Saihriem people

A tradition from the Faihriem culture is a central aspect of the origin lore for clan names. According to this tradition, one must throw a spear up in the air to define a location for new settlement. If the spear hits the ground pointing straight down, it is a good omen and the place should be selected for settlement.

One legend that explains the meaning of the tribe/clan names mentions this spear-tossing tradition. A woman, from a clan that settled around a thrown spear, asked her daughter to go and give meat to her uncles. This girl had many uncles so she asked her mother who should receive the meat. Her mother listed the uncles by their settlement and individual traits. The story states that the clans descended from these uncles and became known by the names their niece had called them.These are said to be the descendants of Berhvate eldest son Saivate.

Seitling

The uncle who lived at the exact spot where the spear hit the ground

Tuollai

The uncle who lived in the middle of the village

Hmunthra

The uncle who lived on the good ground

Aimol

The uncle who lived in the area with the ginger-like shrubs

Tuimuol

The uncle who lived near the stream

Darnei

The uncle who owned the gong

Thlangnung

The uncle who lived in the lower-most area

Bapui

The uncle who lived where the arum grew

Khawhreng

The uncle who lived in the deserted place

Saihmar

The uncle who lived on the northern side

Khawlum

The uncle who lived on the main site

Khawral

The uncle who lived on the ridge

Sakum

The uncle who lived on the upper side

Another legend tells about the origins of the Khawlhring and Vangchhia clans. The legend says a man named Chunthang had a strange dream, which in the morning he related to his elder brother Saivate. Saivate rebuked him for having a dream, saying, "We, the Faihriems, never have dreams." Because of his dream, Chunthang was considered unclean and left home to dwell with another tribe, the Biate. He was known as a man of good character, a quality which earned him the hand of the Biate princess, Lazai. They were married, but none of their children were able to survive past infancy. One night, Chunthang was told in a dream that the next child they had could survive if born in another village. So, when the time for the delivery of this next child arrived, Lazai was taken to the village of the Thiek tribe, where she delivered a healthy baby boy named "Khuolhring". This boy was the progenitor of the Khawlhring (Midang, Leitak, Lalnam, Leidir, Lungen, Parte and Rawlchhim) clan. When Lazai became pregnant again, Chunthang had another dream telling him to keep the child beneath the "vang" tree near the house. This child was named "Vangsie" or Vangchhia, and was the progenitor of the Vangchhia (Theiduh, Ivang, Zapte, Tlukte, Dochhil and Vanghawi) clan. The other children were Milai (Ngunthuang, Thatkual, etc), Thlaute, Pautu (Buangzal, Chhehhlawn, Chhingate and Tlaungate) and Nelriam.

The Ngente (Lailo, Dothang, Dosak, Chawnghawih and Luah), Ngenzo, Jongte (Serchhan and Tlangzawl), Bawlte, and Zawhte clans are said to be descended from Chunthang's younger brother, Ngendum.

Clans originated from Saivate, eldest son of Bervate:

1. Bapui 2. Hmunṭha 3. Khawkieng 4. Khawlum 5. Khawral 6. Saihmar 7. Seitling 8. Sekawng 9. Thlangnung 10. Tuollai 11. Tuimuol 12. Tusing

Clans originated from Chunthang, middle son of Bervate:

I. KHUOLHRING 1. Chunthang 2. Lungen 3. Losun 4. Leidir 5. Milai 6. Midâng 7. Pieltel 8. Rawlsêm 9. Thlaute 10. Suokling 11. Zahrin

II. VANGCHHIA 1. Invang 2. Vanghawi 3. Dosil 4. Thlukte 5. Theiduh 6. Dobul 7. Disan 8. Tuoka 9. Neibul 10. Savawm 11. Thlobung 12. Zâpte

III. PAUTU 1. Buangzal 2. Selawn 3. Singate 4. Tluongate

Clans originated from Ngendum, youngest son of Bervate:

NGENTE 1. Zawngte 2. Zawhte 3. Tuolngen 4. Laitui 5. Lailo 6. Laihring 7. Dothlang 8. Dosak 9. Chalngawng 10. Chawnghawi 11. Bawlte 12. Kawngte

The Faihriems disperse in all directions. Some groups moved to Manipur and stayed with the Khawsak-speaking people (Khawsak is a dialect of the Hmar language). Some groups reached the North Cachar Hills and adopted Thiek dialects; still others remained in the states of Tripura and Mizoram. However, a group consisting of people from the Saivate, Bapui, Khawral, Khawlum, Vangsie, Hmuntha, Seiling, Tuollai and Thlanghnung (Sim Saihriem, Mirawngngam, Tuiruong Saihriem) and Aimol clans who still speak the Saihriem dialect settled the plain areas of Cachar and established quite a few villages there. This group was unaffected by other cultures and is likely the most similar to the original Mivam tribe.

The Ngente, Ngenzo, Zawngte, Khawlhring, Vangchhia and Pautu are all Saihriem (Mivam) clans who settled with the non Saihriem (Mivam) groups of people and thus became one of these tribes, where some Khawlhring clan like Lalnam settle in Vangai hills in Manipur and became the chiefs of the Hmars, the Midang clan also became chief in parts of Mizoram such as Lungdai. The Milai, Nelriam and Thlaute lived with the Pang, Bawm and Tlanglau where some become village chief in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hills Tracts and India's Chamdur valley and Uiphum range in Lawngtlai district and in Tlabung subdivision in Lunglei district.

Most of the Faihriems today speak either Hmar, or Mizo as their first language. However, the Faihriems of Cachar District of Assam, called Kuki by the Bengalis, still speak the Saihriem dialect as their first language.

The people and the language was wrongly written as Sairang in the Census of India, 1901. Volume IV. Assam. Part I. Report. by B.C.Allen, B.A., ICS, Superintendent of Census Operations in Assam. Printed at the Assam Secretariat Printing Office, 1902. There were mere 71 speakers of this language according to the 1901 census. Howvever, today there are about 2000 people speaking the language in five villages. The five villages where Saihriem is still spoken today are: Noxsatilla (Ningpu), Baghbahar, Saihriemkhuo, Nagathol and Balisor in the Cachar District.

The Faihriem culture is patriarchal. The male, the father, is the head of the family, the supreme authority, and makes the final decisions for the family. The line of descent is traced through the father only.

The culture is enriched with a good number of tribal songs and dance forms. Musical instruments such as the khuong (a kind of drum), the tawtawrawt (a flute), and the rawsem (a bamboo flute) are played during their dance and song performances, especially during festivals. One such festival is the Sikpuiruoi on 5 December. It celebrates the season when all the crops and paddy have been gathered. Dances are also a large part of the festivals. Some of the dances are the harvest dance, known as Chawnglam (lit. "Chawng" - owner; and "lam" - dance); the bamboo dance, known as Sahreltawk (lit. "sahrel" - pestle and "tawk" - to strike); and a hunting dance, known as Salulam (lit. "salu" - hunted and "lam" - dance). Although these dances are still well known in Faihriem society, they have rarely been practiced in recent times due to the effects of modernization and Christianity.

Before the introduction of Christianity, the Faihriem people were animists. They performed worship rituals like "Kholoirobong," which was performed in the evening to satisfy all evil spirits that may be nearby, and "Zingdevân," the worship of the sun by sacrificing animals such as the cock and pig. However, there is now at least one Christian church in each village, and the traditional Faihriem practices are no longer performed.

In the past, the clan was known as Mivam ("Mi" means people, and "Vam" means white or pure, thus "white or pure people") which bore the same meaning as Faihriem ( "Fai" means pure, "Hriem" means people, thus "pure or clean people" ). The Faihriem had many famous and great chiefs: namely, Salawnkhar, Tusing, Tanhril Saivate, Lersi, Lalmichhinga (the last chief of Khualhring Kingdom), Laidumbela, (Chief of Vangchhia clan), Zakuala, Hauchema, and Vanhnuaihauchema, Thatkual and Ngunthuanga.

Most of the Saihriems traced their ancestry to Bervate who had three sons. The three sons of Bervate - Saivate, Chunthang and Ngendum became the progenitors of today's Faihriems.

B.C.Allen, B.A., ICS, Superintendent of Census Operations in Assam. Census of India, 1901. Volume IV. Assam. Part I. Report. Printed at the Assam Secretariat Printing Office, 1902.

1999, Robin D. Tribhuwan, Preeti R. Tribhuwan. Tribal Dances of India (Encyclopaedic profile of Indian tribes, volume 1). Page 117.

Gazette of India Extraordinary No.40, New Delhi. Wednesday, 6 September 1950. S.R.O. 510.