CHAPTER II
THE ADVENT OF COLONIALISM AND
CHRISTIAN MISSION
1.
Introduction
This
chapter will deal with the transformation of the Mara traditional religion, its
culture and political framework due to the advent of the British rule and
Christian missionaries in Maraland. The assumption of the author is that since
the missionaries were the missionaries of the colonial times, there were constructive
as well as destructive social-political and cultural transformations within the
context of the Mara society. These changes and transformations need to be
evaluated, modified and reformulated in the light of the postcolonial
theological readings such as resistance, dissident and subaltern readings.
On
the one hand, the British military officers imposed peace, prohibited various
savage and barbarous practices and at the same time preferred to continue the
administration of the Mara chiefs to rule the people and made use of them as
contact persons to act on their behalf. On the other hand, the missionaries
completely swept aside the existing religious traditions and allied practices
and thus changed the traditional Mara society. As a result, the socio-cultural
changes in the Mara context are two-fold, the British administrators imposed
changes and the missionaries convinced the people of the necessity of such
transformations even though in certain case the British administrators and the
missionaries had different views and sometimes clashed over changing
social-cultural structures and institutions. The author on the one hand will
focus on the beneficial aspects of the Mara society due to the introduction of
British rule and Christianity; on the other hand as Sugirtharajah suggests that
the colonial people also inherited the psychological, intellectual and cultural
domination which is the most damaging for the society from the colonial power.[1]
The abolition of the slavery system, Lyuva khutla and Chapchur kut in the Mara
society will be read in a postcolonial perspective to contribute new
approaches.
2.
Socio-Cultural
Situation Before the British Rule
The
socio-cultural situation of the Mara society prior to the British annexation of
Maraland was what anthropologists would call a ‘non-literate culture’ and some
would say a ‘primitive culture’ because the people had not developed a form of
writing. Since some of the important socio-cultural practices of the Maras had
already been mentioned in the previous chapter we will not repeat what has been
already discussed instead we will go straight to the coming of the British
Colonial power.
3.
The
British Administration and Changes
The
introduction of the British rule in Maraland had great impacts on the life of
the Mara people in both ways – positive and negative. The positive contribution
of the British administration to the Mara people was that it transformed the
primitive Mara society to the modern age and prepared the way for the coming of
Christian missionaries in Maraland. Negatively, the British administration
paralysed the social life of the Mara society.
A
retired Indian civil servant Animesh Ray, basing his argument on the warlike
nature of the Maras concludes that the occupation of Maraland was ‘a step
against the British economic interest’.[2]
3.1.Prohibition
of savage and barbaric practices
The
first aspect of Mara cultural changes come through impositions and
prohibitions. The British administrators tried to provide justice with highly
civilized values and orders to curb the savage and barbaric practices and
imposed values with respect to human life. Mangkhosat Kipgen categorized
prohibitions as stated below:
(1)
The prohibitions of raids or head hunting. If this happened the chief
had to be executed. The British government did justice in prohibiting this
cruel practice of the Mara people. If a village launched a raid, the chief of
that village will be killed.
(2)
Prohibition of elephant hunting. This prohibition, despite the fact that
it was really good for preservations of animals, paralysed the Mara traditional
religion because it affected one of the means of salvation; ‘thietheihna’ or ‘taotheihna’ in which killing of elephant was one of the
requirements.
(4) The killing of those who believed to
witchcraft or magicians. Several tragedies had occurred on
account of the belief in witchcraft within the Mara community. These savage
acts were declared illegal and were made punishable with imprisonment for more
serious cases and fines for other minor ones. Other customary practice like
eavesdropping by the young friends of a newly married couple on their first
night while not made illegal were nevertheless discouraged by the Christian
missionaries and school teachers. But the prohibition of elephant hunting and
killing of enemies (not murder in the village) severely affected the Mara
religion since these were requirements in ‘to earn salvation and a place in peihrah’ (heaven). Therefore, the Mara
religion was paralyzed when the British administrators strictly prohibited
raiding villages and killing elephants and one of the means of gaining
salvation collapsed.
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