Mizoram is one of the seven northeastern states of India, bordered by Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) to the east and south, Bangladesh to the west, and by the states of Manipur, Assam, and Tripura to the north.
The Mizos are divided into several tribes – the Lushais, Pawis, Paithes, Raltes, Pang, Himars, Kukis etc. Society is based largely around tribal villages. The chief’s house and the zawlbuk (community house for young, single men) are the focus of village life. Mizo and English are the official languages. The literacy rate in Mizoram is about 82%, one of the highest in India. More than 80 percent of the population comprises Christians; of which the larger strength is of Protestants, who were converted by missionaries during the 19th century. There are Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu minorities. The itinerant Chakmas profess an amalgamation of Hinduism, Buddhism, and animism ( i.e the worship of nature deities and other spirits).
While, mostly Christians, the hill people have kept alive their rich cultural heritage, colorful customs, and lively traditions. An interesting tradition amongst the Mizos is the code of ethics, which revolves around tlawmngaihna, an untranslatable term which means that every Mizo is duty bound to be hospitable, kind, unselfish and helpful to the poor and needy.
The most popular dances of Mizoram are Cheraw (Bamboo dance), Khuallam (dance for visitors or guests), Chheih Lam (at the end of a day’s work) and Solakar or Sarlamkai (prevalent among the Mara and Pawl tribes).
The Mizo Society is basically patriarchal in nature where male dominance is prevalent. The husband, being the head of the family, exercises unfettered and autocratic dominance over his wife and other members of the family. The power and authority of the patriarch over his children is almost unlimited.
As such, in the past, women were not treated as equal to their male counterparts. The status of the Mizo women in the family was so wretched. Women undertook all responsibilities in the family without authority. In spite of all the sacrifices rendered to the family, the wife has still found herself insecure as she may be terminated and divorced by her husband anytime.
Divorce, or separation, on any ground, was a serious matter. In case the bride was divorced, she had no claim except on her own properties. If the divorce was, however, due to adultery, she had nothing to claim including her own properties.
With regards to birth, both male and female children were treated with equal joy. Birth of a female child brought as much happiness in the family as that of the male child. A girl child, right from her childhood, made herself available to the parents and assisted them as much as she could. There is one old Mizo saying, “Crab’s meat is not counted as meat, as women’s word is not counted as word. Bad wife and bad fence can be changed. But the unthreatened wife and unthreatened grass of the fields are both unbearable”.
As the Mizos follow the patriarchal system, the right to inherit the property was denied to the women and the children belonged to the father, as the descent is traced from the father’s side. The Mizo women were also found to perform more work than men, from cleaning the jhum (slash and burn cultivation), sowing seeds, cleaning weeds, harvesting, and transporting the harvest from jhum to the house. Not only that, she had also undertaken all the household chores.
In performing religious and other sacrificial rites, Mizo women did not have a part to play. All these rites were performed by the male members only. A woman could not become a priest called Bawlpu or Sadawt.
Dowry, or bride price, was also practiced by the Mizo society. The girl was purchased and the price was distributed among the relatives of both paternal and maternal lines. The bride came to the husband’s house with Thuam (dowry), which consisted of Thival (bead with three strings) or Thifen (bead with one string) or an amber worth not less than Rs.20/-, or cash not less than Rs.20/-.
However, the advent of Christianity and the expansion of education brought about tremendous changes in the status of the Mizo women. Women are no longer considered inferior to their male counterparts. Women, today, are self-confident and self-reliant. They have made contributions to the political, social and economic upliftment of the Mizo society. The bride price is still prevalent because they seek to preserve the customs that were once practiced by their grandparents. Today women’s participation and suggestions are respected by men. Women hold respectable jobs from primary school teachers to officers’ rank in government services and universities. They actively participate in several social activities for promoting the living standards and better social conditions of the Mizo society in general, and the women in particular.
Women empowerment has become a global issue, and the question of the Mizo women’s political empowerment needs to be considered in the perspective of what is being done and implemented in East Asia and the South-east Asian region. Only democratization and empowerment can provide Mizo women an avenue through which they can continue their long journey towards total emancipation. To be more specific, two political mechanisms may be considered in this regard: increased proportional representation of women in all elected bodies and fixation of a certain quota of offices therein; and the increased political activities by autonomous women’s bodies. Then and only then, can she be among the policy-making elites, who decide for the overall improvement of women’s status.