Mizoram, 1872: Characteristics Of Tribes
This article is an extract from
BY LONDON: 1873. Indpaedia is an archive. It neither agrees nor disagrees |
Contents |
Characteristics Of Tribes
The Lushais with whom we became ac- quainted during our journeyings, belonged to three different tribes, the Lushais, Paites, or Soktes, and Pois. The latter are rather taller and of a fairer complexion than the ordinary run of Hillmen, but the principal distinguish- ing characteristic between the three tribes is the mode in which they dress their hair.
The Lushai parts his hair in the middle, and braiding it smoothly on each side of the face, binds it in a knot on the nape of the neck, secured by large copper or steel hair- pins; the Sokte does not part it at all, but wears it short and standing out like flames round the forehead, which is generally rather high and round ; sometimes the hair is twisted into a little tail at the back.
The Pois part their hair across the back of the head, from ear to ear, all above this line being drawn upwards or forwards, bound in a high double knot on the fore*head, and fastened by a small ivory or bone comb, generally orna- mented with some little design in red ; but all the hair below the parting is allowed to hang in wavy curls over the back and shoulders.
Some Pois, once in camp, were watching a Sikh Sepoy performing his toilet, and seeing that,, previous to putting on his turban, he bound his long hair into a knot on the top of his head, tying one end of the turban into it, they at once hailed him as a Poi and a brother. Bearing in mind these distinctions, the follow- ing description applies to all, premising that the only women we saw were Lushais.
Appearance Of The Lushais
Both the men and women are well made, and very muscular; the average height of the former appeared to be about five feet six inches, and of the women, five feet four inches. The men are all sturdy fellows, thickset as to the neck and shoulders, body light and active, arms and legs muscular and well developed, their arms generally long in proportion to their bodies.
Their complexion comprises every shade of brown, and their features vary considerably ; the generality however possessing flat retrouss6 noses with wide nostrils, thick lips, and small almond-shaped eyes. Among the Lushais though, and especially among those related to the reigning families, some of whom were even handsome, we met with a much more refined type — the nose being thin and aquiline with small nostrils, the Ups thin and the mouth small. In all, however, the cheek-bones were high and prominent, the face broad and remarkable for an almost entire absence of beard or moustache ; even a slight moustache and small tuft of hair on the chin being the exception rather than the rule.
The expression of many was bright and in- telligent, and they showed a wonderful aptitude for quickly understanding anything new and wonderful which they saw during their visits to our camp* Not the least astonishing proof of this was the sharpness they displayed in understanding at a glance the intention of a pencil sketch. I showed a sketch to some Lushais one day, and it pleased them so much that one went away and returned with the skulls of a deer and a pig, and a live hen, all of which he requested me to draw, which I did; and the lookers-on pointed out, on the models, each part as it was delineated, even to some discolorations on the skulls, which I in- dicated by a little shading.
Their general expression of wonder is " Amakeh oh !" which they repeat to each other over and over again, when anything more astonish- ing than usual excites their interest. Their dress consists only of one large homespun sheet of cotton cloth, passed round the body under the right arm, which is thus left free, the two ends being thrown in oppo- site directions over the left shoulder, where they are secured by a strap of tiger or otter skin, supporting a bag in which is carried a knife, a dao, tobacco, flint, steel, and other little necessaries.
A Lushai Exquisite
The articles contained in the bag are pro- tected from the rain by a kind of shield made of tiger, bear, or goat-skin; the latter, with the long hair pendent, strongly resembling a Highland sporan. This shield is fastened at each end of the strap, and can be easily re- moved at will. The cloth is generally greyish white, with a dark blue stripe running through it; but sometimes it is dark blue, with a few stripes of white, yellow, or red, or all three interwoven into it.
Occasionally we met a young man, ap- parently a Lushai Exquisite, who wore both the white and blue cloths arranged with no little taste.
A few tartans have found their way among the Lushais, but these have been procured through Munipur or Cachar. The men wear necklaces of coloured beads, or of amber, which are worn in large cylindrical beads. We saw very few of the latter and those only on people apparently of some importance.
A large tiger's tooth mounted in silver, and suspended * round the neck by a thread, is mach prized, and has, I believe, some special virtue as a charm. A large red stone, sus- pended by a string, often forms an ornament for the ear, but a bunch of small brilliant feathers, or a small tuft of goat's- hair, dyed crimson or blue, and passed through a hole in the lobe of the ear, seemed to be the favourite ornament of that organ. Muntries and cer- tain other head-men are allowed to wear a tuft of feathers in the kn9ts of their hair.
The women we saw seemed to disdain these ornaments, but some of them distended the lobes of their ears by a small thick circular disc of white baked clay. They wear a small strip of cloth, eighteen inches deep, passed round the waist, and over this, a cloth of dark blue wrapped carefully about them, in which they carry their young children on their backs.
Their mode of dressing their hair is exceedingly pretty ; it is braided smoothly over the forehead and plaited at the sides, the plaits being passed round the back of the head and over the top in the manner of a coronet.
Tobacco-Water
Men, women, and children, from the age at which they can hold a pipe, smoke almost in- cessantly. The mens' pipes are made sometimes of brass, rudely ornamented, but generally of a small piece of bamboo lined with copper or iron ; a very fine bamboo being let in near the knot as a mouthpiece.
The bowl of the women's pipe is of clay, and is fitted with a bamboo receptacle for water, which, becoming impregnated with the fumes of the smoke and the oil of the tobacco, is afterwards carried about by the men in small gourds or bamboo tubes, and sipped from time to time, being kept in the mouth for a short time before spitting it out. This tobacco water is looked upon as a great luxury, and when a Lushai meets a friend, he offers it to him as a mark of courtesy, as civilized old gentlemen used formerly to exchange snuff-boxes.
The Lushais are mighty hunters, as they are great eaters of flesh, and their supplies depend a good deal upon the success of their hunting excursions. It is only within the last fifteen years, or thereabouts, that they have learnt the use of fire-arms, but now they possess a large number of muskets, most of which are old flint-locks, of English manufacture, bearing the Tower mark of varioos dates, some as far back as the middle of the last century. The stocks of these are highly varnished and ornamented with red paint.
Their other arms are bows made of bamboo, with which poisoned arrows are nsed. These, however, I believe, are not much used now, having given way to the superior claims of powder and shot. Spears of various shapes and lengths, they obtain from Munipur, Cachar, and else- where. The dao is a triansrular blade of about twelve inches loner, fitted into a wooden handle. The edge is sharpened for cutting, and the broad end is employed for digging. This, besides being used as a weapon of offence, is also the agri- cultural implement with which most of their jooming operations are performed.
Gunpowder
A long-bladed two-handed Burmese knife, slung over the shoulder, is carried by some with an air of superiority. Small bamboo quivers, full of panjies, i.e., small pointed stakes of hardened bamboo, are in time of war attached to their bags. These are stuck in the ground along the path in escaping from a pursuer, or in the approach to a village, and are capable of inflicting very nasty- wounds in bare feet, and will even penetrate thick leather shoes.
Formerly the Lushais used to obtain gunpowder from Cachar and Chittagong. Owing to the in- creased vigilance of the authorities in these dis- tricts, they are now obliged to manufacture it for themselves. Sulphur they get from Burmah ; the saltpetre they obtain from heaps of manure col- lected in large funnel-shaped baskets which hang up outside the houses. This manure is strongly impregnated with urine, and the liquid, draining through into receptacles beneath, is afterwards evaporated, and crystals of saltpetre are ob- tained.
Their powder is very weak, but what is lacking in quality they make up in quantity, about four fingers, or six drachms, being the usual charge. The bullets are generally bits of iron or lead hammered into shape.
Their powder-flasks are made from metua horns, polished and ornamented with little bands of red cane- work, and sometimes inlaid with silver ; the priming powder is carried in a very small horn.
