the Ahoms installed Dehtsung, the king’s brother as king at king as brother king’s the Dehtsung, installed Ahoms the After defeating the Kachari monarch Khunkradao Raja, Khunkradao monarch Kachari the defeating After that the cow was a sacred animal. sacred a was cow the that Alphonsus D’Souza Alphonsus embraced Brahmanical Hinduism, that they came to believe to came they that Hinduism, Brahmanical embraced Editor cows as ‘kushu’ or impure. It was only later on, after they after on, later only was It impure. or ‘kushu’ as cows the Kacharis, particularly the Dimasas, at that time considered time that at Dimasas, the particularly Kacharis, the cause defilement of their fighters. It may be noted here that here noted be may It fighters. their of defilement cause of cows. The Kacharis thought that killing of cows would cows of killing that thought Kacharis The cows. of refrained from attacking because it could result in the killing the in result could it because attacking from refrained this battle which completely shocked the Kacharis who Kacharis the shocked completely which battle this the Kacharis says that the Ahom soldiers rode on cows during cows on rode soldiers Ahom the that says Kacharis the Three Tribal Societies of North East India East North of Societies Tribal Three the superior strength of the Ahom army. A folk tale among tale folk A army. Ahom the of strength superior the in battle ensued, and the Kacharis were finally defeated due to due defeated finally were Kacharis the and ensued, battle Conflict Resolution Conflict treaty with the Kacharis and set up a fort at Morangi. Another Morangi. at fort a up set and Kacharis the with treaty Taking advantage of this, the Ahoms again broke their peace their broke again Ahoms the this, of advantage Taking Traditional Methods of Methods Traditional complacent and neglected the security affairs of their country. their of affairs security the neglected and complacent Kacharis, emboldened by previous successes, became successes, previous by emboldened Kacharis, When the Ahoms kept on consolidating their army, the army, their consolidating on kept Ahoms the When boundary between the two principalities for some years. some for principalities two the between boundary Peace Studies Series–4 Studies Peace NESRC back beyond the Dikhow river which became the natural the became which river Dikhow the beyond back in 1526 A.D. and the Ahoms were again defeated and pushed and defeated again were Ahoms the and A.D. 1526 in TRADITIONAL METHODS OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION CONFLICT OF METHODS TRADITIONAL TRADITIONAL METHODS OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION INTRODUCTION system rather than an adversarial and punitive system. inter-tribal conflicts were resolved through In a criminal case, the goal is to heal and restore the negotiations and compromises so that peaceful victim’s well-being, and to help the offender to save relations could be restored. face and to regain dignity. In a civil case, the parties In the case of internal conflicts, all the three involved are helped to solve the dispute in a way communities adopted very similar, if not identical, that there are no losers, but all are winners. The mechanisms, methods and procedures. The elders ultimate aim is to restore personal and communal played a leading role. The parties involved were given harmony. ample opportunities to express their grievances and The three essays presented here deal with the to present their case. Witnesses were examined and traditional methods of conflict resolution practised cross examined. In extreme cases when evidence was in three tribal communities in the Northeast. These not very clear, supernatural powers were invoked communities have many features in common. All the through oaths. The final verdict was given by the elders three communities have their traditional habitat, in such a way that the guilty were punished, injustices distinctive social organisation and culture. But they were undone and victims were suitably compensated. differ among themselves in their history and present The ultimate aim was to ensure harmonious living experiences especially in their relations with other tribal within the community. and non-tribal communities. An attentive and careful consideration of the The Dimasa are found in Dima Hasao district of traditional methods of conflict resolution practised Assam and in the adjoining areas of other districts and by the three tribal communities shows that those in other places. Similarly the Karbi live not merely in methods are relevant even today. Among other the Karbi Anglong district of Assam but also in things, traditional processes show that leaders and adjoining areas. More or less the same can be said about elders must be genuinely concerned about the Therefore whenever a conflict emerges, efforts are efforts emerges, conflict a whenever Therefore recognised that social conflict is destructive in nature. in destructive is conflict social that recognised disputes, feuds and armed fights. It is generally is It fights. armed and feuds disputes, and aims. It can take different forms like quarrels and quarrels like forms different take can It aims. and as differences in personal preferences, group interests group preferences, personal in differences as relationships. Conflict can arise because of such reasons such of because arise can Conflict relationships. groups engage themselves in antagonistic or hostile or antagonistic in themselves engage groups Social conflict is found wherever individuals or individuals wherever found is conflict Social North Eastern Social Research Centre, Guwahati Centre, Research Social Eastern North Associate Director Associate Alphonsus D’Souza Alphonsus with conflicts in their own communities. own their in conflicts with Introduction enshrined in their traditions and to use it in dealing in it use to and traditions their in enshrined other young persons to appreciate the wisdom the appreciate to persons young other communities. They hope that their work will help will work their that hope They communities. view in understanding the traditions of their of traditions the understanding in view their communities. Hence they provide an insider’s an provide they Hence communities. their but have personally experienced conflict situations in situations conflict experienced personally have but young persons. They are not experienced “researchers”, experienced not are They persons. young The three essays presented here are the work of work the are here presented essays three The TRADITIONAL METHODS OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION CONFLICT OF METHODS TRADITIONAL DIMASA CONFLICT MANAGEMENT Jor Pukhuri survive to this day. It is said in a folktale that during the invasion of the Ahoms, the Kachari king dumped gold and NESRC Peace Studies Series - 4 other precious metals in some of these tanks. He is believed to have told his subjects that long after he left, a day would come Traditional Methods of Conflict Resolution in Three when a male mithun would come from the hills and dig up this Tribal Societies of North East India gold by its horn which would weigh a maund (about 240kg) © North Eastern Social Research Centre, 2011 and it would be the time when the Kacharis would rise again and prosper. Published by The Dimapur kingdom of the thirteenth century extended along the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River, from the Dikhow River in the east to Kalang in the west and Dhansiri valley. Historians are not in a position to tell us the exact date of the establishment of the Kachari capital at Dimapur. However, according to a Kachari tradition, the Muli bamboo (Wa-thi) North Eastern Social Research Centre which flowers once in fifty years, had flowered nine times during 110 Kharghuli Road (1st floor) Guwahati 781004 the reign of the Kachari kings at Dimapur. This means that they Assam, India ruled for about 450 years at Dimapur. Since the Kacharis shifted their capital to Maibang in 1536 A.D, it can be estimated that Email: [email protected] Kacharis had established Dimapur approximately in 1087 A.D. www.nesrc.org This seems to be a fair estimate because when the Ahom invasion www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/NESRC took place in this region, Dimapur was said to have been conflict in 2005, and Dimasa-Zeme Naga conflict in 2009. in conflict Naga Dimasa-Zeme and 2005, in conflict They were: the Dimasa-Hmar conflict in 2003, Dimasa-Karbi 2003, in conflict Dimasa-Hmar the were: They involved in three major conflicts with other tribal communities. tribal other with conflicts major three in involved during the first decade of the third millennium they have been have they millennium third the of decade first the during been described as a peaceful and peace loving community. But community. loving peace and peaceful a as described been of Assam in North East India. In the past the Dimasa have Dimasa the past the In India. East North in Assam of The Dimasa is one of the major tribes living in the state the in living tribes major the of one is Dimasa The Introduction Karbi Anglong Dt., Assam Dt., Anglong Karbi Jirsong Asong, Diphu Asong, Jirsong Padmini Langthasa Padmini Management among the Dimasa the among Management Traditional Methods of Conflict of Methods Traditional TRADITIONAL METHODS OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION are references to the ‘foothill dwellers’ or ‘Kiratas’ of the Eastern Himalayas. The term ‘Kirata’ stands for Mongoloid racial communities, but some historians believe that it indicates the The earliest Kachari settlements were in the foothills of the Himalayas. From there they moved to the Brahmaputra valley with their capital at Kamruli (Kamrupa). Sir Edward Gait, in his History of Assam (1906), says that the Kacharis were the aborigines or earliest inhabitants of the Brahmaputra valley. After hundreds of years of stay in the Brahmaputra Acknowledgements valley, the bulk of this race, due to socio-political turmoil, were believed to have crossed the mighty river and settled in the areas of the present Sadiya of Assam.