Last Friday, Pynshngainlang Rattane, President of the United Khasi Peoples’ Organisation (UKPO) Karbi Anglong Central Executive Committee and adviser of Seng Raid Kherwang, invited me to witness the Thoh Lyngdoh ritual in Mynser village, Chingthong, West Karbi Anglong. He had been inviting me to visit the Khasis living in Karbi Anglong for a while, but for various reasons, I could not accept his invitation.
This time, however, I was determined to honour his request. I invited a friend along and left Shillong around 6:30 AM, taking the Mawlasnai road to enter Karbi Anglong. The drive to Mynser took over three hours, and we passed through several Khasi and Karbi villages along the way.
Before the journey, I was warned about the poor road conditions, so we took a bigger car. But apart from a few rough sections, the roads were mostly in good condition. As we approached the Khasi village of Mynser, however, the paved road gave way to a dirt path, which would be hazardous during the monsoon.
Fortunately, the weather was clear, and we reached the village without issue. We asked a woman for directions and told her we had come for the ritual. She pointed us to a path that led to an open valley where people had gathered.
There, we met Pynshngainlang, who was busy coordinating with elders preparing for the ritual.
Khasi men dressed in traditional attire stood before the ritual items. We learned that there were originally 12 clans, but only 7 remain. Gourds placed on the ground, along with bamboo mugs, incense sticks, and leafy branches, represented these clans. Four elder clans were in the Lyngdoh’s house, awaiting feedback from the ritual.
Based on the auguries, these elders, along with the Lyngdoh, would decide the course of action for the coming year. Pynshngainlang took us to a hut where we met the four clans and Shemborlang Rynjah, CEM of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council, who had also been invited.
Thoh Lyngdoh is a pre-sowing ritual, performed to seek divine blessings for a successful cropping season. Historically, this would have been a common sight in all Khasi villages, but today, only Mynser—with households still practising the indigenous faith—continues the tradition. The ritual must be performed before sowing, which explained some of what we saw en route.
Driving through the villages, it was heartening to see that jhum cultivation is still practised in the area. Clearings lined with charred trees and soil were visible—evidence of recent burning.
However, there were no young shoots, indicating that sowing had not yet begun. The ritual was thus not a cultural performance for outsiders but a vital agricultural and spiritual event. Bah Khrawbok Shadap, who had arrived a few days earlier, aptly said this was not a revival but a preservation of traditions passed down through generations.
Mynser is a significant site for the Khasis with many historical associations. From our discussion with the elders, we learned that the village is part of the Raid Kherwang, a traditional Khasi polity. Historically, both Hima Jaintiapur and Hima Shillong contested control over the area. The Raid paid taxes to both at different times—taxes on hali (paddy field) produce, but not jhum. Because Raid Kherwang had many paddy fields, it was an attractive territory for both Himas. Numerous nearby sites contain iron slags, indicating a once-thriving iron industry. We were told that iron from the area was used to make swords and guns.
Archaeology confirms that the oldest iron-smelting site in the Northeast is in Nongkrem (2000 years ago), and the area around Sohra (1000 years ago), both inhabited by Khasis—South Asia’s second oldest community. In his 2008 PhD thesis, Archaeological Investigation in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills, Macro Mitri proposed that Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao were among the earliest Khasi settlements after migrating from the east. This indicates that Khasis have inhabited these regions for at least 4,000 years, predating the arrival of Tibeto-Burman groups such as the Garo, Tiwa, and Karbi.
Don Bosco researchers reportedly found belts worn by Khasi warriors in the neighbouring Amri area. While many Khasis eventually migrated, many remained, and colonial records mention the group now known as the Kherwang Khasis.
When PRT Gurdon wrote The Khasis in 1907, he noted that the Kherwang/Kharwang villages and some in Mynso and Sutnga still wove their own clothes. The Kharwang Khasis especially wove a distinct red-and-white striped cloth from cotton and silk. Considered part of the Pnar-speaking Khasi subgroup, their weaving tradition reinforces the idea of long-standing settlement. They likely fell under the jurisdiction of Hima Jaintiapur but asserted independence as a Raid, attracting attention from Hima Shillong.
During the rebellion in Jaintia Hills, Kiang Nongbah used Krem Len, a cave in Mynser’s sacred forest, to hide and strategise—further strengthening the area’s links to Hima Jaintiapur. Unfortunately, we could not visit the cave due to time constraints, but it remains a site for a future visit.
Mynser village and the Raid Kherwang represent a vital chapter in Khasi history, tracing back to the Neolithic era when the Khasis brought rice and farming into South Asia. Today, the area is inhabited by Karbi, Tiwa, and other groups. Their mutual influence on Khasi culture makes it a fascinating case study of the cultural and ethnic exchanges that define the Northeast.
At present, the region is also a site of political contestation between Karbi Anglong and Meghalaya—a situation that may persist. But whatever the outcome, the legacy of the Kherwang Khasis must be preserved. It offers us a glimpse into our ancient past and rich cultural traditions.
There will always be Khasis in non-Khasi dominated areas and vice versa. What matters is that we coexist harmoniously. Opportunists are already trying to exploit divisions for political and religious gains. From my conversations with student leaders and politicians in Karbi Anglong, this process has already begun.
We must build solidarity between the Khasis, Karbis, and Tiwas. The Kherwang Khasis can serve as a powerful medium to realise this unity.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the views of any organisation or institution.)
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