Zo : Culture and Custom ~ Vumson

Zo :​​ Culture and Custom

Village sites were chosen with an eye to both defensive position and available water. A preferable site was high on a ridge so that it was easily defensible, but these places were difficult for the women who had to carry water from streams below. The Zo who most often migrated— the Lusei, Thado, Hualngo and villagers in southern Zo country-built their villagers on tops of ridges. Most villages in the central part of the country were situated on slopes where it was easily defensible and where stream water could also be brought to the village using bamboo or wooden flumes. The same pattern of village sites are found in Zo country today, although villages are no longer threatened by wars.

There is no village planning. Houses are built on plots which are more level than the surroundings. A yard in front of the house is sought, but the village layout is no one’s concern. One of the characteristics of a Zo village is a khan or lungdawn. a memorial stone in memory of a powerful man. Usually situated on higher ground than the village houses, an evergreen Bayan tree is planted to give shade to the place. Memorial slabs are decorated withdrawings of animals that the man killed in his time, and wooden carvings of men and women are erected there as well. These places serve as a meeting ground, or as a dancing arena during ceremonies, and as a place of offerings to the spirits. The skulls of animals killed during feasts for the dead are hung at (fie khan. in belief that these animals will accompany the dead to his new world. Any man can erect such a monument for himself or for any important relative, and a village can have several khan.

Traditional Zo houses are generally substantial constructions. Rectangular in shape, Zo houses are usually constructed on a slope, and often earth has to be moved to obtain enough flat ground for a fireplace and working space in front of the house. Animals are kept beneath the house, so that part also has to be​​ flattened. Half of the house has an earthen floor, and the other half has flooring of planks or split bamboo. This type of house is common among those who are less migratory. For those who move often, one side of the house might be only a few inches above ground, with the opposite side quite high. Migrants seldom move earth. A house is generally divided into a living room (inner room) and a work room. Hunting trophies. the skulls of animals shot by the family, are shown on the dividing wall between the two rooms. In the living room are the fireplace, the master’s bed, the children’s bed, and anything that has value to the family. The master bed is next to the fireplace and is also used as a bench to sit near the fire for warmth. As the house has no windows the inside is almost always dark. The work room of the house is in the front, where firewood and grain pounding equipment are kept. Most domestic work is done in this part of the house, which is more of a verandah than a room, as it is open at the front. Life revolves around the verandah during warmer days of the year. In front of the house is the deck or platform, the doltial. The size of the platform can indicate the wealth of the owners and is usually made of teak wood d planks. The doltial usually measures about twelve by four yards. Rich people have two such doltials joining each other, and at one end are two planks twelve yards lung and a yard wide. The long planks​​ are laid about a foot higher than the main platform and serve as a comfortable sitting platform.

Staple foods for central Zo people are maize, millet, sulphur beans, beans, peas, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, melons and other crops that grow in colder regions. These crops can be grown in the zo area with it’s cold and high altitude. In sins or chhim areas (hotter climate) of Zo country, and along deep river and stream valleys, rice is the staple food. Meat is scarce as is sugar and milk. Honey is obtained only in small quantities. Because of these shortages the people often suffer from vitamin deficiency, and they are often simply hungry for meat and zu (rice, corn or millet beer). Zo culture is very much connected with zu: although some western writers have suggested that Zo culture is a mithun culture. A mithun. a grass eating animal, is the most important domestic animal, and the wealth of a man is judged by the numbers of his mithun. But if Zo culture should be symbolized by anything it should be zu. Zu represents one of the main​​ characteristics of the Zo people, and zu is more than just rice beer, as has been suggested by some Western writers. Zo people hold feasts on occasions of happiness or grief. Successful hunts of small animals, or a visit by a distant relative would be celebrated with a feast. A mithun, a pig or a cow would be slaughtered, and several pots of zu would be consumed. A man is very proud when he kills a tiger, an elephant, or a vulture, and such occasions are times of great celebration. Killing an elephant is to achieve man’s maximum masculinity. Among birds the hornbill is the most highly prized, and the killing of it would be celebrated with a sa-ai ceremony which raises a man’s social status.

The Zo celebrate many other kinds of feasts as well. Wedding feasts take at least two days (varying among different clans)—one celebration at the bride’s home and another the next day a( the groom’s. A rich harvest of grain (over one hundred baskets) would also be celebrated with a feast. It a person believes he is wealthy, a khuangcawi or tong ceremony is performed. Other traditional ceremonies vary from clan to clan. A rare but important ceremony with great feasting was the rat ai or gal ai. when a man had killed an enemy and decided to celebrate his triumph. This was revived during the Second World War, when Zo soldiers were killed in action. The relatives of the deceased sought revenge by killing enemy soldiers. As it was dangerous to perform the ral ai during the war, heads of the enemy were kept in utmost secrecy, and a rod ai ceremony was performed after the war. Thus. when a man performed the ral ai. he performed it more often in grief than in happiness.

The most frequent celebration is the feast of grief. The death of a person is followed by a great feast in remembrance of the dead person. The rich may slaughter several animals, but the poor become much poorer. because they too want to send their loved ones on the way with at least one animal. The animal meat is eaten at the home of the dead, and the remains arc distributed to relatives. (ln Sizang area the “wife-giver” receives the neck portion of the animal, a substantial amount.)

For all these feasts mithun, cattle, pigs and other animals, depending on the wealth of the poeple are slaughtered, and a great amount of zu is consumed. This might seem like a waste. but in reality it is the heart of Zo civilization.

Those who celebrated khuangcawi. tong, sa-ai. or ral-ai, and all others who achieved something in life composed songs telling of their past, their success in war, the capture of slaves, and the loss of their loved ones. These songs recorded personal as well as community history. Songs recorded the poor and rich, the loss of sons, daughters, brothers and sisters, and great hunts. The songs were sung during feasts and were handed down from one generation to the next. For a people who have no writing, the recording of history has been possible only because these songs were sung repeatedly. Still it is amazing that songs of twenty generations ago, such as “The Song of Pu Songthu”, are still remembered.

Songs are sung not only during feasts, but whenever there is a gathering. At the death of a child, the mother, the aunts, or the sisters recite. step by step, the child’s life story. Likewise, kneeling beside the deathbed village women recall in song, composed at the instant, the story of the death as they saw it. When a boy falls in love he sings a song expressing his feelings to the girl, and the girl replies with a song. When chiefs or village elders are to decide a matter of war and peace, they would rather compose a song than explain details to the village council.

Throughout Zo history marriage customs seem to have been uniform, with bride prices and “wife-givers” and “wife-takers” characteristic of the Zo people. Different prices are asked for different brides, with social status and physical perfection deter-mining price. Past relationships between the two clans involved can also play a role in determining price. Sometimes the bride price can be only symbolic, which means the expenses of the wedding ceremony are counted as the bride price. If a poor boy is not in a position to pay, he may be allowed to pay later, or a boy can escape paying the bride price if he elopes with the girl, or if he simply moves into the house of the girl and waits until the girl is ready to marry him. Social customs relating to marriage are important, such as “wifetaker” and “wife-giver” relationships. When a boy is eligible for marriage, and if he does not have a girl friend. his parents or relatives will look for a bride for him. In choosing the bride priority is given to girls from the clan of the boy’s mother. Usually the daughters of the mother’s brother are the first considered. If an eligible girl is available from the mother’s clan the parents or relatives send an ambassador to the girl’s parents​​ to ask for her hand. The ambassador’s job is a very delicate one, and he has to present his mission with traditional manners. He also has to offer a pot of zu or a cock (different for different clans). The return of these gifts, which might be in a week or so, means that the proposal has been rejected. There is no reproach for being rejected. If the gift is not returned. then the ambassador and the girl’s parents negotiate the bride price, and arrangements are made for the wedding. The girl’s parents can decide the size of the animal to be slaughtered at their house and also the amount of zu to be made available. After all these are agreed upon, the marriage ceremony is performed. Thus. the mother’s clan is the​​ “wife-giver” and the clan of the son is the “wife-taker”. If a boy marries a girl from a different clan than his mother’s, his sons can still marry girls from their mother’s and grandmother’s clan, thus continuing the “wifegiver” “wife-taker” system. It is regarded as distasteful to marry a paternal aunt’s daughter, because a man (extended to his children) has social obligations to his in-laws, and the marrying of a daughter of a paternal aunt makes the social relationship impossible. The social obligations arc exercised during ceremonies and in times of grief. A man and his children take care of work related to ceremonies; i.e., slaughtering animals, and the preparation of food and Du. It is the man’s duty to please his in-laws, or in other words the “wife- taker” has the duty to please his “wife-giver”. However, the “wife-giver” is not superior to the “wife-taker”. It is merely tradition, and the “wife-giver” can not make demands upon the service of the “wife-taker”. The “wife-taker” simply feels an obligation to please, respect, and be thankful to the “wife-giver”. A quarrel between in-laws is regarded as most distasteful.

Marriage is uncommon between tribes, and unheard of with other races, foreigners, or slaves. Illegal cohabitation would be such a disgrace to a family that they would be cast out from their community. It is paramount to keep clan or family pure. Once married to a different tribe, descendents can never become pure again. Even today in some parts of Zo country the purity of the girl’s parents is considered ahead of all qualities of the girl.

Zawlbuk is the word used to describe the custom of bachelors staying overnight at a designated house, and it is an important social feature of Zo life. The Lusei call the house a zawlbuk or bachelor shelter. which usually is built in the center of the village. It is used especially by bachelors as their common sleeping​​ house. The Paite people. do not have zawlbuk, but the bachelors sleep in the house of the thiampui or high priest. They call it sawm. The Pawi (Haka and Falam people) will sleep in the house of a beautiful girl. When a boy is in love, he will ask his friends to sleep with him in the house of his girl friend. The bachelors use these house to spend their leisure time. It is a place for learning the trade of hunting, warfare and the like; even how to court girls.

Source :

Zo History

By ~ Vumson