By H H Mohrmen
The issue of reservation policy in the state and the outcome of the imbroglio from the roster system have created bad feelings amongst the major tribes in the state. Pressure groups and even leaders of different organizations have put their weight behind their respective community’s claims. The issue has started to even create a division amongst the people who live in the Khasi and Jañtia regions of the state. Some people take advantage of the reservation policy and the roster system to say that the major tribes who live in the Khasi and Jañtia Hills regions are not the same and hence should be considered as a separate category in the state reservation policy. This column does not wish to say anything about the reservation policy issue, but instead about the tribe as such.
Our stories are
our History
It is generally accepted that the Khynriam, Pnar, War, Bhoi, Lyngngam, and Maram are all the same people, but the question is what is the basis of our claim. They all share the same genesis of how the tribe Hynñew Trep Hynñew Skum came to be called “ki Hynñew Trep Hynñew skum” or “ki ynñaw wasa, ki ynñaw wasung”. The creation story that there were originally 16 huts, with 7 deciding to come down to Earth and the 9 remaining in heaven is shared by all.
They speak the
same language
Though there is a variation in their dialects, the Khynriam, Pnar, War Jañtia, Bhoi, Lyngngam, and Maram, speak the same language. The Pnar, the War the Maram, and the Lyngngam may not be able to understand each other but from the linguistic point of view but the language they speak belongs to the same group known as the Austro-Asian Monkhmer group of languages or the Khasi-khmuic.
They share the
same culture
The culture that is unique to this particular tribe is that the lineage is taken from the mother’s clan line. In the matrilineal system followed by the tribe, the clan is the most important unit in the family, and the maternal uncle holds a special status in the system. That the people who live in the Khasi and Jañtia regions of the state are the same is also evident from the fact that there are also kur in Khasi hills that are related to kurs in Jañtia hills, such as ka Lamin and others in War Jañtia area are related to Laloo, Pyrbot, and others in Pnar area and Diengdoh, Marngar, Syngai, and Pariong in Khasi hills. All of these clans believe they descended from the same progenitor, ‘ka ïawchibidi.” Similarly, the Sutnga are related to the Syiemlieh, and so on. The Mukhim is related to the Challam in Jañtia hills and there are Shylla, Suting in Khasi hills as well in Jañtia hills. These are only a few examples of the connection based on clan; the list is however not exhaustive.
The people and
their stories
The Kynriam, Pnar, War Lyngngam, Maram, and Bhoi also have a rich tradition of storytelling. They not only share the same creation story but stories like ka krem lamet, krem latang, ka ïew luri lura, u kwai tympew bad ka duma sla are few stories that were told and retold in all the communities. There are also parallel stories, the story of Umïam and Umïew is similar to the story of ka Lukha and ka Lunar that the two rivers were sisters and they on one market day decided to visit the market in the plains. The sisters decided to compete against each other and see who can reach the market in the plains first.
The monolith culture
The other customary practice that people have in common is the monolithic or megalithic culture as the case amongst the Pnar and the War Jañtia. In some communities, the tradition is continued by people who still follow the traditional religions. The monolith culture is not as simple as one thinks it is, yet if one studies the tradition one would find the similarity in the stories that people tell about these stone monuments. The only variation may be the megalithic bridge, the sculptures, the carvings in the War Jañtia, and the stone jars in the Saipung areas of the East Jañtia hills.
The Traditional religion
The native religion followed by the people who belong to the groups may have some variations but the essence is common to all. In their pantheon of gods and deities, there is the supreme God U Blei or U Tre kirod and there are ki ryngkaw ki basa, ki lei ïing lei sem, and others. The important role held by the rooster as a mediator between humans and God is common to all the major groups. The sacrificial offerings or ka chat ka kheñ are also similar and their concept of the after-life is also the same, that a person would join the nine huts in heaven and eat areca nut to eternity.
The tribe’s traditional value system
The Hynñew Trep has their unique way of life which differentiates them from the other tribes that are again shared by all the different sub-groups of the Hynñew Trep. People’s traditional values include leading a morally upright existence, being a loving, caring, and giving community, and having a close relationship with nature. This value system is closely woven into people’s lives, embodying cardinal principles of “ka tip briew tip blei, ka kamai ia ka hok, ka tip kur tip kha bad ka tip hok tip sot”. These are the four cornerstones on which the life of a member of the tribe stands.
The main idea of a tribal’s way of life is likewise based on the belief of ‘ka bhalang uba bun balang’ or “ka bhalang ka imlang,” which translates as the common good or well-being of all, which comes up very strongly in their lives as a community. “Ban im don akor, don burom,” or living in propriety and honour, and “ban bat ia ka nia ka jutang, ka jingkordor ka shikyntien ka hok ne u thylliej ksiar thylliej rupa,” which means keeping the honour of spoken word, are some of the qualities that people hold in high regards.
The profound connection with Mother Nature
The Hynñew Trep people also consider nature or the Earth to be their mother (mei ramew/Bei ramaw), and it is also the dwelling place of the “ki ryngkaw ki basa” or nature deities. They see rivers and mountains as gods and deities and hence have a close bond with nature. They weave stories about the rivers, mountains, hills, animals, and even natural phenomena and the most important aspect in this regard is the fact that they see animals and other creations as equal beings. In their understanding of nature, man is not the master to lord over the creations or nature; he is not even a steward but an equal being in nature.
In today’s world, they call it natural resource management (NRM), but in all the subgroups they already have a tradition inbuilt in the indigenous traditional knowledge system (ITKs) that protects forests and even water bodies. They may call it law kyntang, law adong or law shnong, but it is people’s way of managing their resources.
Genetic evidence
Although tracing the origin of humans using genetic science is still at a nascent state, even studies using DNA treat the people who live in the Khasi, Jañtia are Ribhoi areas as one tribe.
The Jañtia Story
The Jañtias have a history of flourishing Kingdom from 1500 till the kingdom was annexed by the British in 1835. The kingdom’s reign extends from Gobha-Sonapur in the north and to the river Surma in the south, to the east lay the river Kupli and to the west the Brahmaputra. It is also one of the few kingdoms in the region to mint its coins, yet the hills people of the kingdom belong to the ‘khun u Hynñew Trep Hynñew skum’ tribe. But in Jañtia Hills there are also tribal groups who do not speak the Monkhmer group of languages and do not follow a matrilineal system and they are the Beate/Biates of Saipung, the Hmar of Khaddum area, and the Hadem of Saitsama.
In conclusion
In conclusion therefore, despite certain differences in the manner in which people speak (dialects), and other variations, the Khynriam, the Pnar, the War, the Bhoi, the Lyngngam, and the Maram are the same people.