Kuki (Indic people); Lushai (Asian people); Lushai language
[Fanai.] A clan which was rising into eminence, when our occupation
of the country put a stop to its further aggrandisement. The chiefs
trace their pedigree back six generations, to a man called Fanai, who
lived among the Zahaos, to the east of the Tyao. His great grandson,
Roreiluova, was a slave, or at least a dependant, of a Zahao chief, and
was sent with 70 households to form a village at Bawlte, near Champhai,
in Lushei territory, with the intention, no doubt, of enlarging the
Zahao borders, but Roreiluova entered into peaceful relations with the
Lushei chiefs, and gradually severed his connection with the Zahaos,
and, moving south-west, occupied successively various sites to the
west and north-west of Lungleh, between the Lushai and Chin villages,
maintaining his position with considerable diplomatic skill, often
acting as intermediary between his more powerful neighbours. He
died at Konglung early in the nineteenth century, having attained
such a position that his sons were at once recognised as chiefs, and
on our occupying the country in 1890 we found eight Fanai villages,
containing about 700 houses, grouped along the west bank of the Tyao
and Koladyne rivers, between Biate on the north and Sangao on the
south. Roreiluova's descendants seem to have inherited his skill
in diplomacy, for they kept on good terms with their neighbours,
and whenever these quarrelled managed to assist the stronger without
entirely alienating the weaker.
The clan is subdivided into six families and one branch.
The Fanai now talk Lushai and dress in the same way, except as regards
the method of dressing the hair, which is parted horizontally across
the back of the head at the level of the ears, and the hair above
this is gathered into a knot over the forehead, while that below is
allowed to hang loose over the shoulders. They generally follow Lushai
customs. In the series of feasts which an aspirant for the title of
Thangchhuah has to perform, the Chong is replaced by the Buh-za-ai
(buh = rice, za = 100), performed as among the Lushais. The She-doi
feast has to be gone through twice, and is followed by a very similar
feast called She-cha-chun (spearing of male mithan), which completes
the series. Wealthy persons perform the Khuangchoi, but it is not
necessary. The Mi-thi-rawp-lam is prohibited. The following account
of the She-doi is taken from my diary of the 14th May, 1890.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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