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The
very nature and the life of the Mizos revolve around the age-old
concepts ingrained in the old belief of Tlawmngaihna
According
to a prophecy, it was believed that the Mizos planted a Banyan tree
in Khampat, Myanmar and said they would come back to the same place
when the roots of the Banyan tree touched the ground. Lt. Gen. S.K.
Pillai, who has done research on Mizoram quotes a part of the old
Mizo song on the great Banyan tree that goes:
“It
thrives under the protection of the Supreme Being.
Wait
until the earth is touched by its branches spreading,
That
shall be the time to restore
Our
principal town as times before.”
Some
of the branches of the tree touched the ground in March 1916. Hearing
about this, some 40 families migrated back from India to Khampat.
Later on 12 March 1952, Mizo visitors from India found that the top
of the tree had broken and fallen to the ground. A month later on the
25th of April, 1952, the Autonomous Mizo Hills District Council was
formed under the 6th Schedule of our Constitution. This was the
first time in Mizo history that a unified Mizo political entity was
formed (earlier there were only several large Chieftainships). So in
a way, the Khampat prophecy was fulfilled — an area was restored
which identified all of them as a group.
That
was the beginning of the history of Mizoram. Mizoram or the Land of
the Lushais lies to the southern tip of the north-eastern region. It
is a land mass that protrudes from the Indian subcontinent to fall
between Bangladesh and Myanmar. This mountainous region became the
23rd state of the Indian union in 1987. Till 1972, it was one of the
districts of Assam. Thereafter, it became a Union Territory, and
later, a full-fledged state. Mizoram means the land of the Mizos.
There
are two major tribes in Mizoram, the Lushais and the Lakhers. The
Lushais are in greater numbers.
The
Mizos, according to history, belong to a Mongoloid race. Naturally
since they were originally migrating people, they came under
different influences, and their life today is a rich agglomeration of
all the influences.
About
hundred years ago, the first missionaries set foot in Mizoram and
very soon the whole state was converted to Christianity. Their tribal
traditions were almost forgotten. There is a story that says that
their script was written on animal skin and a dog ate it up and so
they were left even without a script. The missionaries gave them the
Roman script.
The
Mizos who have a very good voice and are fond of singing found a new
outlet with the missionary activity. Today one of India’s best
choir group is from Mizoram.
Mizo
life is full of folk lores and songs that enrich daily life and has a
great deal in common with people all over the world. Their little
songs for children are very interesting.
Ding
lele artui lo lo is a small rhyme that is used to make children
walk. Ding means an egg. Holding the egg in hand, the parent
calls the child saying: “Come take the egg from me.”
While
such folklore survived, traditional beliefs had become subordinate to
Christianity. In the recent past they are re-emerging. The old belief
of Tlawmngaihna for instance. Tlawmngaihna is a moral
code. It is just a single word but contains within it many ideas on
behaviour of the individual. The individual must be honest, truthful,
self-sacrificing. These are some of the ideas ingrained in the single
word. It cannot be defined and yet it is what Mizo life is all about.
Today many Mizos are rediscovering Tlawmngaihna in their
lives. “It is the word that they are rediscovering, the idea is
so deeply embedded in their lives that Tlawmngaihna always
lived,” says Lt. Gen. Pillai who has done extensive work on the
moral code of the Mizos.
The
Mizos had also some indigenous festivals which, as is true for all
parts of India, were closely related to agricultural activity. It
also re-emphasized the need for sharing and thanksgiving.
Mizos
practice jhum cultivation. They slash and burn the jungle. All
their festivals and celebrations are related to sowing and harvesting
the fields. The jhum fields are identified in a certain
pattern, where the village council is actively involved. Each field,
is used for one single cultivation, and after that, it is left to
grow back into a forest. Mim Kut, Chapcahr Kut and Pawl Kut
are the three major traditional festivals of Mizoram.
Mim
Kut is usually celebrated in the months of August and September
after their harvest of maize. Singing and dancing mark the
celebrations.
Chapchar
Kut is celebrated after a jhum field has been cleared.
Pawl Kut is a major festival celebrated in December-January.
It is the harvest festival.
Cheraw
is a famous dance of Mizoram which is performed with bamboos. It
requires alert mind and swift movements. Originally, it was performed
to appease the spirits that guarded the doors to heaven. Khuallam
is a community dance performed while entering a village or beginning
an auspicious occasion. It is also performed to welcome guests or
receive visitors. Cheihlam is a dance that is typically a
dance of joy. Over a mug of frothing beer, verses in three lines are
related and there is general merriment and revelry.
Mizoram
is the only state in India that is fully literate. Earlier it was
second most literate, following Kerala. Today it has even beaten
Kerala. Every small village in Mizoram has a small brochure about the
village, its traditional name, its people and its specialities. Every
small village has primary schools and so literacy level is at its
highest in India.
The
Mizos are also excellent weavers. They weave, mainly with cotton and
wear the puan, a kind of sarong. The wedding puan is
very beautiful in a combination of red and white. It takes very long
to weave and every woman keeps it as her prized possession. Today,
many modern-day designs are also being used in the puans.
Earlier puans were woven only on loin looms, while today, even
machine looms are being used.
If
you walk the streets of Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram, you will
constantly hear laughter. Youngster and the old alike always laugh
with music on their lips and a greeting in their hearts.
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