A Short Account of Kuki-Chin-Mizo and Darlong Relationship

The Kuki-Chin-Mizo and Darlong Relationsnhip

             In literature, the term Kuki first appeared in the writings of Rawlins when he wrote about the tribes of the Chittagong Hill Tracts. By the term Kuki, Rawlins meant to refer to a wild tribe comprising of numerous clans sharing a common past, customs and traditions. On the other hand, the origin of the term Chin was uncertain. However, the British administrators applied the compound term, Kuki-Chin-Mizo to classify groups of ethnic tribes sharing commonality in language and physical features. The close ethnicity is proved by the peculiarity that though variations in dialects exist, the Zo people unlike other tribes can conversed with one another in their respective dialects with comprehension. Secondly, the dress code, lifestyle, appearance, passion and other emotions can hardly be distinguished. Thirdly, the observance of harvest festival (Kût) celebrating the joyous spirit of oneness essential in bringing about blessings upon the tribesmen and women is evident till date; Chavang Kût in Kuki, Gangte, Zou, Vaiphei, Tavang Kût Simte, Phavang Kût in Paite, Sikpuirouikut in Hmar, ChavanKumhrin in Anal and MoyonMonshang tribe, Chavawng Kut in Lamkang, ChavanKunhrin in Maring, Lamjikȗt in Aimol, Chapchar Kût in Mizo, Tharlȃk Kût in Darlong, Minaw in Kachin, Fanger in Falam, Khuado in Tedim and Tonzang tribe, K’Thai Ei in Mindat tribe and Kanpalet Bwisagu in Bodo, Monyu in Phom tribe of Nagaland, Aoleang in Konyak and many more. Fourthly, 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 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).

The chain of their relationship therefore, 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. After Burma’s independence from the imperial rule of Britain, the term Chin was popularized to earn its modern stature. In the process, the Western Christian missionaries chose to name those inhabiting Burma as Chin and those in India as Kuki. Beginning from the late 20^th century, the generic names of Chin and Kuki have been rejected and diplomatically negated by the leader community Mizo, having gained statehood from the then government of India’s Union under the banner of Mizo National Front. The origin of the term Mizo dates back to the British arrival at Zogam in the year 1777 which they administered in 1890 A.D. During the time, Chin and the Lushai proved to be the majority group. Hence, in the year 1892 the British administrative body called a conference with an objective of uniting the two majority groups in order to rule the territory effortlessly. The effort did not harvest any desirable result since the latter group rejected the idea of uniting with the former. Consequently, the Lushai established a collective tribe with similar identities namely Mizo. In course of time, the Kuki, Chin and Mizo groups begun to adopt strategies of cultural isolation against one another and annexation towards their subordinates.

             The Darlong tribe is said to be among the earliest settlers of present Tripura known differently among different tribes; Kukis to Bengalese and other plainlanders, Lushais to the Cacharis, Khongjais to the Manipuris, Chins in Burma, Sikam to the Kok Borok speaking tribes and Kirats in the early Sanskritik text. If we are to accept the account, Alexander Mackenzie, in his book writes “Kirat (the hunter), exiled by his father ‘Yajati’, founded the city of Tribeg on the banks of the Brahmaputra. To him succeeded Tripura, from whom the raj took name, and who is execrated by the Brahmin historians as the opponent to Siva worship. Tripura’s efforts to suppress the rites of Siva were ineffectual and to reward the devotion of the people, the deity of the Lingam vouchsafed to Tripura’s widow a son, named after himself, Trilochun, devoted to the worship of the fourteen gods, who grew in wisdom and stature and was presented the unmistakable royal marks ‒ a medium height, moderate nose, rounded body, well-shaped ears, deep chest, modest paunch, elephantine neck, plantain tree legs with arms turned like the stem of a palm”  (pp.269). Besides, the Rajmala also represents Siva falling in love with a Kuki girl who was in consequence put to death by a divine kick delivered from the deity’s green-eyed spouse that was gain 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 enamoured deity” (pp.270).

Further, “It is stated in the Mahabharata 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 King of Tripura” (Progressive Tripura by A.C. Bhattacharyya pp.3). The Rajmala too gave an account of the then maharajas of Tripura well aware of the presence and existence of the tribe in varied encounters;

“Now, there was a sacred place named Phalamatisvara in the extreme south of Tripura. The king visited the place and issued some coins called jarab (or jarap) on that occasion. Then he made conquest of Catigram and issued gold coins (mohar) as a relic or memorial.

             At that time the king got reports from the Kukis as to the dealings of S’iva with the Kuki women. He heard also that gold was produced in the Kuki land. A son-in-law of the king was named Hopa Kalau. He was deputed to the Kuki land to bring the S’iva-linga from there. He reached the Kirata land after some days and took the S’iva linga with great care. He put it into a betel case (panbata) and wrapped it in cloth. Then he set a seal on the packet and sent it to the king in great haste. When it was presented before the king, it was found that the S’iva linga had already escaped from the case somewhere in the way. It was learnt that the linga was there in the betel-case upto the other bank of the river Manu. But while the bearer was crossing that river, the linga returned from there to its original site...He then went to the Kuki land in a palanquin called thangcang to bring gold from there. Then all the Kiratas met and conferred thus. If this man takes gold from here, a thana (army station) will be set up here by the king. During their conference the son-in-law was served with wine. When he was gone off his senses as a result of the drink, the Kukis hacked him to pieces. The king came to know of the death of his son-in-law and then the Kukis were arrested and punished” (pp.77).

In the words of Ram Gopal Singh, the Kuki “probably came to this present area of Tripura in different waves. The first wave which came into this land had become a faithful subject of Tripura kings and was named as ‘Halams’. The Halams are known as ‘Mila-Kuki’ in this state. The latter waves were presumably that of the ‘Darlong’ and the ‘Lushais’. The Darlong and Lushais have their own kings or chieftains 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 19^th century that the Kukis caused series of troubles to the British Government and the Tripura Rajahs” (9).

            The nomadic journey of chief Thangura’s (discussed previously) descendants was made in different directions. As such, “...the Thangluah and Rivung took a more southerly course. The latter penetrated into what is now the Chittagong Hill Tracts, and a chief named Vanhnaui-Thanga had a very large village on the Longtaroi Hill, between the Chengri and Kassalong rivers. He died about 1850, and shortly after his death the village was destroyed by Vutaia. The remnant of the Rivungs fled to hill Tiperah where Lianthura, a great grandson of Vanhnuai-Thanga had a village up till a few years ago, and there is one small hamlet under a Rivung chief in the Aijal sub-division of the Lushai Hills” (J. Shakespeare pp.4). The hamlet referred to in the quotation is known as Dȃrlawn or Dȃrlawng Ṭlȃng meaning mount of the Darlong. The hamlet yet exists in the present state of Mizoram, India “with its unchanged name on the side of NH-54 which is 20 km south-west of Aizawl on a straight line” (L. Darlong pp.25). In brief, the Darlong tribe mention not a king or chief bearing the name of their own but rather that of the Rivung who often was found in constant battle with the Sailo chief. Sailo, with whom the Mizo group chiefly connect their past was one of the six sons of Ṭhangura. To conclude, the Darlong tribe may be understood as one of a tribe belonging to Kuki clan whose anthropological root connect to the term Kirat. The term Kuki, thus can be regarded as nomenclature rather than name of a tribe in the same context as Naga tribe of Nagaland, India is understood. As such, the Kirat spoken about in the book of Rajmala and others may be considered to be the predecessors while the present Darlong tribe residing in the state of Tripura may be considered as Kuki as discussed by Ram Gopal Singh. In fact, the term Darlong may be considered as a product of political disintegration or an intellectual conspiracy of seventeenth and eighteenth centuries since the Govt. of Tripura still recognises the tribe as belonging to Kuki community.

            On the other hand, when an attempt to unfold the migratory route of the Darlong tribe to the present state of Tripura is made, one has to go back to 230 B.C China. It is assumed that the Chinese king Shet Huang Ti who was well known for his cruelty, engaged huge men power during the construction of the Great Wall in B.C 228. Subsequently, the ancestors of the Darlong tribe were considered and claimed to be part of the enslaved labours. The death of Huang Ti in the year 212 B.C, led two-third of the labourers to ran away in order to free themselves from the bondage. It is probably during this time that the Darlong tribe (settlers of Sinlung) was also forced to move out from their original inhabitant towards the Himalaya Mountain. “The movement took place perhaps along the foothills of Himalayas. The Darlongs remember Himalaya as a beautiful lofty mountain. And they believed that the spirits of the dead have to cross the Mountain before they finally reached the abode of death. Some Darlong elders even claim that the name ‘Himalaya’ has been derived from the Darlongs ‘Mahi-lawi-eiti’ – let us by-pass this. They said this express their utter failure of crossing the mountain during their south and south westward movement. We may not agree on the origin of the word ‘Himalaya’ as claimed by the Darlongs, but we may have no difficulty to accept the proposition that the Darlongs once lived in and around the sub-Himalayan region in the historical past” (L. Darlong pp.23). At present, the region is inhabited by a tribe known as the Kirat Kulung of Nepal. The tribe moved further south and came to settle in the unoccupied areas of the Indo-Burman Frontiers building many villages. This movement was attributed to their search for better security, shelter and food. The tribe was prone to disease and was in constant fear of elements ranging from the unseen Rihli to the unpredictable enemies, which led them to practice Rihli worship, head hunting and the like. In course of time, head hunting turned into a social rite and became the major game for men to prove their manhood. However, “this never ensured them security in their life and as a matter of fact, it only reduced their number” (L. Darlong pp.24). The Darlong tribe also speaks highly of Khampat District of present Myanmar. In Mizo Pi Pute Leh Thlahte Chanchin, K. Zawla in his book, Mizo Pi Pute Leh An Fate argued that “the Zo people came to settle in the Khampat District in 996 - 1000 A.D. However, the term Khampat had no any connection with the early settlers”(pp.6). Khampat at present is located in the sovereign state of Myanmar. Probably, the tribe’s settlement at Khampat District was longer than any other places like the Dȃrlawn or Dȃrlawng Ţlâng, Arte Ser Ţlâng, Lȇnṭlâng, Champhai, Ngaibȃng Ţlâng et al. The tribe left Khampat in approximately 1250 A.D.  However, prior to their leaving the place, the tribe planted a banyan tree as a sign saying “this is our land and we will return” (Zawla pp.7). It was said that the return date was also specified to the present Kawl tribe residing in Burma (now Myanmar) as the witness of the assertion. This assertion was passed on to the Kawl descendents ‒ “when the branches of the tree would touch the ground we will return” (Zawla pp.17). The term Kawl till the present date is used by the Darlong tribesmen and women; Kawlkhawmong to mean world’s end, Kawlinlek to mean lightening, Kawl to mean the view of the horizon in a sunken Sun, etc. In the early 2010s, the banyan tree was said to be broken into two parts by natural calamity in which many of the Kuki-Chin-Mizo tribes lamented and shed tears for it. To them, the tree was considered to be the last remaining sacred symbol of their ancestors.

            From Khampat District, the tribe moved towards present Mizoram adjacent to Hrili Dil. Tales about the lake and its assimilation with the early belief, customs and rites were spoken of in the Darlong mythology. Hrili Dil is the present Rihi Dil, surrounded with beautiful green mountains and hills. The lake is located in the present Independent state of Myanmar, situated at a distance of about two miles from Tyao River which is the boundary between Mizoram and Myanmar. It is fourteen miles from Champhai, Mizoram and sixty three miles from Falam, a town of Myanmar. Since there had never been accurate measurement, the lake remained all the more interesting for many. The south-west part is said to be supposedly deeper than the north-west part. Most of the area surrounding the lake is swampy and is covered by water during the monsoons and different species of grass and vegetation for the rest of the year. It is a marvellously beautiful lake that had swallowed up many visitors yet enchanting due to its spectacular vegetations and myths associated with it. The lake is considered to be the famous passage of a deceased soul in the Darlong mythology where the spirits goes across fountain of emotional numbness and flowers of abstinence that eventually lead them to Thikhua, the abode of death. Many of the elders in the Darlong tribe claimed that the lake acts as a mirror to the abode of death where people living beneath the lake could be seen in spite of them being unaware of the happening above. According to the myth, the lake Hrili was once a human but circumstance compelled transformation. According to the Darlong myth;

            “Once upon a time there lived Hrili and her young sister. They had a cruel stepmother and lead the life of domestic tortures and sufferings. One day, their father took Hrili’s younger sister deep into a forest and cold bloodedly murdered her. Hrili cried for many days looking for her younger sister. Eventually, she discovered the fact about the death of her younger sister and was inconsolably weeping alone in a green field of plantation. The little girl, drained, exhausted and unable to produce any sound fainted besides her sister’s corpse. A goddess of dawn known as Zingngawrtenu (goddess of Dawn in Darlong mythology) magically appeared and found Hrili in a miserable condition. She woke Hrili up and asked the girl the cause of her sufferings. On hearing the cause of the girl’s suffering, the goddess revealed the magical healing power of a particular tree to the girl. The goddess then asked the girl to pluck the leaves of the tree and bring her younger sister back to the mortal world. In a spur of the moment, Hrili awakened her younger sister who had been lying as corpse for days. As a matter of fact, the younger sister had become awfully thirsty. In order to quench the thirst of her younger sister, Hrili had nothing but ask the goddess’s favour for one last time, ‘Oh you most beautiful spirit of good-will the Goddess of Dawn, grant me the power to transform myself into a lake so that my little sister could drink from it’. In no time Hrili could turn herself into a small pool of water with the help of a magical spell from Zingngawrtenu. However, the spell could not retrieve Hrili back to her human form once she transformed herself into a lake. Later, Hrili was compelled to change herself into a white mithun wandering about in search of shelter where she could safely rest. While she was wandering around from place to place looking for a safe haven, her urine formed many small lakes wherever she visited. She eventually decided to stay at Sanzawl village not far from the river, Rȗn. But the spirit of the river threatened to suck her dry if she happened to settle there. Thus, having crossed Champhai valley, she finally settled in the present location in the form that she cherished most – a lake” (The myth of Hrili Dil).

C. Lalsiamthanga of Mizoram in his paper, Rihi Dil: A Lake that Lures writes, “Believing that there would be ivory and other valuable treasures inside the lake, a group of people believed to be Turkish or Portuguese traders, ventured to drain the lake by digging the least formidable side, which was the south-western side. This is believed to have been around 1700 A.D. In the course of their digging, when the water began to flow out, they saw a big, long dragon facing them. Though it did not appear to be dangerous and aggressive, the sight proved so dreadful that some of them later died of the trauma of the sight, and no one ever dared to risk their lives for the same interest later” (Indian Folklife pp.5). Further, according to some Lushai scholars places like Vawmlu Range, Zur forest near the village Natchhawng, Bochung village, and Khawthlir village all of which are in the present Myanmar till date stand to have many small lakes as were mentioned in the tale. Leaving Khampat District, the tribe took northern course and settled in the present Champhai District of Mizoram.  “From Champhai they moved north-west and came to settle at Darlawng (Darlong) which still exists as a small village with its unchanged name on the side of NH-54 which is 20km. South-west of Aizâwl on a straight line. From this they came to settle at the present Aizawl crossing the river Tuirial (Sonai River). Historians claim the river was named by the Darlongs. The Darlongs claimed that Aizawl was named by them. It was called Aizawl because ‘aihria’ (Amomum dealbatum) a plant akin to the wild cardamom was available in plenty. Here ‘Ai’ stands for the plant mentioned above and ‘Zawl’ means a place. Hence, Aizawl originally meant a place where ‘aihria’ was plenty” (L. Darlong pp.25). From Aizawl, the tribe moved further north and settled in a place for many years. The place was named as Lênţlâng. From Lênţlâng, the tribe once again moved further downward and settled at a place called Arte Ser Tlâng. “Perhaps from this hill the Darlongs separated into two groups. One group moved towards the north led by the Thangur and the Palian chiefs, and the other group lesser in number moved towards the west led by the Rivung chiefs. The Darlongs entered the present Tripura from the north led by the Thangur chief Hrangvunga and from the north-west led by the Palian chiefs, and from the east led by the Rivung chiefs” (L. Darlong pp.26). The parties reached the present Unokuti and the Longtarai Hill Range. “The Darlongs thus came to dominate the tract lying between Unokuti and Teliamura” (in the same page). The people also believed that certain number of their kinsmen from the group headed north and settled in the North Cachar Hills of present Assam which is known to the people as Ngaibȃng Ṭlȃng;

            “Ngaibang Ṭlȃngpui

            A hnuaia pialrem khur sunga

            A mawi dȃrlei-lawn

            A chiar nghian eh...”

(Translation: through the tunnel/ lying beneath the Ngaibȃng mount/ runs a beautiful murmuring train/ on its harmonious rattle).

          This short explanation confirmed that the Darlong tribe is none but the Kuki residing in the present state of Tripura. In course of time, relationship distanced on account of the geographical disbursement and location with its other kinsmen (such as the Kuki tribes of Manipur) that resulted in cultural isolation from the main stream. However, there is no denying the fact that the Darlong have come a long way struggling to establish itself in the eye of its surrounding world. The struggled paid off and is known as a tribe that has it own aesthetics and ethnicity in which its cultural values and moral are embedded. It is also important to know that terms like Kuki, Mizo etc. are more a nomenclature than the name of a particular tribe. Hence, tribes who recognizes themselves as Kuki or Mizo yet choose to surname their names as Mr. A Sailo, Mr. B. Pachuai (among Mizo) or Mr. C. Haokip (among Kuki) so an and so forth. Considering the assesment, Darlong may be considered as just another tribe encompassed under the nomenclature of Kuki. Thus, the govt. of Tripura till date recognizes and identify the Darlong as belonging to Kuki community. As a matter of fact, the Darlong's struggle for recognition can be regarded as a search of pan Darlong identity in the vast ocean of nemesis and is yet a child in compared to its other kinsmen. (It is what every culturally isolated tribes such as Dimasa, Paite, Vaiphei, Mara, Angami Naga, Ao Naga, Ranglong (Zalienrawng), Chorei, Bongcher, Halam and many more are doing). The blog finally plead organisation such as ZoRO, KNO and others to also include these tribes in the long list of recognized tribes under Manmasi Family or Manasseh Family. It worth giving a fair chance to all the tribes under Kuki-Chin-Mizo group.