By: T.Siamchinthang
The use of tribal names as political party names could serve as a fragmentation factor of the society. The Paite National Council (PNC) from the Saikal area in Mizoram sent a member to the Mizoram Legislative Assembly. Mizoram State is a melting pot of the Zo people. The population of Mizoram are the descendents of Ciimnuai, Lai, and Bochung.
Other Zo people such as Sho or Mru(Myo) also settled in Mizoram. Will the PNC member in the Mizoram Legislative Assembly be concerned only with the affairs of the Paite? The name suggests so. If each other clan groups formed a party such as the Hmar, Sailo, Zahau, Lai, Hualngo, Haokip, Mara, Chawngthu, Lakher, Khumi, Matu, etc. the Mizoram political landscape will look like a land divided into endless people.
One clan will be suspicious of the other. Every clan would fight for their benefit and there could be no progress,economic or otherwise.
This applies also to the Zomi National Congress in the Tedim district, which competed in the 1990 general election.
Would the ZNC member in Burmese Parliament concern with the people who designated themselves as "Zomi" only?
That is the problem in Manipur. The authorities recognized each tribal group. In Churachanpur or Lamka district the authorities recognized the
Paite,Vaiphei, Hmar, Mizo, Thado or Kuki, and Zo, etc. as tribal groups.
Other smaller tribal groups or clans sought recognition thereby making themselves different from other groups so that they could be recognized by the Indian government as tribal groups. In the Lamka district the Paite and the Thado or Kuki are the most numerous tribal groups.
The Paite and the Kuki parties therefore were elected to the Manipur
Legislative Assembly year after year.
After becoming members in the Legislative Assembly any fund available for development projects in the district were given to the people who elected them. Whereas the Paite and the Kuki people generously benefited from grants from the central government, the smaller communities Vaiphei, Lusei, Hmar, etc.went empty handed. Because of this the Paite dominated the Lamka district that created animosity against the Paite by smaller communities.
The Paite simply wrote directions in the hospital and public places in Paite dialects although the Paite dialect had not been recognized as the common language. Even the name Lamka was a name recognized by all tribal groups, however the name was slowly changed to Churachanpur, the former name of the government quarter,because the smaller communities hate the dominance of the Paite group and refused to call by the Paite name. The Paite also used Zomi exclusively for themselves and the word Zomi is identified to mean those who are called Paite.
Similarly the Thado, who adopted the Bengali name Kuki, always attempted the recognition of their dominance since India's independence. None of the other tribal groups adopted the name Kuki and refused the Thado dialect as the common language although the Thado consistently promote the Thado dialect o become the common language of the Zo people in Manipur. The communal war between the Paite and the Kuki was the outcome of this pervasive tribal chauvinism of the Paite and Kuki groups.
Not only the communal war between the Paite and the Kuki, the Naga took advantage of the fragmentation of the Zo people and they knew the Kuki position in the Zo community. Therefore the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) launched a civil war against the Kuki, driving the Kuki out of their habitatfrom the northern districts of Manipur rendering over 100 000 Kuki landless and homeless. It was understood that had the Kuki not adopted a foreign name and had sought cooperation with other Zo groups, they would not have been harmed by NSCN.
The use of tribal names as political party names could serve as a fragmentation factor of the society. The Paite National Council (PNC) from the Saikal area in Mizoram sent a member to the Mizoram Legislative Assembly. Mizoram State is a melting pot of the Zo people. The population of Mizoram are the descendents of Ciimnuai, Lai, and Bochung.
Other Zo people such as Sho or Mru(Myo) also settled in Mizoram. Will the PNC member in the Mizoram Legislative Assembly be concerned only with the affairs of the Paite? The name suggests so. If each other clan groups formed a party such as the Hmar, Sailo, Zahau, Lai, Hualngo, Haokip, Mara, Chawngthu, Lakher, Khumi, Matu, etc. the Mizoram political landscape will look like a land divided into endless people.
One clan will be suspicious of the other. Every clan would fight for their benefit and there could be no progress,economic or otherwise.
This applies also to the Zomi National Congress in the Tedim district, which competed in the 1990 general election.
Would the ZNC member in Burmese Parliament concern with the people who designated themselves as "Zomi" only?
That is the problem in Manipur. The authorities recognized each tribal group. In Churachanpur or Lamka district the authorities recognized the
Paite,Vaiphei, Hmar, Mizo, Thado or Kuki, and Zo, etc. as tribal groups.
Other smaller tribal groups or clans sought recognition thereby making themselves different from other groups so that they could be recognized by the Indian government as tribal groups. In the Lamka district the Paite and the Thado or Kuki are the most numerous tribal groups.
The Paite and the Kuki parties therefore were elected to the Manipur
Legislative Assembly year after year.
After becoming members in the Legislative Assembly any fund available for development projects in the district were given to the people who elected them. Whereas the Paite and the Kuki people generously benefited from grants from the central government, the smaller communities Vaiphei, Lusei, Hmar, etc.went empty handed. Because of this the Paite dominated the Lamka district that created animosity against the Paite by smaller communities.
The Paite simply wrote directions in the hospital and public places in Paite dialects although the Paite dialect had not been recognized as the common language. Even the name Lamka was a name recognized by all tribal groups, however the name was slowly changed to Churachanpur, the former name of the government quarter,because the smaller communities hate the dominance of the Paite group and refused to call by the Paite name. The Paite also used Zomi exclusively for themselves and the word Zomi is identified to mean those who are called Paite.
Similarly the Thado, who adopted the Bengali name Kuki, always attempted the recognition of their dominance since India's independence. None of the other tribal groups adopted the name Kuki and refused the Thado dialect as the common language although the Thado consistently promote the Thado dialect o become the common language of the Zo people in Manipur. The communal war between the Paite and the Kuki was the outcome of this pervasive tribal chauvinism of the Paite and Kuki groups.
Not only the communal war between the Paite and the Kuki, the Naga took advantage of the fragmentation of the Zo people and they knew the Kuki position in the Zo community. Therefore the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) launched a civil war against the Kuki, driving the Kuki out of their habitatfrom the northern districts of Manipur rendering over 100 000 Kuki landless and homeless. It was understood that had the Kuki not adopted a foreign name and had sought cooperation with other Zo groups, they would not have been harmed by NSCN.
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