By Carmel Fedrick Malngiang
The Khynriam, the Pnar, the Lyngngam, the Maram, the Bhoi, and the War are one people, known as the Khasi. There have been numerous claims, both from individuals and groups, that the people of Jaiñtia Hills do not belong to the Khasi tribe. Recently, some individuals published write-ups in newspapers in which they strongly objected to a statement made by Bah Danny Khyriem, the former vice president of the Khasi Students’ Union, at the General Election of the KSU CEC 2026, wherein he stated that the people of Jaiñtia Hills belong to the Khasi tribe and that we are one people. These individuals have also described the term ‘Jaiñtia’ as the name of a community, which is a baseless claim. These assertions have caused great confusion among Khasi people who are unaware of the true history and facts. Though there are slight geographical and linguistic variations, that does not make us different. What Bah Danny Khyriem stated is a universal truth, and no one can deny the fact that the people residing in the Jaiñtia Hills today belong to the Khasi family. Those who deny this fact may not have studied history thoroughly, may have relied on histories written by colonizers, or might be individuals who wish to divide the oneness of our people for personal gain. Let us briefly revisit history.
Historians and research scholars suggest that the name Jaiñtia is derived from the Hindu goddess — Jayanti Devi, which may be accurate, as the region was once under the rule of Hindu Rajas. However, before the ‘Jaiñtia Kingdom’ came into existence, the Jaiñtia Hills, as we know them today, were known as Hima Sutnga and Hima Malngiang, or Hima Madur Maskut. Furthermore, Dr. Homiewell Lyngdoh, in one of his books, stated that the Syiem Malngiang, or the Malngiang King, was one of the oldest kings who ruled most of the present-day Khasi and Jaiñtia Hills. This Hima Malngiang extended from Nowgong to Sylhet. Another source claims that after the Syiem Malngiang was defeated by the Syiem Sutnga, the Syiem Sutnga named the new kingdom or Hima as Hima Jaiñtia. Thus, the word ‘Jaiñtia’ does not represent the name of a community or a tribe.
When we examine our culture, traditions and customs, lineage, language, and physical appearance, we are all essentially the same; there are only slight variations depending on the region in which we live. All of us—the Pnar, the Khynriam, the Bhoi, the War, the Lyngngam, and the Maram—follow the matrilineal system. Furthermore, all of us share the belief that we descended from U heaven through Lum Sohpetbneng as the Hynñiewtrep Hynñiew Skum or the Hynñiawtrep Hynñiaw Wasa. Scientific studies, such as DNA tests, also indicate that the people living in the Khasi Hills, Ri Bhoi, and Jaiñtia Hills belong to the same tribe.
When we study clans or Kur, many clans from the Jaiñtia Hills are related to (Ïateh Kur) the clans from the Khasi Hills and Ri Bhoi. For instance, my clan is believed to have originated from West Jaiñtia Hills, where the Syiem Malngiang first ruled, but now our clan rules only one Hima, that is the Hima Mawsynram. Thus, all of these serve as evidence that the people of Jaiñtia Hills, Khasi Hills, and Ri Bhoi belong to one family or tribe, namely the Khasi tribe. Let us not confuse a region with a tribe. The Pnar live in the Jaiñtia Hills region, the War, the Lyngngam, the Maram, and the Khynriam in the Khasi Hills region, and the Bhoi in the Ri Bhoi region.
From a linguistic perspective as well, the Khasi people living in different regions speak different dialects, yet these dialects are not so different as to be mutually unintelligible. All of these dialects belong to the Austroasiatic, or Mon-Khmer, language group. Before the arrival of Rev. Thomas Jones, the Khasi people did not have a lingua franca for intercommunication; different regions spoke different dialects. We are fortunate that Rev. Thomas Jones established the Sohra dialect as the lingua franca of the Khasi people. Otherwise, the Khasi would be a confused tribe because of these pseudo-historians and opportunists who are trying hard to divide the oneness of the Khasi people for personal gain. For instance, the Naga community, which includes more than 40–60 different tribes from regions such as Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Burma, do not identify themselves as separate communities even though they speak different dialects and languages and reside in different states and countries. They all unite and identify themselves as Naga. The same applies to the Mizo community. But why have we, the Khasi, made it so complicated and difficult to identify ourselves as one people, regardless of the region we inhabit or the dialect we speak?
Regarding one individual’s recent letter to the editor concerning the Instrument of Accession, he stated that only the Khasi Syiems or the Federation of Khasi States, signed the IOA & AA, as the Jaiñtia Kingdom had already been annexed by the British. However, that does not justify claiming that the people of Jaiñtia Hills belong to a different tribe. Let us not forget that the Jaintia National Conference (JNC) passed a resolution on 1st September 1947 to join the Federation of Khasi States as units. If the people of the Jaiñtia Kingdom do not belong to the Khasi tribe just because they did not sign the IOA & AA along with the FKS to accede to the Indian Union, then what about the Nongstoiñ Kingdom, where Pa’iem Wickliffe Syiem declared independence on his own before Indian Independence? Can we say that the people of Nongstoiñ are not Khasi and that they belong to a Nongstoiñ tribe, as some individuals claim the people of Jaiñtia Hills belong to a Jaiñtia tribe? These baseless claims bring nothing except division amongst us. It is also very disheartening to see that our leaders who hold power in the state government made reckless comments about the oneness of our Khasi tribe. There are also some leaders who encourage individuals when they make divisive comments claiming that the Pnar or the people of Jaiñtia hills belong to a different tribe. I wonder whether these leaders are unaware of the facts and history, or whether they make these divisive statements merely to appease others and for vote-bank politics. Thankfully, the state government recently passed an ordinance to make the Khasi language the official language of the state of Meghalaya. I hope that this ordinance will soon become an act, and it will greatly help our people build a sense of oneness among us, the Khasi. In my understanding, language is more than just a means of communication; it is a bond that unites people, and most importantly, it is a cornerstone of a community’s identity.
There are many arguments and pieces of evidence to prove that the Pnar people belong to theKhasi tribe. I would like to urge those individuals who claim the Pnars are not Khasi and that the Pnars belong to a Jaiñtia community: please conduct proper research into history before jumping to conclusions, and avoid reading histories written by pseudo-historians and colonizers. Let us decolonize our thoughts and our minds, and let us unite and come together as one people. Let us also not become instruments of those who employ a ‘divide and rule’ policy for their personal gain. We should follow in the footsteps of our forefathers, not those of the colonizers.
