Memorandum of Paite National Council, 1955
Memorandum of the Paite National Council (Demanding the recognition of the Paites as a distinct tribe of India)
To,
The Honourable Minister, Home Affairs,
Government of India
Sir,
We, the people of Paite in India, beg to submit this memorandum of ours to the Government of India demanding the constitutional recognition of Paite as a distinct tribe of India by the Government of India. The following are few facts about our tribe and demand:
INTRODUCTION
History
The Paite claim to have originated according to their legend from the Sun to be progenitor of their fellow tribes. They left their home at ‘Chimnuai-Geltui’ in Burma and come to Manipur State and Mizo District. The bulk of their population therefore still live in Chin Hills Burma and a large number in the Mizo District today. In Manipur the Paite have their settlement chiefly in the South-West. Well over 60,000 Paite live in bothy Manipur State and Mizo District occupying an area of nearly 3000 square miles.
CUSTOMS
Dress
“In their dress and habitations the Paite resemble the Lushais, but the place of the “Zawlbuk” is taken by the front varanda of the houses of certain persons of importance, in which are long sleeping bunk in which half a dozen or more youngmen pass the night…The women do not wear the huge ivory earrings of the Lushais but cornelians or short lead bars.”
Marriage
“As regards marriage they are monogamists, in this particular forming a very remarkable exception to all their cognates. The marriages of paternal first cousins are allowed infact, among the chiefs these are the rules. The parent of a young man who desires to marry a girl go to her house with an offering of “zu” and if this is accepted the girl is at once taken to their house, but the bridegroom continues for two or three months to sleep with his bachelor friends. The marriage is not considered final nor is any payment made till a child is born, and if this does not occur within three years the couple separate in few cases, but on the birth of a child the full price agreed on must be paid up and divorce is not countenanced. On my enquiring what would happen in case the lady subsequently proved fickle, my informant smiled in a superior manner and said that such behaviour was unknown among this people-the Paite…”
Inheritance
“As among most non-Lushei tribes, it is the custom among the Paite that the eldest son inherits and the genealogy is traced not from female line but from the male line”.
Religion
“For their “Sabiak” sacrifice the Paite offer to the gods and demons and spirits, a boar, a chicken, a goat, a dog, etc. “The skin of the head, the testiclws, heart, snout, and liver” are offered to the deities on a bamboo altar, which must be freshly thatched”.
Birth
“Immediately after birth the child is washed, and a fowl is killed, and its fearhters are worn round the necks fo the mother and infant. On occasion of the naming two or three pigs if available should be killed and much “zu” drunk.
Corpse
“After death the corpse is placed on a platform (bed) and fires are lit round it, and young men and maidens sleep near it. The skin is hardened and preserved b being rubbed with some greasy reparation. The body is dressed in the best of clothes available and a chaplet of the tail feathers of the hornbill is placed on its head. During the daytime the corpse is kept in the house, but in the evening it is brought aout and seated on the varendah while the villagers dance and sing round it and drink “zu” pouring it also into the mouth of the corpse. This disgusting performance goes on for a month or more according to the social position fo the deceased. The corpses of those who have attained Thansuah or Tawng honours are kept for a year, at least, in a special shed encvased in a tree trunk…” The Kut festivals are not observed among the Paite, but after the harvest the owners of houses in which young men lodge kill pigs and perform what is known as Sawmzunek.
House site
“When a new site for a house has to be chosen an egg is taken and one end is removed. It is then propped upon three small stones and a fire is lit under it. This is called ‘Aisan’. If the contents boil over towards the person consulting the omen the site is rejected as unlucky. (Vide page 142 of the Lushai Kuki clans written by Lt Col. J Shakespeare”. Writing in 1910 as he did Shakespear of course did not anticipate some changes in the social customs of the Paite but as a whole he gave some pictures of the customs of the Paite even in the author’s own life time.
LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
G A Grierson, CIE PhD DLitt, ICS, in his Linguistic Survey of India (Vide page 84 Vol III) showed clearly that the language of the Paite is different from any of other tribes namely, the Lusheis, the Nagas and the Kukis and Dr Grierson gave some exhausted examples. Suppose we give the following word “What” to show the difference between Paite, Lushei, or Kuki:
English Paite Kuki (Thado) Lushei
What? Bangahia? Ipiham? Engani?
Thus, we can see at a glance that the distinction of the Paite language from other languages of the scheduled tribes is an open fact which does not require proof.
Literature
The Paite had their first printed book in their own language back in 1904 in a form of a Primer. Since then they have some 20 books printed in their own language.
PAITE A DISTINCT TRIBE
As stated before the Paite have their settlement in the South West of Manipur, and in Norther part of Mizo District and even in Chin Hills. They have their own village rule, their own customs, language, literature and culture.
In the first Edition of the Primer written in Lushei language when the British first took yp the administration of Lushai hills (Now, Mizo District) it is written that “there were no particular ruling class among the lushais. But our other neighbouring tribes such as Paite, Shuktes, and Poites from time immemorial have been having ruling classes among them”. This also clearly testifies that Paite are distinct community.
GOVERNMENT’S REMARKS
Shri H Singh, Chief Commissioner, Manipur: “ I thank you (General President, Paite National Council) for your kind letter of the 19th November, conveying the congratulation of the Paite National Council. I am sure that I can count on your co-operation in setting up a sound administration for Manipur”. On another accessions he wrote like this: “The Paite national Council of Churachandpur gave an excellent display of Paite dances and songs in Manipur Industrial and Cultural exhibition of 1951 and also exhibited a dew interesting articles of local manufacture such as handloom products, baskets, weapons, etc. I warmly congratulate Messrs Tualchin and Thangkhai for the successful orgaisation of this activities and wish the Paite every prosperity. The Paite tribe has been most loyal and helpful to the Government and I have no doubt they can always be relied upon”.
Shri R P Bhagava, ICS Chief Commissioner, Manipur: “I am grateful for the above-mentioned programme arranged on the occasion of my stay at Churachandpur. The exhibition fo the Agricultural processes is quite interesting. The various dances of the of the feast, merry making or on the conclusion of a successful hunt are interesting to see. I am also thankful for the cooperation which the Government of Manipur is receiving from the Paite National Council in the collection of unlicenced arms”.
The Deputy Commissioner of Manipur Shri M N Phukan also has remarded on 10-9-1954 as follows:- “The Paite Nationa Council has always been helping the Administration in collecting uncicensed firearms and maintaining law and order. The members also helped a great deal in organising the Manipur plains and Hills Festival held this year and making it a success. I am personally indebted to them for their help and cooperation during my four and helf years’ stay in Manipur” Sd/.
Lastly but not the least, Shri Kaka Kalelkar, MP (Member of parliament), Chairman of the Backward Classes & Tribes Commission of the Government of India also on 23-11-1953 during their (Commission’s) visit to Imphal remarked as follows:-
“I am very glad to see the dances of the students of the Paite community this morning at the Adim Jati Shiksha Ashram, Imphal. The dances showed both grace and vigour. I congratulate the paite community”.
The above remarks recently made by the various high personalities of India and her Government’s representatives and those of the important documents and books of old and long standing as quoted in the foregoing paragraphs prove beyond any shadow of doubt that the Paite have from time immemorial been a very glaring distinct community. But to our most disappointing and surprise the Paite have not been allowed to stand for election in the last General Election of India for the Membership of the House of the People (Lok Sabha). The Paite community cannot but feel this rejection as a divorce by the Governmetn of India from the Paite being member of Indian citizen enless timely rectified by the authorities.
The Rejection of candidature
The Paite wanted to be more helpful and expected to be more and more responsible in the Government of the country. Therefore, in 1951 the Paite National Council nominated Mr. T Thangkhai to be a candidate for an MP, in general election. But to our great surprise and amazement, the then returning Officer rejected the candidature on the following plea:
“The candidate (i.e. Mr Thangkhai) says that a paite is neither a Kuki nor a Naga nor a Lushai. The sear is reserved for the Scheduled Tribes which mean any Kuki tribe, any Lushai tribe or any Naga tribe. The nomination is rejected”.
Sd/- M N Phukan, Returning Officer,
Dated December 8, 1951.
Facts are facts and there is no other way. That there is such a tribe as the Paite is that the Paite are a distinct tribe from either the Kuki tribe, the Naga tribe or the Lushei tribe, is a Universally known and proved fact, as clearly shown in the writing of several authors on linguistic surveys and Hill tribes.
The Government of India should note that recognition of Paite as distinct tribe is not demanded on the basis of population nor on any idea except on the fact of our being a distinct tribe. If any body objects it, it cannot but be anti-Indian. Because, India, for her democratic ideals, stands for the upliftment, preservation and development of the customs, culture, language, etc. of even the least and most backward tribes of India. And if this demanded recognition be denied of us, it cannot mean other thing than denial of citizenship to us. The Government should not delay to assure any body or tribe of their feeling as Indians.
Therefore, there should be no further delay in recognising the Paite tribe and it must be a constitutional recognisation when an individual state or Union officer will not have the slightest doubt about the accomplished fact. We have no doubt that both the Government in the State and at the Centre are anxious to see every section of the country is happy and when the Paite are recognised constitutionally as a distinct tribe, there will be happiness among some 60,000 Paite throughout the region of 3000 square miles.
Hence our request and demand is a kind reply of recognition of the Paite as distinct tribe in time for the next general election of India, otherwise the Paite will take it for granted that they are not wanted to be an integral part of Indians, and therefore can join any other Government which will give them (Paite) due recognition, and they cannot be blamed for that if the order dated 8-12-1951 of the Returning Officer, oyuter Manipur Parliamentary Constituency is to prevail.
Yours Faithfully
s/d VAN LAL-AU
President
PAITE NATIONAL COUNCIL
Manipur State.
Dated: New Churachandpur Manipur.
November 18, 1955
