By Fabian Lyngdoh
The debate on the appointment of Myntri Mynjurlang Majaw as the acting chief of Hima Sohra by the District Council after the demise of Freeman Sing Syiem is only a symptom of greater problems underlying the invented traditions prevailing in the Khasi society today. There are two basic traditional principles governing the Khasi political system. The first principle is that a man cannot establish a kingdom by himself in the manner of kings and rajas as in other societies of the world. All the Khasi Himas were invariably founded through the confederation of the lyngdohs and basans (elders of founding clans), who were the leaders and rulers of their own respective Shnongs or Raids (autonomous political communities), and the appointment of a particular family as the syiem clan.
The territorial ruler in a Khasi Hima is not the syiem, but it is the bakhraws in their own respective Raids. The second principle is that, as the Khasi society is based on the Kur (matrilineal clan system), the syiem-sad, who may be the mother, the sister, or the niece of the syiem, is the basic foundation of the syiemship. Hence, there can be no syiem in any Khasi hima without the syiem-sad, or (syiemseng) as called in some himas. This principle applies not only to the syiem, but to the bakhraws as well. The political function of syiem or bakhraw belongs to the clan, not to the man; and the clan is embodied in a woman, not in a man. If the syiem, lyngdoh, or basan, has no female clan member as ‘ka sad’ to stand guarantee for the perpetual succession of the office, his position is invalid. These are the basic principles. All other variations in traditions and customs from one Hima to another are derived from the history of particular Himas.
Hima Sohra is of recent origin, and territorially small compared to some other bigger himas. Its architect was u Basan Swer who was the leader of the Raid Khat-ar Shnong which was formerly a part of Hima Shyllong. Four siblings, u Buhsing, u Sadang and their sisters, ka Shan and ka Jah migrated to the Raid Khat-ar Shnong from Hima Jaintia, and u Basan Swer adopted them into the fold of his clan, and consecrated them into a lyngdoh clan in Raid Khat-ar Shnong. Ka Jah, the younger sister, disappeared without a trace for seven years. Assuming that she was dead, her relatives performed her funeral rites. But later, she reappeared along with her children, but according to Khasi tradition, ka Jah and all her offspring can no longer be in the same clan religion as that of her siblings.
When u Shon Manik was the Syiem of Hima Shyllong in the 17th century, u Basan Swer and u Buhsing were defeated in a war by u Basan Nongkseh and u Basan Nongumlong. Thereupon, u Basan Swer with the people of Khat-ar Shnong cut ties with Hima Shyllong and established a new Hima at a place called Kyntursniang. Twelve clans from among the resident clans of Khat-ar Shnong were selected to be the bakhraws or myntri clans called the ‘Khat-ar Kur’, and u Buhsing Lyngdoh was appointed the syiem with his sister ka Shan as the syiemsad. The new hima expanded territorially in time, and became finally constituted of five Raids. U Morsing, son of ka Jah was appointed a deputy syiem to govern the Raid Khat-ar Shnong. After the death of u Buhsing, there was a dispute between his nephews, u Borsing son of ka Shan, and u Morsing son of ka Jah. To avoid confrontation, u Borsing along with seven myntri clans moved to another territory and constituted the Hima Mawsmai; and the syiem families from the lineage of ka Shan, are also called, “Syiem Mawsmai”, a name derived from a stone they raised, called ‘u Mawsmai’ as a standing witness to their covenant to live and support each other henceforth. U Morsing and the five myntri clans also shifted settlement and established the official residence of the syiem-sad and court of the syiem to a place today called Sohra.
The final formation of Hima Sohra took place after the war between the people of Raid Khat-ar Shnong and the people of Raid Mawphu Khathynriew-Shnong. The warriors of Khat-ar Shnong killed u Jon-um-eit, the chief warrior of the Mawphu Khat-hynriew Shnong and carried away his head. Fed up of disputes, divisions and wars, the bakhraws of Raid Khat-ar Shnong decided to settle who the Syiem of the Hima, as the common rallying point should be. So, they went to Mawsmai and offered the head of u Jon-um-eit to ka Lyngngen Syiem, the grand-daughter of ka Shan, but she declined to accept because her son, u Mukensing refused to be the syiem of Sohra. Then they went to Sohra and offered it to ka Sngi Syiem, grand-daughter of ka Jah, and she accepted it in her ka jaiñkyrshah (apron) because her son u Duwansing agreed to be the syiem. Before taking charge as the syiem, u Duwansing had to perform the funeral rites of u Jon-um-eit, so as to wash and drive away all filths, curses, taboos and evil repercussions, and to prevent future enmities and vengeance among the inhabitants of the Hima. From this act, they also established a tradition that a successor syiem before assuming office must perform the funeral rites of his predecessor according to custom established. The Khat-ar Kur who had been divided into two camps were again reunited in one Hima Sohra. Thus, the final formation of Hima Sohra with its political traditions became finally established. The syiem should be from the lineage of ka Jah, and he must perform the cremation rite of his predecessor before the bakhraws confirm him as a full-fledged syiem. But soon enough, this established tradition was broken with the advent of British rule. When u Ramsing, the third syiem died in April, 1875, the colonial government introduced the election system instead of following the established tradition, and u Hajon Manik Syiem Mawsmai, a descendant of ka Shan was elected on 24th May, 1875 through popular election. However, u Hajon Manik was not accepted by the people as a full-fledged syiem because he had no authority or religious obligation to perform the funeral rite of u Ramsing. When u Robasing from the lineage of ka Jah became the next syiem in 1901, he did not perform the cremation rite of u Hajon Manik, his predecessor because he had no obligations to do so, but he performed the funeral rite of u Ramsing instead, who died thirty-three years earlier. U Robasing died in 1918, and u Joiñ Manik performed the cremation rite and succeeded him. But when u Joiñ Manik died in 1963, his cremation rite had not been performed by u Mehsing his successor, or by u Freemansing who became the syiem in 1979. That was a serious break of tradition. The mortal remains of u Joiñ Manik had been lying in the house of ka Drostimai Syiemsad for twenty-two years, six months and eleven days till the 22nd December, 1985 when u Fr. Sylvanus Sngi Lyngdoh with the informed consent of ka Drostimai Syiemsad, performed the cremation rite. That u Maremdor had performed the cremation rite of u Freemansing in November, 2025, is another point of the discussion.
As per tradition, a deputy syiem is in office as long as the syiem is alive.Once, the syiem is dead, the position of a deputy syiem is no longer valid because he is a deputy of the syiem, but not a deputy of the dorbar. The authority to select the new syiem returns to the bakhraws, especially the lyngskor, as in Hima Khyrim. In the original Khasi traditions, the syiem-sad must be the eldest daughter of the previous syiem-sad, and the syiem must always be the eldest brother, or eldest son of the syiem-sad.
This is still being practiced in Hima Khyrim, and neither the colonial government, nor the District Council today, had anything to do with the succession of the Syiem of Hima Khyrim. But now we are entangled in the problems of invented traditions that arose since British rule. The bakhraws of Hima Sohra did appeal to the British Parliament in 1903, against the popular election which they termed ‘an innovation’ that has stricken terror in the minds not only of the people of Hima Sohra, but of all other Khasi Himas. But their appeal was rejected. Thus, the modern electoral procedures for the election of the syiem were introduced in all Khasi Himas, except in Hima Khyrim.
The bakhraws of different Himas had submitted a complaint to the Viceroy and Governor General of India in 1917, that the sanad had given recognition to the syiem, and the syiem alone as head of the Hima, while the primary and effective existence of the dorbar had been completely ignored. Thus, the syiem was converted into a landlord, and the bakhraws of the Raids into mere freehold serfs. But their complaint was set aside. Without the primary authority of the dorbar, and without foundation on ka sad ka sunon, claims and counter-claims to the position are bound to arise, and this led to disunity and divisions among the bakhraws.
The British had introduced these innovations to suit their colonial policy. But the people today believe and accept these inventions as Khasi traditions since time immemorial. In reality, except for the fact that the children take their surnames from the mother, all aspects of Khasi life today are under invented traditions beginning from the British rule. The Khasi traditions are not preserved in the files of the District Council, but they are preserved in the beliefs, thoughts and actions of the people in the Raids and Himas. But if invented traditions are prevailing in the Raids and the Himas, what can the District Council do?
