By Dr. Omarlin Kyndiah
The question is simple but often misunderstood: Are the Jaintias just a branch of the Khasi, or could it be that the Khasi themselves partly come from Jaintia roots? History, clan stories, and oral traditions show that the answer is far more complicated than social media claims or simple explanations.
For decades, many have described the Jaintias as a sub-tribe of the Khasi, often grouped alongside Khynriam, Pnar, Bhoi, and War under the idea of “u paidbah Khasi baiar,” meaning Khasi as a general category. Some even go so far as to say that Jaintias are just “Khasis living in the Jaintia Hills.” But such statements oversimplify centuries of migration, family ties, and cultural exchange that shaped both communities.
What if the opposite is also true? What if some Khasi clans actually have roots in Jaintia areas and later settled in the Khasi Hills? Evidence from clan histories and oral stories supports this idea, showing that identity in the hills is not simple or one-way, but dynamic and intertwined over time.
Clans are social organisations that help maintain order in communities. They began as groups of people connected by family ties, tracing their ancestry to a common ancestor. The Khasi and Jaintia societies are both built around these clans, which remain key yet understudied institutions. This article takes a small step toward telling the indigenous history of the Khasi and Jaintia, who share Austric origins. By tracing the roots of these clans, we can see the paths their ancestors took to settle in the hills.
One of the most famous stories is that of Ka Iaw Chibidi, a woman who came from beyond the Kupli River with her children. The Jaintias had earlier moved northeast and settled in Kamrup (now Guwahati), but threats of raids forced them to migrate east to the Kolong River and later south to the fertile valley of the Kupli River in today’s North Cachar Hills and entered Jaintia Hills. Folklore says Ka Iaw Chibidi could fit inside a jar, or “lalu,” giving her descendants the name Lalu clan. Her family flourished under a powerful Malaniang chieftain, but after his death, civil war and plague wiped out most of her family, leaving only a girl known as Ka Iaw Iaw.
She escaped to Jwai and reached the house of a priest called Yung Langdoh. The priest wanted to help her, but his wife wanted to sell her as a servant. No one offered more than twenty cowries, called chibidi, so the priest eventually kept her. Grateful, Ka Iaw Iaw brought her family’s wealth from beyond the Kupli River and married the priest’s son.
Later, adventurers tried to abduct her for her riches, so she escaped with her family to Nongkrem in the Khasi Hills, to a place called Sohphohlynrum. Here, she paid men twenty cowries per day to build a market, introduced iron smelting, and exported iron tools. She also raised pigs in a large manger carved from a tree. Her work and wealth became well-known, drawing the attention of the Ahom King, the Raja of Jaintia, and the Assamese Barphukan, who raided her settlement. Ka Iaw Chibidi then moved her family to Lyndiang-umthli near Lyngkyrdem and divided into four groups: one returned to Jowai (Lalu clan), another to Nongkhlaw (Diengdoh Kylla clan), a third to Mawiong (Pariong clan), and a fourth to Rangjyrteh and Cherra (Diengdohbah clan).
Her story shows how migration brought people into contact with new ideas and technologies, like iron smelting, and led to the creation of new clans in both Jaintia and Khasi Hills. Oral traditions trace her influence back 2,000 years, highlighting her role in shaping both social organization and craft knowledge.
Other stories show similar patterns. Iawtalang, the ancestress of the Talang clan, had nine daughters. A tragic misunderstanding involving a ritual led them to flee their village, and each daughter established a clan in a new area. Some clans kept their original names, like the one in Chyrmang, while others became Buam, Nongtdu, Pyrtuh, Syntung, or Suting.
The Rymbai lineage also moved from Jaintia Hills to the Khasi Hills. The clan changed its name to Nongrymbai and Nongrum, from which sub-clans like Nongneng, Nengnong, and Rumnong later emerged.
The Syiemlieh family illustrates how royal lineages spread across regions. From Sutnga in Jaintia Hills, Woh Ryndi and Ka Lidakha had four daughters: Ka Lieh, Ka Lang, Ka Teng, and Ka Pung. Their descendants became the Nongsteng, Nongspung, Kurkalang, Syiemlieh, and Syiemiong clans. Syiemlieh became the royal family of Hima Khadsawphra (Nongkhlaw), while Syiemiong became the royal family of Maharam and Lanrin Syiemship in the Khasi Hills.
Similarly, the Sun clan emerged from the Lamare clan. A woman migrated to the Khasi Hills, sold garlic, and earned the nickname “Men Sun.” The Dhar clan from Jaintia Hills became Nongdhar and Synteng Nongdhar in Khasi Hills, and the Thangkhiew clan of Khasi traces its roots to the Pde clan of Jaintia Hills. These examples show a repeated pattern of migration, adaptation, and new clan formation while keeping connections to ancestral homelands- the Jaintia Hills.
Understanding this history changes how we view identity in the hills. The idea that one group is “above” another does not match the lived reality. Khasi and Jaintia societies are deeply connected, sharing ancestry, traditions, and histories. Recognising this shared past is crucial not only for historical accuracy but also for respecting the complexity and richness of these cultures.
The relationship between Khasi and Jaintia identities cannot be reduced to simple labels. The stories of Ka Iaw Chibidi’s descendants, Iawtalang’s lineage, the Syiemlieh and Syiemiong families, the Sun clan, the Dhar clan, and the Thangkhiew clan show centuries of migration, adaptation, and shared ancestry. These are stories of survival and cultural continuity, preserved in oral memory and still visible in the social fabric of the hills today.
Did you know? Ka Iaw Chibidi not only introduced iron smelting to the Khasi Hills but also exported iron tools to nearby areas. The Lalu clan got its name because she could fit inside a jar, called “lalu.” Iawtalang’s nine daughters fled their village after a ritual misunderstanding, each going on to form new clans in different regions. The Syiemlieh and Syiemiong clans, which later became royal families, trace their roots back to Sutnga in the Jaintia Hills. Even Khasi clans like Nongrymbai and Nongrum have Jaintia origins, showing centuries of shared ancestry and the deep connections between the two communities.
Khasi and Jaintia are not “one above the other.” They are two sides of the same story, linked by movement, family ties, and shared roots. This story deserves to be told fully-not reduced to social media hashtags or oversimplified claims. Understanding it properly requires curiosity, respect, and careful work by historians, anthropologists, and local scholars. Only then can the rich history of the hills be truly appreciated.
