Traditional leaders are at the heart of custom and culture in the sense that they play a prominent role in efforts to preserve them. The problem is that traditionally the Khasi-Jaintia and Garo communities followed an indigenous faith and all three practiced matriliny. Colonisation brought with it Christianity with its strongly etched patriarchal principles. The society was immediately divided over faith. Tradition also meant that the political leader was also a religious head as in the Khyrim Syiemship and the Dolloiship. Traditional governance systems lacked democratic principles because one half of the population was left out, never consulted and not allowed to hold office. By some stroke of wisdom the traditional chieftains decided to accede to the Union of India in 1948 after signing the Instrument of Accession. The Constitution of India became the magna carta of a democratic set-up and with it came universal adult suffrage.
Unfortunately this enlightened practice was restricted to the election of legislators and members of the district councils. Election to the grass-roots governance agencies – the Dorbar Shnong continued to be by selection and women who are otherwise entitled to contest for constitutional posts continued to be kept out of the Dorbar Shnong. Traditional leaders exist within a distinct territory and a socio-political organization over which they exercise governance, power, authority and influence. The village is the most common unit of social aggregation where traditional leaders operate. Initially a typical village would have about 100 to 2 00 people organizing various aspects of their livelihoods under the leadership of a village chief. Today things have changed and populations are not homogenous. There are diverse communities also wishing to be part of a participative governance system which is a constitutional right.
The Dorbar Shnong of the Khasis have evolved over time in that they have a Constitution to guide their actions. The Garos already have a village administration act but the for the Jaintia people the Dorbar Shnong is a recent concept. People have regular interface with the Dorbar Shnong which has emerged as a grass-roots administrative unit looking after the civic amenities of people within its jurisdiction. Their reference point is the Dorbar Shnong, not the Syiemship or its hierarchies. The attempt by some tribal elite to take the society back to the pre-colonial days when universal adult suffrage was unknown and only a few clans elected the syiem and myntris is regressive to say the least. Amidst all the confusion that is engulfing the tribal society of Meghalaya today, this attempt to put back the clock appears most anachronistic and a complete anti-thesis to what the young, aspirational generation is in quest of.