By Bhogtoram Mawroh
A few days ago, I was invited to take part in the Nul-Ding Kût Festival, organised by the Biate Cultural Organisation of Meghalaya in Saipung. Nul-Ding Kût, or the “Festival of Renewal of Life”, is celebrated by the Biate—an indigenous community residing in the East Jaintia Hills District—to express gratitude for nature’s abundance and a successful harvest. This year’s celebration was much grander, with invited guests such as Santa Mary Shylla, the sitting MLA of the Sutnga-Saipung constituency, and Patricia Mukhim, editor of The Shillong Times. The event also served as a platform to launch the first-ever Biate picture book, Is She Wise, by Anna Notsu, a PhD scholar from Leiden University, Netherlands.
This was my first time travelling to Saipung, and I had heard that the road from Sutnga to Saipung was in very poor condition. Indeed, that turned out to be true. After five hours of gruelling travel over dusty roads, Patricia Mukhim and I finally reached the venue where Nul-Ding Kût was being celebrated. This was an important event for the Biate community, and the field was almost full, with people clad in their best attire. One programme that particularly caught my attention was the fashion show, which attempted to showcase the history of the community through changes in clothing styles. The earliest Biate were portrayed as wearing garments made of leaves and other natural materials, while later representations showed a modern look—pants and suits for men, and a fusion of traditional and modern designs for women. I am not entirely convinced about the accuracy of these depictions, as they seem to reflect a stereotypical portrayal of indigenous communities that has long dominated mainstream narratives.
The Biate are part of the larger Sino-Tibetan language family, which originated in northern China along the banks of the Yellow River. The Khasi, on the other hand, belong to the Austro-asiatic language family, whose homeland was located in southern China, through which the Yangtze River flowed. Both groups were among the earliest farmers in the world and possessed knowledge of pottery, evidence of which has been found at Lum Sohpetbneng. There was a suggestion that the Biate were originally hunter-gatherers, which also appears to be inaccurate. Like many indigenous communities throughout East, South and Southeast Asia, the Biate depended significantly on wild meat and plants; however, as part of the Sino-Tibetan group, they were also among the earliest farmers who domesticated foxtail millet, the second most widely grown millet species in Asia. In fact, northern China, particularly the Yellow River region where the Sino-Tibetan languages originated, was one of the world’s centres of agricultural origin. The Biate, like the Khasi, were always farmers.
Another important discovery from Lum Sohpetbneng was charred seeds of various plants, including wild rice, sohbroi, soh mylleng, sohriew, and cotton. The last item is particularly significant, as it suggests that the Khasis were already weaving their own clothes when they settled around Lum Sohpetbneng. This skill must have come from China, where the history of weaving dates back more than 5,000 years, with silk weaving beginning around 3500 BCE. The Biate, who also originated in the same region, would have known the art of weaving—possibly even silk weaving—when they began migrating to South Asia. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that they wore garments made of leaves; instead, they most probably wore clothing made from cotton or other fibres.
Thus, the fashion show presented during the festival appears to reflect a mainstream stereotype of indigenous communities as backward and wholly dependent on nature. This portrayal is inaccurate. Indigenous communities such as the Khasi and the Biate were highly advanced farmers who domesticated rice and millet—two of Asia’s most important staple crops. They also possessed knowledge of pottery and weaving, both of which require a high degree of technical skill and specialised knowledge. These innovations laid the foundations of urban cultures in East, Southeast, and South Asia—the very epitome of what is often termed “civilisation.” Hopefully, future narrations of Biate history will replace stereotypes with authentic cultural depictions.
The Khasis were the first to arrive in what is now Northeast India and Meghalaya, an event believed to have occurred around 5,000 years ago. The Biate, on the other hand, according to B. Pakem, former Vice-Chancellor of NEHU and former Education Minister, entered the Jaintia Hills around the 13th century, more than 800 years ago. This was nearly 300 years before the founding of Hima Jaintiapur, which emerged when Hima Sutnga captured Jaintiapur. Based on Fabian Lyngdoh’s 2024 article “Solving Tribal Boundary Issues: The Ancestors’ Way”, the Biate are also known as Hadem. Pnar folklore speaks of a Hadem warrior named U Khongweng Myllep, who once terrorised the people of Raliang. Even the warriors of Jaintiapur could not defeat him until he voluntarily retreated to his own realm across the Kupli River. Even today, Biate communities live in the North Cachar Hills, on the other side of the Kupli. This confirms that the Biate were present during the period of Hima Jaintiapur, and those living on this side of the Kupli—particularly in Saipung—must have lived under the suzerainty of the Khasi Syiem.
The alternate name of the Biate—Hadem—also sheds further light on their historical presence. According to Bhoi and Pnar traditions, there was once a Syiem Hadem (Hadem chief), and even today a village in Ri Bhoi is called Kor Hadem, meaning the resting place of the Hadem. This suggests that the Biate were once far more widespread, extending as far as Ri Bhoi, before gradually becoming confined to Saipung. Interestingly, the Khasi word for maize is (B)riew-Hadem, meaning “the people of Hadem.” The Khasi-Pnar term for maize appears to have originally referred to Job’s tears (sohriew). Since maize was domesticated in southwest Mexico around 9,000–10,000 years ago and introduced to Southeast Asia by European traders in the 15th century, the Biate—or Hadem—may have been the community that introduced maize to the Khasi, who traditionally did not cultivate it. This historical exchange seems to have been memorialised through the naming of the crop.
Based on folklore, archaeology, and historical records, the Biate likely arrived at their present location between 600 and 800 years ago. It is certain that they were present at least 500 years ago, when Hima Jaintiapur emerged from Hima Sutnga. This makes the Biate one of the oldest indigenous communities in the state.
It is therefore fitting that, as one of the oldest indigenous communities here, the Biate are represented in the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC), where a constituency has been reserved for them. Their situation is thus better than that of many other minor groups in the state, such as the Karbi, Tiwa, Hajong, and Rabha, who have no seats reserved for them in the KHADC, JHADC or GHADC. While there have been instances of representation—for example, E. Teron, a Karbi MDC from the Nongjngi constituency—in the current term, no community other than the Khasi and one Biate representative has representation in the KHADC and JHADC. In fact, the state government, along with the KHADC, JHADC, and GHADC, opposed the inclusion of “unrepresented tribes”—namely the Bodo-Kachari, Hajong, Koch, Mann, and Rabha—in the proposed amendment to the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
I believe that minor communities should have representation in the ADCs, just as I would like the Khasi to have political representation in the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) in Assam and in other states where they reside, such as Manipur, Tripura, and Mizoram. The Biate have also been demanding a Regional Council within the JHADC to safeguard their rights, culture, and interests—a legitimate demand, given that the community lags behind the Khasi and Garo in several socio-economic indicators.
We must take care of our own minorities if we wish to demand that others protect our people who are minorities in their lands. Only then can we foster peace among indigenous groups and protect ourselves from greater threats, such as legislation like the CAA and the unchecked entry of corporate capital into our territories. Those who promote these agendas would prefer us to fight among ourselves so that they can take everything from us. Helping the Biate preserve their cultural heritage and advance in education and socio-economic development can therefore be an important step towards securing our collective future. Let us hope that happens soon.
(The views expressed in the article are those of the author and do not reflect in any way his affiliation to any organisation or institution)
