Kuki' tiin an ne koi ve a chang. Mahnung chun, Ram Gopal Singh, 'The Kukis of Tripura' inzia pu han, "Kukis are called Darlong in Tripura" ati ve nawk a chang. Ma dungzuiin ei sut chun, ei hnam rihming hi 'Kirat' aloi changa, mataka tang chun 'Kuki' an niti nawka, tunhma hichun 'Darlong' a chang ta a chang.
      Ni hawithei ai mo nang ki zuk hril aw chu. A omzia achun hnam khatka rihming rit aloi chang. A hnu nih a hmun inthlengin, an ni loi koina rihming ha an pher vu vu tina.

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