The leverages of Kuki villages

Lunminthang Haokip *

1. A PEEP AT CHIEFSHIP : The word 'Chief,' is defined in Dictionary as "the head or leader of an organized body of people; the person highest in authority." Another definition of the same word is: "the head or ruler of a tribe or clan."

On the hill ranges of North East India, and on the foothills touching the plain areas, since time immemorial, many Kuki chief-ships had been established on the lines of the second definition given above. Some of the residential settlements have developed into big villages and some still remain small throughout ages.

2. ROOTS OF ONE'S IDENTITY: A true blue-blooded Kuki may forget the details of his own ancestry due to the passage of time, but he will never forget the name of his tribe or clan. It is notionally made almost mandatory for one, in personal self-introduction, to mention clan and sub-clan along with one's name. In certain situations, it could be the reverse. Queries are made about one's sub-clan after one's name is taken note of.

3. CLAN-CLUSTERED VILLAGES: Therefore, it can be imagined, even if left unsaid, that Kuki chief-ship of the past was founded mostly on the basis of clan or sub-clan. At the back of one's mind, there is a constant lurking reminder that one belongs to a particular family tree and 'so and so' and 'such and such' are the 'branches.'

Inter-clan marriages may have had their own social ramifications, but when it comes to the brass tacks of emotional equations vis-à-vis inter-clan rivalry, the balance of loyalty tilts heavily towards one's original paternal roots.

4. WHERE CHIEF IS 'KING:' The smaller the hill village is, the bigger the multi-layered disputes that involve 'frog-in-the pond' type topics of petty one-upmanship. Bickering galore over issues ranging from individual land holding, clandestine felling of trees for firewood from the preserved 'green belt', paddy field tenancy, elopement and adultery, cattle grazing, loans and insolvency, exchange of fists-of-fury in drunken state, slander, back-biting and tongue-lashing etc. Sequel efforts to quell pressing matters among 'equals' cannot quite settle rabble-rousing cases.

5. CHIEF'S 'NO' IS 'NO:' The 'supreme authority', the chief of the village, whether he is equipped with the wisdom of Solomon or the 'nil-wit' of Nabaal, is being looked up to dispose 'scary' cases with 'no aces up his sleeve.'

When proceedings come to an impasse even after rolling out 'one-to-one cajolery', the age-old traditional pre-Christianity methods of judgment are applied as the last resort to wrap up 'pinches' on the Churched stake-holders. The chief's verdict, worthy or worthless, is the ultimate. His 'yes' saves a mess. When Chief says 'No', it is 'No.' And there are no rooms left for ventilating 'ifs' and 'buts.'

6. TRADITION RIDES ROUGHSHOD: : The ancient sense of right and wrong worked well during the time when discerned learning did not take place. Fine system had its utility to the extent of its effectiveness to create fear and restrain the culprit from committing an evil act repeatedly. But the advent of the Gospel brought to us saner ways of dealing with crime.

Jesus taught us that true justice should be mingled with mercy. Imposing a heavy fine of a 5-Tuh (clenched hand used to measure size of pig) pig (considered a dirty animal) on a bereaved family to "purify a house deemed to have been polluted by bloodshed," in the name of tradition, runs counter to the Truth we read in the Bible. The precious blood of our Saviour, shed on the Cross for us,is sufficient to cleanse every 'pollution'-real or imagined.

7. INHUMAN INHERITANCE LAW: Or take for example, the Kuki-specific man-made law of inheritance. The forced-inheritance of the property of a 'son-less man' by his brothers or nephews, against the actual owner's will, when his own daughters are still alive, has become some kind of a 'generational curse.'

Moses faced a similar situation and asked God as to who should get the property of a man, who has only daughters, after the father's death. The Almighty gave an answer we would do well to follow: "And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, if a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter (Numbers 27:8)."

8. THE ECONOMICS OF A KUKI VILLAGE : Agreed that some of the more enterprising Kuki entrepreneurs have landed on overseas shores to open sale counters at over-the-top venues like Laurel in Maryland or Tulsa in OK, USA.

But, by and large, the business scenario in the interior outskirts of Kuki settlements in NEI and North West Burma, leaves a lot to be desired, if not pathetic. When all the regularly salaried working 'elite' of rural-origin have shifted base to bigger townships, there remains the irregular daily meager-wage-earners, for the small store-runners to do business with.

9. BUY AND SELL FARE: Daily needs like hardware knick-knacks, grocery goods, tobacco products, edible oil, detergents etc. are the much-sought-after items for the agriculture-labour-sustained country folks. Tea stalls come up by the shops where buyers gather, to cater to the beverage needs of village School Teachers and habitual gossip-mongers who 'take rest in the afternoon for doing nothing in the morning.'

10. DISCREDITING BUY ON CREDIT: While womenfolk everywhere sweat out and work harder for the rainy season, some lazy men choose to live off by the sweat of their spouses' brow. The poor men's shop-keeper and 'café-runner' think they have arrived when sales boom.

But, with the 'doomed' arrival of credit-takers, some stores and cafes are compelled to close shop and go searching for ice-bars to cool their 'hassled heads' with, when the long list of credit-defaulters fail to pay up outstanding bills, despite repeated reminding.

11. BACKBLOCK EVENT MISMANAGEMENT: One's surroundings may have nothing much to brag about compared to the affluent environs of city life; but the heart urges every one, rich or poor, to make merry over little achievements that bring immense joy to 'the scoring' family. Success in Matric or Higher Sec exam, no matter what the Division is, in a nondescript family is a cause for celebration. Pass is pass.

12. COST OF MAINTAINING DECORUM: Holy marriage is a must for a Christian boy or girl, although spiritual brinkmanship makes many to choose the easy path of elopement. In holy dos, both the groom and the bride's parties are expected by tradition to throw a feast. It is justified by the invitation of sundry friends and relatives. In the bargain to maintain decorum, event-hosting demands a budget beyond one's means.

Materials for make-shift hall, seating and eating arrangement, sound system and decoration are not locally available. When the only usable vehicle in the vicinity is called for duty, pat comes report that "all the parts of the vehicle are making noise except the horn."

13. DENTS IN SOCIAL EVENTS: Besides, the sole guy who can handle electrification and sound-job plays hard to get. Work allocation among the youth brigade, often, runs into trouble due to 'queer' tussles in perceptions. So, itchy-bitchy sound-bytes of 'tearing' gossip, sometimes, amplify to make the 'victims' fly off the handle.

The totality of all these extra-factors results in mediocrity of preparedness and mismanagement of events. Wedding dos, therefore, call for austere planning within limits of one's ability. After all, "There is no such a thing as a poor wedding or a rich funeral."

14. THE SILVER-LINING: Having said that, I must also harp on the good things that a hill village is blessed with. Gaon gaon na raha. The livelihood and welfare schemes taken up by the various DLOs are gradually lifting up the lot of our backblock districts. Of late, the glut of new governmental rural infrastructure have captured the imagination of the erstwhile YWNM – Youth with No Mission – in channeling talents to a potent commitment.

15. PACE OF PROGRESS: Agriculture has become a common culture with hope of sustenance attached while Horticulture began to yield fruits. Rural Electricity supply, now, rivals those of the cities. Mobile Networks have covered the interior segments extensively. Communication is improving by leaps and bounds. Handsets are a craze among the youth.

But, due to low earning, all the adult members of a poor family cannot possess one. So, some siblings silently wish that the screen of the mobile of their dad or elder brother get broken so that they would buy a new one, and the old one may land up on their laps.

16. THE FINAL CALL: Mobile communication has even facilitated Church administration. Giving directions to Pastors and other Church functionaries has become a matter of pressing some numbers. Managing spiritual affairs is a huge task. Things are not always rosy. Networks too are unreliable.

If we get no answer from 'ordinary' men to solve our problems, and for greater things we yearn for to be granted, let us, in fervent prayer, call Heaven's Telephone number, Jeremiah 33:3, "Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."