Recent reports that the traditional head of a particular Raid (cluster of villages) in the suburbs of Shillong sold off 100 acres of community land should trigger some thinking on the role of traditional institutions in a modern, globalised society. The term ‘traditional’ is incongruous with the term ‘modern.’ The Khasi people have lived with this dichotomy for decades and have been unable to negotiate the divide. The Khasis like every other ethnic community have lived by a set of communitarian values. All natural resources are supposed to be common property resources (CPR) meaning that no one can alienate community land, water, forests etc. Perhaps what this community never bargained for and has no set guidelines is how to use a resource that is under the ground, such as coal, limestone, uranium etc. But some individuals within the community who had already learnt the art of trading coal and limestone and even iron ore negotiated their way through the customary laws. Of course the British were the first to commodify land what was otherwise a community resource. Once the commodification of land started, community land quickly became converted to private land.
In a rapidly globalising world, Meghalaya is not exempt from the global need for resources, land being a prime resource. The actors of globalisation find it tough to negotiate any deal with communities. They prefer to trade with individuals. Hence the more pliable members of the community are co-opted to the Boards of multinational companies after being promised a certain amount. Once the tribal is a Board member he/she becomes the front for the company and trades on behalf of the company but in his/her individual capacity. These are dichotomies that have not been sorted out in the society. What is worse is that the elected traditional custodians of tribal land and resources are the very people who sell off these community properties. And while society is aghast at these mercenary practices they do not seem to know how to handle the crises. The media is rife with reports of syiems, myntris and sordars parcelling off land for a price. And the District Council – another constitutional agency with its overarching role as the guardian of tribal lands and resources also seems to have lost its way. What a perplexing situation indeed! Is this the beginning of the end of culture?