Darlong People
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The Darlong people (Darlong: ''Darlong hnam'') are a sub-tribe of
Hmar Hmar may refer to: *Hmars or Hmar people, in northeastern India **Hmar languages, Tibeto-Burman subfamily of languages, spoken by the Hmar ***Hmar language The Hmar language (Hmar: ''Khawsak Țawng'') is a Northern Mizo language spoken by the ...
, living in the state of
Tripura Tripura () is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a populat ...
,
Mizoram Mizoram is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India, with Aizawl as its Capital city, capital and largest city. It shares 722-kilometres (449 miles) of international borders with Bangladesh to the west, and Myanmar t ...
and
Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...
of
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. The Darlong call themselves ‘''hriam''’ or ‘''manmasi nauhai''’ (the first one literally meaning ‘people’. Manmasi is the ancestors of all the Hmar subtribes). They constitute less than one percent of the population of
Tripura Tripura () is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a populat ...
.


Origin

The Darlong tribe, like many other tribes of the
Hmar Hmar may refer to: *Hmars or Hmar people, in northeastern India **Hmar languages, Tibeto-Burman subfamily of languages, spoken by the Hmar ***Hmar language The Hmar language (Hmar: ''Khawsak Țawng'') is a Northern Mizo language spoken by the ...
-Manmasi origin believe that man originated from a certain cave called ‘
Sinlung Sinlung (origin: Hmar; ''Chhinlung'' in Mizo; ''Chinlung'' in Chin; ''Khul'' in Thadou and Paite) is the supposed 'ancestral origin' of the Hmar people (or the larger Mizo people), the Chin people, etc. The exact location is unknown, but i ...
’ which literally interpreted means closed stone of Tibet-China. The Darlong tribe believe that their forefathers came out of this cave one by one, and when the sub-tribe ''Fatlei'' came out of the cave, they talked so much and made such loud noise that the guardian-god of the cave fearing that the human population had grown too large closed the cave with a stone preventing any further exit of human beings from the cave. According to another interpretation this tribe made a long halt at Darlong ''tlang'' (hill) and came to be known as Darlongs after the name of the hill. This interpretation wins greater reliability on geographical and historical grounds, because the hill still stands as a living witness as Darlong ''tlang'' (hill) in the present
Mizoram Mizoram is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India, with Aizawl as its Capital city, capital and largest city. It shares 722-kilometres (449 miles) of international borders with Bangladesh to the west, and Myanmar t ...
. Besides, the historians are of one opinion that the Darlongs made a long halt at that hill in course of their migration. According to the 2017 annual report of the DHI (Darlong Hnam Inzom), a total of 24 Darlong villages were reported in Tripura and about 8500 in number.


Language

The Darlong people speak the Darlong language which is more or less mutually intelligible with any of the other
Hmar Hmar may refer to: *Hmars or Hmar people, in northeastern India **Hmar languages, Tibeto-Burman subfamily of languages, spoken by the Hmar ***Hmar language The Hmar language (Hmar: ''Khawsak Țawng'') is a Northern Mizo language spoken by the ...
and Mizo languages. It has around 9000 speakers, all of whom are in
Tripura Tripura () is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a populat ...
state.


Darlong sub-clans

Bawng, Biate, Buangpu, Bethlu, Bawlte, Chongthu(Lersia-Khuntil, Vanchiau), Chonne, Chante, Chawngte Chongkal, Darngawn, Darrivung, Darte, Fenkol, Hrangchal, Hawlzang, Hnamte, Hauhnar, Hmante, Hmaisak, Hrahsel, Invang, Khawhreng/Khawlhring, Kangbur, Khawl, chorai, Tumchhung, Khupchhung, Khupthlang, Khello, Mualvum, Chhinghel, Khualtu, Lungtai, Laihring, Laitui, Lawnte, Milai, Neitham, Nelriam, Puiloi, Pautu, Punte, Pachuai/Pachuau, Rante/Ralte, Rawite, Renthlei, Ruankhum/Rokhum, Sangate/Chhangte, Saivate, Siate, Songkhar, Thangur (Darlong Chief), Thiak, Thlangsasuan, Thlaute, Thlukte, Tualngen, Thuamte, Thlangte, Vanghroi/Vangchhia, Vangkal, Varte, Vaiphei, Zate, Zongte , Zote, Tualte, Hekte, Hrangate, Tuahlawr, Khawzawl, Khothei. Darlong Hnam Ziadan Bu (Customary laws & practices) 5th Edition-2012 by DHI. Most of the clans present in Darlong are also found present in the sub-tribes and clans of
Hmar Hmar may refer to: *Hmars or Hmar people, in northeastern India **Hmar languages, Tibeto-Burman subfamily of languages, spoken by the Hmar ***Hmar language The Hmar language (Hmar: ''Khawsak Țawng'') is a Northern Mizo language spoken by the ...
and the
Mizo people The Mizo people, historically called the Lushais, are a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group primarily from Mizoram in northeastern India. They speak Mizo, one of the state's official languages and its lingua franca. Beyond Mizoram, sizable Mizo commu ...
. One cannot but interpret this as a proof that these communities, all had shared ancestor in the past.


Society

The people are simple, hard-working, straightforward and honest with a high standard of integrity. In the social front the Darlong code of ethics is based on the concept of ‘''tlawminngaina''’. Tlawminngaina to a Darlong stands for self-sacrifice, selflessness, kindness and love. A Darlong (''Hriam'') must be hospitable, kind, unselfish, compassionate and helpful to others. The whole village is involved in important occasions like celebration of birth of a newborn child, marriage in the village and death of a person in the village or a community feast arranged by a member of the village.


The village

The Darlong tribes traditionally live in villages and prefer joint family. The village is a closely knit unit consisting of households of different clans. As of 2021, there are 24 Darlong villages in
Tripura Tripura () is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a populat ...
.
Darchawi Darchawi ( Darlong for "Darchawi khua") is a village in Kumarghat Subdivision under Unakoti district of Tripura state in India. Mainly inhabited by the Darlong people of Tripura, it is also the headquarters of Kailashahar Baptist Christian Assoc ...
is the largest village and Boitang is the oldest village, among all the villages. The Darlong villages are roughly scattered around the Northern parts of Tripura in three districts, viz. Unokoti, Dhalai and
North Tripura North Tripura is an administrative district in the state of Tripura in India. The district headquarters are located at Dharmanagar. The district occupies an area of 1422.19 km2 and has a population of 693,947, 856,(as of 2024). History Th ...
. According to 2021 Census there are 1840 Households in Darlong villages, the population is 4764 males and 4852 females (according to 2021 Census). Research into the traditional Darlong family shows that women played key roles in household management, weaving, food preparation, and childcare. Physical attractiveness was one among several qualities considered in the selection of marriage partner including skills such as weaving or dancing were also highly valued.


Horticultural activities

Traditionally the Darlong people practised shifting cultivation. Many of their traditional values, songs, dance and hunting activities revolved around the cycles of shifting cultivation (''jhum''), called as ‘''loi''’. The principal crops grown by the tribe are
pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been culti ...
,
litchi Lychee ( , ; ''Litchi chinensis''; ) is a monotypic taxon and the sole member in the genus ''Litchi'' in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. There are three distinct subspecies of lychee. The most common is the Indochinese lychee found in So ...
, and
mangoes A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast Asi ...
although a majority have switched over to
rubber plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tobacco ...
s in the past few years.


The ''Bukpui'' system

The ''Bukpui'', or the bachelor dormitory system, used to be an essential part of Darlong life. In Lusei which is called as
Zawlbuk Zawlbûk (; ) was a traditional bachelorsʼ quarters of the Mizo people, predominantly of the lushei tribe, Luseis living in Mizoram, India. It was prominently the largest house in the tribe, tribal village, and it was customary for every villag ...
. Apart from the family, it was the most important educational system of the people. It was mandatory for all the youths over 15 years of age to stay in the ''Bukpui'', where they received training in 'tribal welfare, wrestling,
hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...
and village government'. These ''Bukpui''s are often of great size, and are on much higher platforms than the other houses. To reach the platforms, notched logs of wood serve as staircases, and long pieces of cane are often suspended from an overhanging beam close to the notched logs to assist the inmates to climb up and down. The boys who went to the ''Bukpui'' emerged as complete men. The ''Bukpui'' began to lose its importance after the appearance of the British on the scene. With the onset of modernity, the ''Bukpui'' system is no longer in practice among the tribe.


Marriage

The Darlong people prefer exogamous marriage system. They prefer to marry someone outside their own
clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...
. Sibling incest is legal among the Darlong people. Traditionally
polygamy Polygamy (from Late Greek , "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygyny. When a woman is married to more tha ...
was allowed, but
monogamy Monogamy ( ) is a social relation, relationship of Dyad (sociology), two individuals in which they form a mutual and exclusive intimate Significant other, partnership. Having only one partner at any one time, whether for life or #Serial monogamy ...
has been strictly enforced by the various churches. The wife or husband moves permanently to the husband's or wife's village upon marriage - depends on the individual.


Teknonymy

It is a cultural tradition of the Darlong tribe and it is still occasionally used. The parents of a child named X will generally be known as ‘''X-Pa''’ and ‘''X’Nu''’. If ''Mr. Liana'' and his wife have a son called ''Nema'', ''Mr.Liana'' will be called ‘''Nema pa''’, and his wife as ‘''Nema nu''’. In most villages, parents are addressed by the name of their first-borne child.


Religion

Until the time Christianity was introduced to the tribe, the Darlong people practiced
animistic Animism (from meaning 'breath, Soul, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct Spirituality, spiritual essence. Animism perceives all things—animals, plants, Rock (geology), rocks, rivers, Weather, ...
monotheistic Monotheism is the belief that one God is the only, or at least the dominant deity.F. L. Cross, Cross, F.L.; Livingstone, E.A., eds. (1974). "Monotheism". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. A ...
religion. They believed that the hills, trees and streams were inhabited by various demons or spirits. These are known as ''Rithla'' or ''Huai''. These spirits are uniformly bad and all the troubles and ills are attributed to them. The spirits of the dead were believed to inhabit the other worlds. Those whose spirits were admitted in ''
Pialral Pialrâl () is the ultimate heaven according to the folk myth of the Mizo tribes of Northeast India. The Mizo word literally means "beyond the world". Unlike most concepts of heaven, it is not the final resting place of the spirits of the goo ...
'' (beyond the ''Pial'' river) could live in a state of perpetual bliss. The Darlong people believed in one supreme being called ‘''Pathian''’ who is
omnipotent Omnipotence is the property of possessing maximal power. Monotheistic religions generally attribute omnipotence only to the deity of their faith. In the monotheistic religious philosophy of Abrahamic religions, omnipotence is often listed as ...
and
omnipresent Omnipresence or ubiquity is the property of being present anywhere and everywhere. The term omnipresence is most often used in a religious context as an attribute of a deity or supreme being, while the term ubiquity is generally used to describ ...
.


Christianity and its impact: (1919–present)

The Darlong people embraced Christianity in the year 1919. Since then they came out to mainstream of life without turning back to their Old life style. However, the early Darlong Christians had to meet opposition from their own people. They were driven out of the village by the
chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boat ...
and were despised by their family members, relatives and friends. The Christians with their evangelist leader Zatuaha(11.10.1919), established a Christian village at
Darchawi Darchawi ( Darlong for "Darchawi khua") is a village in Kumarghat Subdivision under Unakoti district of Tripura state in India. Mainly inhabited by the Darlong people of Tripura, it is also the headquarters of Kailashahar Baptist Christian Assoc ...
in 1923. It is now the biggest and most populated Darlong village in Tripura. Christianity has brought a great change on the customs and lifestyle of the once
semi-nomadic Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pas ...
tribe. The
Tripura Baptist Christian Union The Tripura Baptist Christian Union (TBCU) is a Baptists, Baptist Christianity, Christian denomination in Tripura, India. It has its head office in Agartala, the state capital. The TBCU is affiliated to the Asia Pacific Baptist Federation (APBF ...
was formed by the New Zealand Baptist Mission in December 1938. The Darlong Church joined TBCU in 1940. By 1972, the whole Darlong tribe became Christians. There is no denying that adoption of Christianity has helped them in advancement in many ways.
The different denominations among the Darlong Christians are: Tripura Baptist Christian Union, Roman Catholic, Evangelical Free Church of India, Independent Church of India, Presbyterian Church, United Pentecostal Church, and the Kuki Christian Council. Although Christianity brought about a near - total transformation in the Darlong lifestyle and outlook, some customary laws have stayed on. The customs and traditions which they found meaningless and harmful were abolished by persistent preaching. Thus,
tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...
replaced ''ZU'' as a popular drink among the Darlong tribe. Bukpui had been replaced by modern education. The first New Testament in Darlong was published in 1987 by Bibles for the World, second New Testament was published in 1995 by Bibles International, Ohio (USA) and again New Testament with Psalms & Proverbs was published by Bible Society of India, Bangalore (India) in 1996 and then finally the complete Bible was published by Global Friendship Mission in 2010 in collaboration with Evangelical Free Church of India. The first translation of New testament in Darlong was headed by Rev. Hrengngura Darlong.


Culture


Folk song and dances

The Darlongs are fun loving people. They love to sing and dance. Merry-making and celebrations were part of their social life. Most of their songs and dances are imitation of nature, birds and animals, as well as events in the different cycles of shifting cultivation. Folk dances of the tribe are mostly performed in groups in synchronized fashion, by both men and women, depending on the type of dance. Dances are usually performed at festivals and religious occasions. # ''Fahrel Inkan'' or ''Cheraw'': In earlier times this dance was usually performed to build up confidence and ease the pain of a pregnant woman during childbirth. It is also performed to ensure safe passage for the soul of a mother who died at childbirth. ''Fahrel Inkan'' is, therefore, a dance of sanctification and redemption performed with great care, precision and elegance. Long
bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
starves are used for this dance, therefore many people call it 'Bamboo Dance'. The dancers move by stepping alternatively in and out from between and across a pair of horizontal bamboos, held against the ground by people sitting face to face on either side. They tap the bamboos in rhythmic beats. The patterns and stepping of the dance have many variations. Sometimes the steppings are made to imitate the movement of birds, or the swaying of trees and so on. # ''Chem Lam.'' # ''Khual Lam.'' # ''Salu Lam.'' # ''Silai Lam.'' # ''Parkam Lam.'' # ''Vathu Indi Lam.'' # ''Riki Fachawi Lam.'' # ''Arte Tual Phit Lam.'' # ''Sate Tual Infai Lam.'' # ''Pualvachang Hem Lam.'' The origin of Darlong traditional music is inexplicable. The Darlong
folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...
s can be broadly classified as: # ''Indoi hla'': This is the chant or cry raised by the warriors when returning from a successful raid to show his superiority over the enemy, and to let his people know that a successful raid has taken place. No other members of the raiding party can chant ''Indoi hla''. # ''Hlado'': Anyone who has witnessed the success of the hunt can chant ''hlado'' at any time and place. # ''Thiam hla and dawi hla (Invocation & incantation)'': These are verse forms chanted by the priest and sorcerers while performing various rituals and ceremonies. # ''Lengzem zai'': These are love songs that have no distinctive form but are generally named after the theme. These songs have gained popularity over the last few decades.


Musical Instruments

The Darlongs in the past had their own music instruments such as , , , , , , , , , , and . However, these are no longer prevalent nowadays except .


Ornaments

Rithei, Kutkhi, Kuarbe, Khuaihnur, Theibuang, Thipawl, Thitak, Thi-eng, Pai (Chemkok) etc.


Festivals

The Darlong people enjoyed life and celebrated every occasion with dances, drinking (of rice beer, called ‘''zu''’) and feasting. The Darlong tribe had four annual community festivals called ‘''Kut''’, which make four different stages of their agricultural process. They are:- # ''Ramzu In'' or ''Chapchar Kut'': This can be called ‘Spring Festival’. It is celebrated after the hard work of cutting their ''jhum'' and before they are burnt, that is towards the end of February and towards the beginning of March. This festival lasts for three to four days. # ''Kangdai Kut'': This festival is observed from the evening of the ''jhum'' burning day to the following day. It is held in April. Here they make some merriment and appease the Gods for blessings on their ''jhum'' and on their health. This does not make a big festivity. Hence it is less significant than the rest of the festivals. # ''Thlantawi Kut'': This festival lasts for a day only. This festival is observed in remembrance of their loved ones who have left the world. They prepare and offer the best food on each grave to show their love for the deceased and for their own mental satisfaction. # ''Tharlak'' or ''Mim Kut'': This festival can be called ‘Autumn Festival’. This festival is particularly observed in honour and remembrance of the dead and the gods. The festival is believed to have originated from the legendary lovers ‘''Pangama'' and ''Thuitlingi''’. Thuitlingi died leaving Pangama. Pangama felt so lonely that he visited his wife in the abode of the dead. There he found that Thuitlingi had become so thin that he promised to feed her with the fast crops, particularly the maize, the harvesting of which precedes that of the paddy. From this the festival came to be known as ''Mim'' (
maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...
) ''Kut''.Darlong Bukpui blog All these festivals encompass profound inner meanings. However, modernization has caught up with the Darlongs and these festivals are on the wane due to non-practice for decades.


See also

* Darlong language *
Darchawi Darchawi ( Darlong for "Darchawi khua") is a village in Kumarghat Subdivision under Unakoti district of Tripura state in India. Mainly inhabited by the Darlong people of Tripura, it is also the headquarters of Kailashahar Baptist Christian Assoc ...

DHI website


References

{{authority control Ethnic groups in Tripura