By Ïasaid Khongjee
As a young man, I idolized the democratic administrative system of the Dorbars. Infinitesimal was my understanding of its real worth and progressive elements involved in it. In those days, I felt that losing this institution’s image by the inclusion of women in it, would be an irreparable damage. Alas! This state of mindset is still dominant among commoners and even some intellectuals.
District Council and the States: Some years ago, in a conversation, an ex-member of KHADC spoke at length on the historicity of the traditional Dorbars and of the District Council; nothing substantial was mentioned. The event was at the funeral home in a village. Vexed by such a talk, I finally asked – “What existed for what – the states for the council, or the council for the states? As if stung by the question, the topic ended abruptly with the former MDC saying that the matter needs another separate discussion. On January 4, 2025, I met the previous Syiem of Hima Mylliem at an event, in Nongnah village. From a conversation, I learnt that he too, like many Syiems, met many challenges posed by the District Council. At the end of the conversation, I said the same thing – what exists for what, to which he affirmatively agreed was the crux of the matter. This question that persists in my mind, concerns not only the Council-States relationship in our hills; it also percolates down to the grassroots institutions, or the village Dorbars.
Its Evolution: The Dorbars didn’t just come down from the skies. They were singularly designed by our ancestors to serve an ideal, a principle higher than themselves, the ones they worshipped with words and deeds. Everyone is carrying this institution in the being. These ideals are: sustaining and promoting the well-being of the people and seeing that everyone enjoys the basic rights of life such as peace, joy, harmony among fellow beings, equality among people irrespective of economic position, and other values associated with life. The justice system, human to human, and metaphysical, evolved from the above; to safeguard these human rights. The spiritual realm and co-existence understand the above reality.
I inquired from some elders about the source of the authority of the institution and the general answer pointed to this: every person is a sacred institution in himself ; as simple as that. It’s from this sanctity of existence and the accompanying human rights that metaphysical justice system, and divine healing practices derive their validity as per sanctioned by the cosmic law known as God, or Creator, or Ka Blei Nongthaw-Nongbuh etc. Outside these fundamentals, exclusion of any responsible human person and gender discrimination are sheer superstition. The underlying progressiveness lies here:
Village Life : In my younger days I’ve seen how people while on their way to the fields stopped midway on seeing someone building a shelter – a house and went to help them. This phenomena happened way before the coming of government schemes. When one religious denomination has a big event, all lent a helping hand, and other forms of contributions.
Religion and the Dorbar: It’s a ubiquitous reality that in early times every village and cluster of villages had a religion. At their centre lie the spirit known as “Ki Blei Ryngkew-Basa /Blai Ryngkaw-Wasa” invoked and propitiated to protect the inhabitants from diseases which are epidemic in nature, and also against the onslaught of more powerful villages. They knew full well that such religions have consequences if rites and rituals were not done according to the covenant with the gods; but for the sake of saving lives, they did them; and those religions are effective. Till date the villages that have the know-how of the effects, still preserve the religious tradition.
Inside the Dorbar: Every speaker is heard beginning a speech with -“Ïa kaba dei, ïa bat, ïa kaba lait, ïa bret” – meaning “let the truth be accepted, the untrue shall stand rejected, as unworthy to be listened to”. This is no jargon; it is a prayer of the speaker to pre-emptively guard oneself against ill-effects of untrue statements made. At the same time, it means that one’s speech is not driven by any superstition, or by personal whims, an act which dilutes the sanctity of the institution, and belittles the integrity of the speaker. That’s the weight which a representative carries on his shoulder.
Who represents whom? There’s a common belief that an elected member represents not only himself but also represent his clan. A wrong act, or an untrue statement made is not only a shame one brings unto the self, but also a dishonour to the clan one belongs to. What then does one represent? By virtue of being an integral unit of the community, a member owes a sacred duty to the whole community by strictly abiding by the cardinal principles of the well-being of all. Every aspect of the being of the speaker, mental, spiritual, morals are placed before the altar of the truth, and nothing but the truth. Thus, in the process, they have to abnegate the ego, personal desires, and all irrelevant issues. It’s an act of purging the self at the altar of the common well-being.
Authorities of the Dorbar: Besides the fundamental duties, the Dorbar also plays a role of warding off evils wrought by one /group on another, or a group of people against another. This tradition of using the Dorbar for warding off such evil effects is ubiquitous throughout our hills. Here comes what our wise ones say: “hangne ka aiñ briew ka ïakynduh lang bad ka aiñ Blei” (here the human laws interface with God-given laws). The westerners call it witchcraft, or voodoo. In our times we have witnessed vandalism, horrific killings based on suspicion of one being the practitioner of an act called “men ai ksuid”/”nong ai ksuid” (witchcraft). Chilling, isn’t it? But in some villages, I’m familiar with, people say it is a natural justice mechanism, and nobody can do so without reasonable grounds.
What excludes women? From stories and folklores we know that ancestors transmit the knowledge in metaphors; nothing is direct, or literal. The twists and turns are but the flavours that are a spice to their stories. It is because of such elements that many of our stories and legends still survive the test of times. Some of our stories, such as “ka ïew luri-lura” (a chaotic market), the cow having no teeth in the upper jaw, and many more are inferential in nature. Some, such as that of U Sier Lapalang, signify the universal love of the mother for the child. The Divine Council (Ka Dorbar Blei) essentially speaks about the mutual agreement of all creatures in Nature to coexist in rhythm with the design of the Cosmic Essence, or Cosmic plan, which we call “Ka Aiñ Mariang”- the Law of Nature.
When it comes to who is to be barred from participating in the council, metaphors come into play here too. Men without beard, the lame, men without sisters (u duh jait) are the ones to be excluded from the council/Dorbar. Do all of us now have beards? Do we all have sisters? Are there no lame people around? What about a headman without the above conditions apart from also displaying emotional outbursts, and all acts not commensurate with the guiding Divine principles of looking into the common good, the basic human rights? These are what we must answer to the tradition that once prided itself on adhering to the basic values of life. This is where we all have gone wrong, because we blindly worship hearsay and forget the essence. In our ignorance of the essence we have become worshippers of the untruth. This is sheer Romanticism. Why do we romanticise tradition? The reason is known to all – that either we want to hang on to false pride or that we are mentally incapable of prioritizing the ideal from the puerile emotions. Loving the past for the sake of loving it, in a culture that primes on the general good, are unworthy of us who proclaim ourselves as enlightened.
Now, look at our Dorbars: it’s rare to find one untouched by corruption. Still our hearts bleed for what we least know of the practices, justice system, communication to the spiritual realm from which religions once sprang up! Yet we take pride in our “Khasi Democracy”. Under the garb of modernity, we imitate the new developments overnight, yet we refuse to live up to what the rich ancestry offers. In spite of the enlightenment of modernity, we unwittingly get trapped in hypocrisy. We love nothing in the world, but ourselves!