Faihriems of Cachar District, Assam

Faihriem or Saihriem is the name of a clan as well as a dialect (language) spoken by a small group of people known by that name. The clan is composed of many sub-clans like Bapui, Khawral, Tuollai, Tusing, Khawlum, Thlanghnung, Saihmar,Tuimuol, Seiling, Saivate, Sekawng, Khawhreng, Darnei, Khawkieng, Sakum, Hmunthra, Aimuol, KHUOLHRING, VANGSIE, Pautu, NGENTE and Zawngte. A tradition says that whenever the Faihriems were in search of a new settlement, their way of divination was to throw up a spear. If the spear comes down and hit the ground straight down, it was considered good omen and the place was selected for settlement. At one time, as they did so, and they settled the place, the person who opted for the very spot where the spear came down was known as 'Seitling'. And one day, when their sister,who has also settled in that very same village asked her daughter to go and give meat to her uncles. She was confused as to whom she should deliver the meat. Thereupon her mother told her to give to the uncle in the middle of the village (Tuollai), the ones in the good ground (Hmunthra), the ones in the lower-most (Thlanghnung), the ones in the arum grown area (Bapui), the ones who settled the main site (Khawlum) , the ones who settled in the adjoining ridge (Khawral) etc. And they were later on known by the names that their niece gave them in terms of their settlement. The Faihriems dispersed north and south, east and west due to the strong Sailo or Lusei migration. Some groups moved to Manipur and stayed with the Hmar speaking people, while some groups reached N.C.Hills and adopted Thiek clan as their first language, and another who remained in the state of Tripura and Mizoram. However, a group consisting of people from the Saivate, Hmuntha, Seiling, Tuollai and Thlanghnung (Sim Saihriem, Mirawngngam, Tuiruong Saihriem) sub-clans settled the plain areas of Cachar and established the 'Saihriem' village there. They lived independently and without intermingling with other clans for many years. In other words, it can be can said that the group maintained the clan's purity and pristine, as it was unaffected by other culture. However, the clan was, if I may be permitted to used the word diluted with the arrival of Aimol, Changsan, Khochung, Vaiphei, Khawthlang and other clans in the Saihriem areas. Of these, Aimol is believed to have the first to come in contact with the Faihriem people from the Chin-Kuki-Mizo groups of tribes and hence they have completely lost their language and identity as a tribe in the course of time and due to that they are sometimes counted as Faihriem. However, I was told by an Aimol boy (Edenthara Aimol) few years back that the Aimols seek for an inclusion into Faihriem clan, which was rejected by the latter on the ground that the former are outsider and considered them inferior. Together with these other sister clans, they speak the Saihriem dialect and were called 'KUKI' by the Bengalis. However, the term Kuki was never used by these communities to identify themselves. There are at present five villages where Saihriem is spoken viz., Noxsatilla, Baghbahar, Luipi, Nagathol and Balisor (predominantly inhabited by Aimols).