who are the faihriem?

Faihriem is the name of a clan as well as a dialect (language) spoken by a small group of people known by that name. They are a part of the great Mizo group of people and are to be found in the states of Assam, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura, widely scattered and mostly assimilated into either Hmar or Lusei speaking groups. Most of the people belonging to the Faihriem group have forgotten their language. There are only a few hundred speakers still speaking the language. The Faihriem clan is composed of many sub-clans like Bapui, Khawral, Tusing, Khawlum, Thlanghnung, Tuollai, Aimuol, Sekawng, khawkieng, Hmunthra, Seiling, Saihmar, Saivate, Tuimuol, Khawhreng, Darnei, Khawlhring, Vangsie, Pautu, Ngente, Zawngte etc. They were known as clean people in the olden days and the very word 'Faihriem' means Clean people; Fai means Clean and Hriem means people. It is said that because of their being clean people, they do not have dreams and they never suffer from bad diseases. The account of their being known as clean people can be observe in the story of Saivate and Chunthang who are believed to be the ancestors of today's Faihriems. One night Chunthang had a strange dream, and told about it to his brother in the morning. His elder brother Saivate then rebuked him saying, "We the Faihriems never have dreams. Whose combs have you you used? Have you washed your hair with water from the eaves of someone's house? You have become unclean. So get out from our house". Thereupon, Chunthang sadly left home and settled in a nearby village. According to a legend, whenever they 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 adjoinimg ridge (Khawral) etc. And they were later on known by the names that their niece gave them in terms of their settlement. Faihriem (or Saihriem, as it is how the speakers or the Faihriems refer to themselver) dialect is still spoken by few number of people in some villages of Cachar District in Assam, India. However, with the coming of Christianity and the use of Mizo Bibles and Hmar or Mizo Hymn books in the Faihriem/Saihriem speaking areas, the language is being replaced by Hmar and Mizo languages very fast, and there is a likelihood of it being totally lost, if nothing is done to preserve the languange.