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'''THE LUSHAI EXPEDITION '''
1871-1872
BY
R.G. WOOD..."

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This article is an extract from 

'''THE LUSHAI EXPEDITION ''' 
1871-1872 

BY 
R.G. WOODTHORPE. 
LIEUT. ROYAL ENGINEERS. 

LONDON: 
HURST AND BLACKETT, PUBLISHERS, 
13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET. 

1873. 
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[[Category:India|M ]]
[[Category:Places|M ]]
=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.

Mizoram, 1872: Characteristics Of Tribes - Revision history

Pdewan: Created page with "{| class="wikitable" |- |colspan="0"| This article is an extract from '''THE LUSHAI EXPEDITION ''' 1871-1872 BY R.G. WOOD..."

Pdewan: Created page with "{| class="wikitable" |- |colspan="0"|
This article is an extract from
'''THE LUSHAI EXPEDITION '''
1871-1872
BY
R.G. WOOD..."