Traditional administration of justice among the Zeliangrongs
- Part 3 -

Budha Kamei *

A scene from a Documentary Film by Ronel Haobam - 'The Zeliangrongs'

Inter-village dispute (Namnei Agaimei): In general, a Pei has authority over its own village. Inter-village feuds/disputes are therefore, usually settled by the joint sitting of the council of elders of those villages affected by them, and to prevent any future hostilities between villages, the elders of those villages have to arrange for truces and alliances known as Guot promising herewith his enemies."

That members of the villages entering into the truce shall maintain a peaceful co-existence and anyone who violates the terms of the agreement is liable to be punished. Guot is usually arranged and conducted somewhere at the border of two hostile villages. In the truce and alliance, a purification ritual known as Rihchuk Shumei is observed by sacrificing a big fully black colour dog (Shimu) to God and it is carried out by a priest. The blood of the dog is removed and mixed with Kathainong (a kind of leave), Chukgaa (a kind of turmeric), Shampripra (a kind of grass), and Ngeinem, (thatching grass); the mixture is called Gaa.

It will be put in a big cup made of banana leaf known as Chukkong. All the members present there will contact a slice/piece of Gaa at their temple (Gaaroumei) by saying my body is not the abode of sin go away. The priest after the ritual recitation purifies the present members with Ten Mhaimit, a kind of thatching grass and then throws away the Chukkong in direction of sun set (Neikeiroubektho). This is called Shiangkok Ganmei. The victim is consumed by the present elders after offering holy wine to Tingkao Ragwang. The interpretation of the ritual: Sacrifice is a worship of God.

By sacrificing they invoke to God to witness the truce and alliance made between the two villages. Contact with the Gaa means they are free from the sin of committing murder. Eating together or communal meal is a vow not to commit bloodshed in future. It is also said that a feast may be the means of setting the seal on an important event such as of cementing an alliance between groups.

It is a rite of incorporation. The priest acts as a medium and he throws away the Chukkong in the western direction as east stands for life and west, dead. Another means to avoid inter-village hostilities, the Zeliangrong encouraged to get girls married from outside the village because marriage gives a man friends among inter-villages.

Endogamy (Tampui-Tampu Noukao): There is a customary law of exogamy prevailed in the Zeliangrong society, according to which a boy is not allowed to marry a girl from the same clan or lineage. A breach of this marriage code results immediate social ex-communication and expulsion of the couple from the village. If such a taboo marriage takes place, no marriage ritual (Mhairakmei) is observed and no payment of bride price (Nouman).

But a rite called Mhaikhoumei is performed in which the village elders purify the whole village with Ten Mhaimit, a kind of thatching grass thereafter they burn the wearing garments of the couple at the western village gate (Neikeirou Raang) in the thought that such taboo marriage is no more in the society.

As it is a taboo, a calling of paddy is performed at the Peikai for good harvest. They observe the legs and intestine of the victim in search of good sign. All articles of the ritual activities are to be borne by the couple. Moreover a punitive fine is also imposed on the couple. The couple is not permitted to participate in socio-religious and cultural activities of the village which will remain valid throughout their married life.

The half burnt garment is then held by an elder of Pei with a stick, who pronounces the expulsion of the couple from the village for breaking the law. After this the couple is excommunicated, ostracized and turn out of the village. It is suggested to separate the couple by the parents or clans' elders to avoid evil consequences.

It is said that such couple is disliked by lightening (Gaan Rih) and wild animals like tiger (Kamang) etc. so they used to keep a piece of iron (Ragwang Tanchu) under their pillows to protect from lightening. Moreover it is also believed that the couple will have abnormal child because of close blood ties. In many societies, incest is held to be "punished by the intervention of the ancestors of the guilty pair, who visit them or their off spring with sickness and death."

Oath and Ordeal (Sengding Dingmei): In many cultures, techniques are employed to establish the truth of an accusation or the merit of a dispute, but usually the means used are shot through with the magico-religious notions prevalent among the people. Under this head two sets of usages demand attention, oaths and ordeals. 38 But some say that the method normally revolves not so much about exact determination of guilt or innocent as about the prevention of internecine strife. The oath and ordeal sound strange to the modern ear, but it continues even in the present courts under the form of a special oath, if the parties agree to it.

When human discernment proves inadequate for deciding a dispute, divine guidance is usually sought through oaths and ordeal. In other word sometimes the cases are vague and cannot be settled peacefully then the Pei (village court) resorts to taking of oath and ordeal. This is called Sengding Dingmei. Generally oath and ordeal are directed by and under the direct supervision of the elders of Pei.

Oath is a solemn statement or agreement, calling upon the deity to witness to the truth of what a person says or to what he promises to do. An oath must be taken before an official authorized by law to administer.

Among the Zeliangrongs, an important form of oath is that taken on a meteoric stone (Ganrih Tao); "May I be stricken and killed by thunderbolt, if I lie." In the same way, oaths are taken by biting the teeth of tiger, "tiger shall kill the liar", and on the paddy in which case "the liar shall die before harvest without eating the standing crops (paddy)." Oath is also taken by the name of Bambu, the village deity "the village deity shall not protect the liar." These oaths are locally recognized as Ganrih Tao Sinmei, Kamang Neih Kaimei, Napgum Nenmei and Bambukhou Sengding Dingmei respectively.

If the guilt of a person cannot be proved in a satisfactory manner, then he is made to pass through the oaths. He has to swear and bite the teeth of the tiger or the paddy in the presence of the Nampou, village chief and elders of Pei. If he can do so in the Peikai, house of Pei to which great divine sanctity is attached, he is regarded as innocent. But if he cannot do so, his guilt is proved.

It is believed that when this oath is taken falsely, the swearer will be killed by the thunderbolt or tiger in due course or he or she will die before harvest without eating the standing crops (paddy). After the oath, both the individuals will hand over the meteoric stone (Ganrih Tao), teeth of tiger (Kamang Nei), paddy (Napgum) etc. to the Peipou for keeping in Peikai until and unless the result is known.

Ursula Graham Bower says that any guilty person will be directly or indirectly affected by certain force within a stipulated time. As a consequence, most of the culprits caught fatal diseases or death due to faulty oath taken before men, so as to save one's skin and exonerated the crime.

Usually a period of one year (Tingkum Gongangdamakho) from the date of oath is fixed as a time limit and only deaths occurring during within this period are considered to have a bearing upon the result. After the result is known the family of the culprit will offer a cock to the village Pei for purification of the entire village called Sengphekmei.

To be continued....