APPENDIX.

1. The kurs or exogamous groups of the Mikir race are thus given in the Assam Census Report for 1891 (vol. iii. pp. cii.–ciii):—

Main Subdivisions.

I. Ingti. II. Terang. III. Teràn. IV. Tumung. V. Inghi or Hengse.

1. Inglē. 2. Ingti-Henchek. 3. Ingti-Kiling. 4. Kāthār. 5. Tārak or Tāro.
1. Be-bonghàng (read Be-Ronghàng). 2. Be-Jingthong. 3. Injai. 4. Kro. 5. Kro-bonghàng (read Kro-Ronghàng). 6. Kro-Jingthong. 7. Kro-ghoria. 8. Lilipo-kro. 9. Rongbijiya. 10. Tarang. 11. Teràng.
1. Ai. 2. Kangkàt. 3. Lànglē. 4. Milik. 5. Tarap.
1. Benār-pātōr. 2. Chenār. 3. Derā. 4. Keleng. 5. Rongphār. 6. Rongtar[5]-Jungthong. 7. Takki. 8. Tumung-pātōr.
1. Bonrung. 2. Hànchē. 3. Ke-āp. 4. Lekethē. 5. Ronghang-ghoria. 6. Rongpi. 7. Rongchehon. 8. Tuso. 9. Tutab.

An attempt is made in the report to translate some of these names, but it appears very doubtful whether the meanings assigned are correct. So far as they go, the explanations show that some of the names (to which an Assamese form has in some cases been given, as in those ending in ghoria) are designations of offices (e.g. Pātōr, Rongchehon = village watchman), while others are local or place-names.

Under I. Ingti, (1) Inglē is evidently Mr. Stack’s Inglèng; (4) Kāthār is his Kātār, (2) [Ingti]-Henchek is his Hènsèk, and (5) Tāro his Tāro.

Under II. Terang, (1 and 2) Be is Mr. Stack’s Bē, (4, 5, 6, 7) Kro is his Krō, and (3) Injai is probably his Ingjār; the others seem to be either local names (8, Lilipo-kro = Western Krō, Nilīp = west; 9, Rongbijiya = inhabitants of some particular village), or duplicates of the group-name Terang (Nos. 10 and 11).

Mr. Stack had no group named Teràn.

Group IV., Tumung, corresponds to Mr. Stack’s Timung; of the subdivisions, 2, Chenar is probably his Sèngnār, 5, Rongphār agrees with his list, and 7, Takki is probably his Tòkbi. Nos. 1 and 8 are explained as office-holders, No. 3 is a place-name, No. 4 is a river (Kiling), and No. 6 seems to be a duplicate of No. 5.

Group V., Inghi, corresponds to Mr. Stack’s Lèkthē, which occurs as the name of subdivision 4 in the census list; 1, Bonrung, is Mr. Stack’s Bòngrun; 2, Hànchē, is his Hànsē; 8, Tuso, is his Tutsō. His Kràmsā is not found in the census list, but occurs, as will be seen below, in other lists.

2. Mr. Dundas, Subdivisional Officer of North Cachar, writing in March 1903, gives the following groups:—

Main Exogamous Groups.

1. Inghī. II. Timūng. III. Tērŏn. IV. Kāthār. V. Bē. VI. Injāi.

I. Inghī has the following subdivisions:—

1.Rongpi,further subdivided into(a) Rongchāichū,(b) Rongchēhòn, (c) Chinthòng,(d) Lindòk.
2.Ronghàng
,
further
,,
subdivided
,,
into
,,
(a) Hèmpī, (b)Hèmsō.
3.Inghī
,
further
,,
subdivided
,,
into
,,
(a) Hèmpī, (b)Hèmsō.
4.Hànsē
,
further
,,
subdivided
,,
into
,,
(a) Durong, (b)Nongkīrlā, (c) Chinthòng, (d)Kiling.
5.Lèkthē
,
further
,,
subdivided
,,
into
,,
(a) Keāp, (b) Tereng.
6.Bòngrung
,
further
,,
subdivided
,,
into
,,
(a) Kràmsā, (b)Rongchehòn, (c) Hèmsō.
7.Tutsō
,
further
,,
subdivided
,,
into
,,
(a) Mōthō, (b)Rongphu, (c) Ronghing, (d) Rongchitim, (e)Rongchaichu, (f) Rongchehòn.

(Nos. 4, 6, and 7 agree with Mr. Stack’s list under Lèkthē, and Mr. Stack’s Kràmsā appears as a further subdivision of Bòngrung. As regards the others, the names beginning with Rong may be local village names; Chinthong and Ronghang are the names of great sections of the Mikir population, not of exogamous groups; Hèmpi and Hèmsō mean merely “great house” and “little house.”)

II. Timung (Mr. Stack has the same spelling) comprises—

1.Timung Lindòk,subdivision(a) Ròngchāichu.
2.Ròngphār
,
subdivision
,,
(a) Hèmpī, (b)Hèmsō.
3.Chinthong
,
subdivision
,,
(a) Seng-ār, (b)Hèmpī, (c) Hèmsō.
4.Phàngchu
,
subdivision
,,
(a) Juiti, (b) Rongphàng,(c) Hèmpi, (d) Hèmsō.
5.Phūrā
,
subdivision
,,
(a) Dilī.
6.Tòkbī
,
subdivision
,,
(a) Tòksīkī.
7.Kiling
8.Mējī
9.Pātōr
10.Lòngteroi
11.Yāchī
,
subdivision
,,
(a) Hèmpī, (b)Hèmsō.
12.Dērā
,
subdivision
,,
(a) Hèmpī, (b)Hèmsō.
13.Ròngpi

(Here Nos. 2 and 6 correspond with Mr. Stack’s subdivisions, and No. 3 (a), Seng-ār, is his Sengnār; several of the remainder appear to be local names.)

III. Tēròn comprises—

1.Làngnē,subdivision(a) Ròngchāichu.
2.Kòngkàr
,
subdivision
,,
(a) Dengyā.
3.Mējī
4.Milik
,
subdivision
,,
(a) Seràng.
5.Mēlē
6.Kiling

(Mr. Stack has none of these names; but Làngnē evidently corresponds to Lànglē in the census list, and Kòngkār to Kangkāt, while Milik is in both.)

IV. Kāthār comprises—

1.Ingti-Kāthār
2.Rīsō
3.Hènsèk
4.Ingti-Kiling
5.Ingling,subdivisions(a) Hèmpī, (b) Hèmsō.
6.Ingti-Chinthòng
7.Tārō

(These names, except Rīsō, which means “young man,” all occur in Mr. Stack’s group Ingti. Nos. 4 and 6 are evidently local subdivisions.)

V. Bē comprises—

1.Rònghàng
2.Kiling
3.Lindòk
4.Seng-òt
5.Teràng,subdivisions(a) Dili, (b) Rongchaichu.
6.Kuru
,
subdivisions
,,
(a) Rongchaichu, (b)Nihàng, (c) Nilīp.

(This group corresponds to Mr. Stack’s Teràng; Kuru is his Krō. Subdivisions 1, 2, and 3 are apparently local names.)

VI. Injai comprises—

1. Injai
2. Ing-ār.

(Mr. Stack gives Ing-ār as a subdivision of Teràng; the census list also classes Injai under the same main group. Mr. Dundas notes that the Injai may not take a wife from the Bē (i.e. Teràng) group, from which it may be concluded that they are really a subdivision of that name, or Teràng.)

3. So far the three lists are in general agreement; but the Rev. Mr. Moore, writing in August 1902, gives what at first sight is an entirely different arrangement. He separates the Mikir people into the following five groups:—

I. E-jàng. II. Tung-ē. III. Kròn-ē. IV. Lo-ē. V. Ni-ē.

1. Ròngpi. 2. Rònghàng. 3. Tutso. 4. Hànsē. 5. Bòngrung. 6. Kràmsā. 7. Keāp. 8. Lèkthē. 9. Ròngchēhòn.
1. Timung. 2. Tòkbi. 3. Timung-Kiling. 4. Timung-Ròngphār. 5. Timung-Sēnār. 6. Timung-Phàngchu. 7. Timung-Juiti. 8. Tòktiphi.
1. Tēròn. 2. Tēròn-Kòngkàt. 3. Tēròn-Làngnē.
1. Bē. 2. Krō. 3. Tēràng. 4. Ingjāi. 5. Ingnār.
1. Ingti. 2. Inglèng. 3. Tārō.

Comparing the subdivisions with those given by Mr. Stack, we perceive that five of the nine shown under Mr. Moore’s I. E-jàng (Nos. 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8) are identical with Mr. Stack’s Lèkthē and its subdivisions; the remaining four (Ròngpi, Rònghàng, Ròngchehòn, and Keāp) are all found in the census list of 1891 under Inghi, another name for Lèkthē. Evidently, therefore, E-jàng is the equivalent of Mr. Stack’s Lèkthē and the census Inghi.

Under II. Tung-ē all Mr. Stack’s names classed under Timung appear; of the remainder, some are found in Mr. Dundas’s list, either of subdivisions or smaller sections, under Timung; Tòktiphi is probably Mr. Dundas’s Tòksīkī; and Timung-Kiling is the census “Keleng” (a river-name). It is clear, therefore, that Tung-ē is the same as the Timung (Tumung) of the other lists.

III. Kròn-ē is evidently the small group Teròn or Teràn of Mr. Dundas and the census list, not found in Mr. Stack’s enumeration.

IV. Lo-ē is also clearly the Teràng of the three other lists, which account for all the names given under it.

V. Ni-ē is the equivalent of Mr. Stack’s Ingti, called by the same name in the census list, and Kāthār in Mr. Dundas’s list (the omission of the name Kāthār, or Kātār, from Mr. Moore’s list is somewhat noticeable).

It thus appears that all the four lists in reality agree in a remarkable manner, quite independent as they are in their origin, and that all observers concur in stating that the Mikir people are divided into five (or four) great exogamous groups, whether situated in the Mikir Hills, in North Cachar, or in the Khasi Hills and the hilly country to the south of Nowgong.

[1] Other authorities mention a fifth, Teròn, which Mr. Stack may have overlooked because of the similarity of its name to Teràng. [↑]

[2] P. [8]. [↑]

[3] In the story of Harata Kunwar, post, p. 57, a second or co-wife is mentioned (Mikir, pātèng, pāju). [↑]

[4] This is an Assamese word, mel. The Mikirs cannot pronounce a final l, and always omit it or change it to i or y in words adopted from Assamese; e.g. hāl, plough, becomes hāy; pitol, brass, pitoi; tāmol, betel-nut, tāmoi. [↑]

[5] Qu. Rongphār? [↑]

IV.

RELIGION.

General character of popular belief in ghosts and spirits, and a future life—No idols, temples or shrines—Amulets—The Gods and their worship—Divination and magic—Oaths and imprecations—Funeral ceremonies—Festivities—Taboo.