Social structure of Zeliangrong society
- Part 2 -

Dr Gaikhamsin Riamei *

Girls' Dormitory or Luchu : Scene from 'The Zeliangrongs' :: Pix - Ronel Haobam

The Dormitory System: The origin of the Zeliangrong dormitory system is still unknown. However, according to Prof. Gangmumei Kamei the Zeliangrong dormitory was an adaptation of the hoary past when men, gods and animals shared the same dormitory and attended the house of the mythical patriarchal deity called Tingpu Rengsonnang. Every Zeliangrong village has the dormitory system (Morung) as described by the anthropologists. Traditionally, there are two separate dormitories both for boys and girls. The boys' dormitory is called Hangseoki among the Zeme, Khangchu among the Rongmei and Liangmai respectively.

Dormitories are well-organized traditional social institutions in Zeliangrong society. It is a place where all unmarried youths usually come to sleep at night and have social interactions, learning of different arts, etc. In the dormitory both boys and girls are disciplined and their tribal values are inculcated. According to a western anthropologist, Ursula Graham Bower, dormitories were the admirable institutions in which the youths were educated and disciplined and also united the householders.

The joining of the dormitories started only when a boy or a girl attained puberty. Dormitories are considered the custody of cultural and traditional wealth of the Zeliangrong society. All the items which attached cultural and traditional values are preserved with great care like- hornbill feather, mithun horn, embroidered flowers, local drums made of wooden log and animal skin, cymbals (Sian Khiak), flute, violin, gourd (as wine container) and other musical instruments and materials. In addition, they also preserved weapons like, spears, dao, shield, helmet, axe, whip, bows and arrows, wooden hammer (for killing animals), etc.

All kinds of social gatherings, ceremonies, festivals and recreations are organized through this institution. The dormitory is an important social institution which sustained the Zeliangrong society, religion and culture. It aims at imparting education to the young men and women. It also meets the defence requirements of the village to ensure peace and security and the manpower requirement to organize public works, religious ceremonies, recreational activities and cultural festivals including dance and music. Membership of the dormitory in a village is compulsory for both boys and girls. —to be contd

Men's Dormitory or Khangchu: It is a place where, in the past, all the adult males/boys used to flock together under the leadership of a male head called Ngaanpih, head of the bachelors, who was responsible for looking after the institution. He was the key-figure of all the activities. The members of the dormitory obeyed the elder members and acted in accordance with their decisions and instructions. There are four categories of membership:
(i) Shinkhang/Gaan Nah (unmarried male),
(ii) Gaanpih–-(married man who had passed through the leadership of Shinkhang),
(iii) Gaanpih, there are two grades of Gaanpih–
(a) Phuangmei and
(b) Kaijipmei.
Phuangmei stays at the dormitory while Kaijipmei only sleeps in his house, and
(iv) Khangbuan; the highest grade, who decides the affairs and administers the dormitory.

When a boy became a full-fledged membership of the dormitory, it is compulsory for him to follow certain dress code by wearing a kilt. At first he may refused to wear the kilt in a fit of shyness but he was forced to wear it by the senior members of the dormitory. As he wears the prescribed dress, the male dormitory howls and beats drums as a mark of acknowledgement and encouragement. He had to sleep there till he gets married.

Girls' Dormitory or Luchu: This was the place where the girls were made acquainted with social life of a village. Like that of male dormitory, it also has a leader known as Tunapih (head of the girls) who looked after the welfare of the girls and the whole affairs of the dormitory. Unlike boys' dormitory there is only one category of membership, the unmarried women called Tuna. Specially, two elderly members from the male dormitory (Khangchu) are entrusted to look after the functioning and affairs of the girls' dormitory. They are known as Tuna Mun Sinmei. The dormitory of girls is housed in one of these two elderly members (Tuna Mun Sinmei) and he and his wife act as patriarch and matriarch of the girls' dormitory.

Initially, the girls are restricted from keeping their hairs long on ground of being junior. Once a girl attained maturity, she would be transferred to the senior dormitory from then onwards she slept in the dormitory till she got married. She was no longer restricted from keeping her hair long as she became the full-fledged member of the dormitory.

Marriage: Marriage is a universal social institution but the Zeliangrong marriage is not a simple contract between the two spouses which is accepted by the parents. Marriage is the covenant union of a boy and a girl to form a family with religious and social sanction in which the spouses, their parents, and the village elders have to give their unanimous consent. Among the prehistoric migrants who took shelter at Ramting Kabin, there is a reference to one Pokrei (Dirannang) and girl Dichalu, both of them were brother and sister. It happened that due to some natural catastrophe, they used the cave as their shelter. Pokrei then proposed to marry his own sister Dichalu. He asked her to go round an anthill seven times and each time they met she was supposed to address him (her brother) as Apou (a formal traditional way of addressing to the marriageable senior male). But she failed six times and addressed him as Achai (brother) instead. Again she was asked to go one more round the anthill and this time she addressed him as Apou, title to marriageable male. So they married and established a family. This incident is mythical and deviated from social norms of the Zeliangrong people.

It was customary for the Zeliangrong Naga to seek life-partners from different clans because endogamous marriage is prohibited. Marriage within the same clan is held with contempt and is locally known as Tanpui-Tanpu Kaomei. If such marriage occurs, the couple is ostracized or derecognized by the society. Certain socio-religious restrictions are imposed on the couple which will remain valid throughout their married life. The villagers perform a rite called Neimei (taboo). The couple is required to give four pigs and two pitchers of rice-beer as fine.

In addition, clothes worn by them would be given to the headman of the village or elder who accordingly consigns their clothes to flame outside the village gate. The half-burn clothes were then held by the headman with a stick and he would pronounce the expulsion of the couple from the village for violating the customary law. After this the couple is excommunicated, ostracized and driven out of the village. Marriage is exogamous. Usually the son of sister could marry the daughter of the brother and customarily not vice-versa. In the Zeliangrong society, polygamy is very rare except in few cases when barrenness on the part of the wife is being noticed, and polyandry is completely absent. Child marriage is not known and practiced. A girl after her marriage assumes womanhood by changing her clan to that of her husband.

Prelude of Marriage: When the day of marriage approaches the Khangchu (Kaithianmei) organizes outing or some sort of picnic with the counterpart Luchu (Tuna Kailu) to a place outside the village for a day. All the members should go there with the proposed girl who is to be married. It is called Ram Phan Tat Mei. There, the youths would make a big beacon with white wooden plank and put it on a high tree-top of the hill so that it can be seen by the people of the village and neighbouring villages. It indicates that a girl is going to be married. This is called Chwang Daanmei.

Towards the evening they return to the village and distribute vegetables, fruits, banana-leaves (for packing things) or whatever they brought from the outing spot they gave the same to every household of the village. In the evening they perform dances as a token of farewell to the soon-to-be-married girl. Since the dances are valedictory they are rather melancholic than joyous. This is the day that the girl and all of her friends (both boys and girls) exchange gifts which is very important for the girl as from the morrow she has to leave her Luchu-Kailu (Girls' Dormitory) for good. This last day of her stay with her friends is often characterised by tearful wishing and valediction. From the next day the girl would undress her maiden necklace, bangles, ornaments and earring and will no longer be called 'Tuna' (maiden) but will be known as meipui (married woman).

Law of Inheritance: The Zeliangrong society continues to follow patrilineal pattern of inheritance. The youngest son inherits his father's movable and immovable properties. But this is not the case among other Naga tribes like the Aos, the Tangkhuls, etc. where the largest share goes to the eldest son. If the father so wished he distributes the properties among the children before his death. The inheritor is responsible to pay up if there is overdue debt left unpaid by the deceased father. If a man dies leaving behind no male child, his nearest kinsman would inherit the property. Even the adopted son would have his due right of inheritance and succeeds the family. When the family is survived by a minor child and the parents are dead, the paternal uncle looks after the child and after the son becomes mature the due share of the property would be given to him. In case of female minor, the guardian makes sure to give her due share of property belonging to her parents at the time of her marriage. In olden days, daughters and women were not given such rights of inheritance. They were given gifts in the form of cash, ornaments, clothings, etc. on their marriage day. They were not entitled to inherit immovable properties of their parents.

Traditional Role of Women: Theoretically, Zeliangrong society maintains high regards for women but in actual practice men dominate in all dealings and decisions relating to family matters. The main role of women confines to the household chores yet they act as the source of inspiration by giving suggestions, proposals, and advice to their respective husbands in times of critical situations. Directly they are not involved in the village and community administration but women are the passive participants in all the decision making-process of the community administration.

The eldest woman in the village known as Kiangjapui is considered priestess (among the contemporary lady priests). She performs religious rites on occasion such as child birth, Nah-Nuh festivals and Nathanmei (birthday). Women in Zeliangrong society continue to be strong and active as men, who work both in fields and household chores. They work from dawn to midnight which is much more than the men. The housewives had many responsibilities like growing vegetables, teaching the daughter in weaving and handicrafts, feeding of children and domestic animals like pigs, poultry, pounding rice, collecting water and firewood, vessel cleaning and preparing food.

They also make drink and food for labourers of the day and join them working in the field too. Having worked in the field the women return home and did not sleep early but spin thread for making cloth. Women are also good weavers of clothes and produce a number of clothes for sale and domestic requirements. Unmarried girls also perform all the household works as well as in the field. They take part in the community social works at their dormitory and in the public functions. In spite of their sincerity and hard working Zeliangrong women are not equally free as their male counterpart and do not enjoy equal property rights.

Religion: The Zeliangrong people are religious but they do not have a name of their own religion. They live close to nature at the mercy of its evil forces like storm, rain, heat, flood, diseases, earth-quake, thunder and lightning, famine, etc. which are so violent. Cruelty of death always lurks behind them dangerously and often came tragically early. The Zeliangrong indigenous religion has a historical implication that evolved from the hoary past. The religion has no founder but through the ages the law-givers, diviners and prophets made the revelation of God's wishes and oracles to men and society.

The religion is based on polytheism, worship of many gods and goddesses, deities of different kinds, the supreme god, etc. It is believed that some prophets like Amang and Tianglaam were the pioneers who laid the foundation of the Zeliangrong religion. Amang was a mythical law- giver of man, animal and nature. The mythical account of Amang is closely associated with the performance of Joulumei (feast of drinking) and construction of Tarengkai, a ritual ornamented house which is designed after the architecture of the house of deity. There is also a divine teacher like Tingpu Rengsonnang, the divine patriarch of the dormitory of gods and men who had found out remedies and redressals for the misery of men. Raguang Muh Chara Kandi Jungpu was a priest-advisor to Tingkao Raguang (heavenly god) who continuously gave advice to men on how to approach god through sacrifices, worship and offerings. Such communion between men and divine teachers made Zeliangrong religion more a living spiritual religion.

Customary Laws: Though the ancestors of Zeliangrong did not know much about laws, rules or regulations, adoption and enforcement, yet after thorough study of the nature and practices of their social and customary laws in comparison with the laws of modern society, the Zeliangrong customary law can also be divided into two (i) Civil Laws and (ii) Criminal Laws.

(i) Civil Laws. Civil Laws consist of the following laws on marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance, succession, rights of land-owner or house-owner, property, recovery of debt, refunding of matrimony, etc.

(ii) Criminal Laws. These Laws deal with assault, adultery, abduction, arson, kidnapping, marriage by captive, murder, rape, theft, robbery, fighting, injury, dacoity, burglary and other heinous crimes.

Related Photo Gallery:

• Scenes from "The Zeliangrongs" : Part 1 :: Documentary Film by Ronel Haobam
• Scenes from "The Zeliangrongs" : Part 2 :: Documentary Film by Ronel Haobam
• Scenes from "The Zeliangrongs" : Part 3 :: Documentary Film by Ronel Haobam
• Scenes from "The Zeliangrongs" : Part 4 :: Documentary Film by Ronel Haobam