Volume-XII, Special Issue, April 2026 |
Reconstructing the position of Hmar women through Traditional sayings and Customary laws Dr. Phoibi Lalniropui Tuolor, Assistant Professor, Handique Girls' College, Guwahati, Assam, India |
Received: 25.03.2026 | Accepted: 07.04.2026 | Published Online: 10.04.2026 | Page No: 274-280 | ||||
DOI: 10.29032/ijhsss.vol.12.issue.specialW.291 | |||||||
ABSTRACT | ||
This paper examines the position of women through the customary laws and practices of the Hmar community with special emphasis on marriage and inheritance. Hmar community is a patrilineal society where children adopt their father’s surname and generally the youngest son inherit the father’s property, however it differs depending upon the clan. The Hmar customary laws play an important role in defining the duties and regulations of both man and women. It determines the women’s access to authority, property and decision-making in family and society. According to customary laws, the women were assigned to do household chores, child care, animal care, cook and spin yarn or thread. Whereas, men work outside the house, work in the forest and do heavy works, build the house and work in the field. Apart from customary laws, the paper also explores the Hmar traditional sayings and proverbs which reflects the position of women especially in terms of wisdom and morality. Thus, the paper tries to reconstruct and elucidate the position of Hmar women by interpreting such traditional sayings beside the customary laws. Both primary and secondary sources along with oral traditions have been used to provide better understanding of the gender dynamics within the Hmar community. | ||
Keywords: Hmar community, position of women, customary laws, traditional sayings, gender dynamics. |