Abstract
The Christian Missionaries who came to ‘tame’ the Mizos by converting them into Christianity, considered all tribal cultural traits as ‘savage.’ What they abhorred most was the tendency of the tribals to break out on every occasion into song and dance involving free mixing of men and women with unlimited alcohol. On the other hand, the missionaries with their Victorian mindset were disliked most by the local community. The heathen when converted was disciplined in the form of abjuring his traditional way of life. The intervention of the missionaries on the cultural domain of the people was initially ignored but the growing influence of the missionaries alerted the Mizos. As the Mizos saw through the cultural imperialism of the missionaries they started a strong resistance movement by resorting to the song and dance performances as a mode of cultural renewal. Puma Zai, an almost forgotten cultural practice was revived to launch the resistance movement. The fightback was vigorous and powerful that forced the missionaries to accommodate the traditional song and dance performative forms within the Church practice.
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Notes
- 1.
Lushai and Mizo are used interchangeably. Mizo is a recent use for Lushai.
- 2.
See Footnote 1.
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Nag, S. (2023). No Song and No Dance: Invention of Tradition and Lushai Resistance to Cultural Colonialism: 1904–1911. In: Baral, K.C. (eds) Cultural Forms and Practices in Northeast India. People, Cultures and Societies: Exploring and Documenting Diversities . Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-9292-6_12
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