Mizo Values in Agricultural Sustenance: Lessons from Mizoram

摘要

The twenty third State of the Indian Union located in the north-eastern corner having a geographical area of 21,087 square kilometers is Mizoram. It is a hilly area differing largely in terms of topography from mainland India and also strategically placed as it shares an international boundary of 722 kilometers with Myanmar and Bangladesh. The Mizo tribes are unanimously held to belong to the Mongoloid race, in huge contrast to the inhabitants of most part of India. It is generally accepted by all historians that the point of migration starts somewhere in the China-Burma geographical landscape and that the pattern followed down-south towards the present modern State of Mizoram. The paper aims to elucidate on the priceless human values imbibed and practiced in the different stages of agricultural endeavors that has enabled the survival of the Mizo society. The Mizo society resembles a 'Prismatic Society', propounded by FW Riggs, in huge similarity to other south east Asian countries. It is believed that the paper will provoke thoughts and further research towards traditional value governance in the context of south east Asian countries.