NOTES Economic & Political Weekly EPW SEPTEMBER 1, 2018 vol lIiI no 35 61 Clans, Tribes and Unions of Tribes Nomenclature of North East India Pauthang Haokip The people of North East India are often identified by the outside world on the basis of the nomenclature associated with their clans, tribes and union of tribes. Yet, contrary to popular belief, this notion of “oneness” asserted by people embracing a particular nomenclature does not imply a common language or culture. Far from tribal or ethnic identity corresponding to linguistic or cultural identity, this notion of oneness arises out of a shared history or common political aspirations. N orth East India is one of the most diverse regions of the world in terms of ethnolinguistic diversity, which is reflected in the vast nomencla- ture of the region. For the purpose of our present exposition, the nomenclature of the people of North East India may be broadly categorised in three hierarchical levels. The highest level is where a union of tribes comes together under a larger nomenclature, often loosely termed an ethnic group. Second is the community of clans, which together form the tribal nomenclature. The lowest level is where a group of families comes together under a single clan. In most parts of the hill states of North East India, a person’s identity is determined by their membership within these three nomenclature levels. While a person’s membership in their clan is well defined by their family lineage, there is no such well-defined criterion or set of criteria for one’s membership in a tribe or ethnic group. A common lan- guage and culture, often considered the strongest determinants of “oneness,” do not really matter for one’s membership in a tribe or ethnic group. A northeasterner is known to the outside world by their ethnic nomencla- ture, by their tribal nomenclature at the regional or state level, and by that of their clan at the local or village level. A person of north-eastern origin may thus have to answer the questions, “are you a Naga, Kuki, or Khasi?” when outside their state, “are you an Ao, Thadou, or Kom?” when outside their village (within their state), and “are you a Jamir, Haokip, or Sailo?” when outside their clan’s territory. For a very long time, an identity narrative has been built along the lines of tribal or ethnic membership, signalling that the people embracing a particular tribe or ethnic group are “one people.” The remainder of this article is devoted to explaining the notion of “oneness” that the people of the North East often refer to when they say that “they are one tribe or one ethnic group.” Contrary to the general understanding, this arti- cle argues that the notion of “oneness” may not necessarily imply a common language or culture. In other words, there is no one-to-one correspondence between tribal and ethnic identity on the one hand and linguistic or cultural identity on the other. Thus, cultural and linguistic oneness is not the necessary determinant for one’s membership within a tribe or ethnic group. If indeed a com- mon language and culture are the neces- sary criteria for one’s membership within a group, the Nagas would have been divided into three or more ethnic nomen- clatures, and the Kukis, Chins, Mizos, and Zomis would have been united under a single nomenclature. Colonial Influences When the British colonial administrators came in contact with the hill people of the North East for the first time, they had to depend on the plainsmen, who had already been under their control, to designate the hill people of the unadminis- tered areas. So, the British administrators first designated the hill people of the North East into (larger) groups on the basis of geographical location. Thus, the desig- nation “Naga” was given to the various hill people occupying the northern hill ranges between the Brahmaputra and Chindwin rivers on both sides of the Indo–Myanmar border. The designation “Kuki” was given to the various tribes inhabiting an area from the Naga Hills in the north down into the Sandowary district of Burma (Myanmar) in the south; from the Myittha river in the east, almost to the Bay of Bengal in the west; the vast mountainous region from the Jaintia and Naga Hills in the north, besides the Manipur Valley and the small settle- ments in the Cachar plains and Sylhet. Similarly, the designation “Kachari” was given to the various tribes such as the Pauthang Haokip (pauthanghaokip@yahoo.co.in) is with the Centre for Linguistics, School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.