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..::INTRODUCING MIZORAM (Brief History of Mizoram)::..
Mizoram is located in the northern tip of the Northeast of India, sandwiched between two international boundaries, Myanmar in the East and South, and Bangladesh in the South and West. The north is bounded by the states of Assam, Manipur and Tripura. The total area of Mizoram is 21,081 sq. kms. The direction of the rivers and hill ranges run from North to South, and the heights of the mountains vary from 700 metres to 2,300 metres.
The topography is hilly and rugged with deep gorges and lofty mountain ranges. Most of the hills rise above 900 metres on an average. The hill ranges tend to be higher in the Eastern side tapering off to the North and South. Champhai valley is the only plateau in Mizoram which is about 12 sq. km. in area, and is situated in the eastern part. The land is endowed with varieties of flora and fauna.
A vast area of Mizoram is covered by natural vegetation of
valuable timber trees and other forest resources. The land is
lush with green forests, plentiful rivers, awe-inspiring dark
and greyish brown hills. Temperature varies from 8 degree
Celsius to 18 degree C in winter and 20 degree
centigrade to 30 degree C in summer. The low-lying areas are moist and the higher regions are pleasantly cool and ideal for living. The Tropic of Cancer passes through Mizoram, and the whole area falls under the tropical monsoon belt. The land receives an annual rainfall of 200 cm. Therefore, all the tropical crops like rice, fruits and vegetables are grown in Mizoram.
Forest records are available since 1952, when Mizoram became a separate district of Assam. The records show a sharp decline of forest resources in Mizoram. The 1996-97 study recorded a forest area of 75.59% of the total area. Within that area, the Reserved Forest constitutes 44.7%, Protected Forests 22.4%, and the Safety Forest 32.9%.
Based on the satellite data of December 1998, forest cover has been estimated to be 18,338 sq.km. representing 86.99% of the state total geographic area. The Protected Reserve Forest, which is also known as the dense forest is 3,786 sq.km. representing 20.6% in forest cover, which has been registered in the present assessment as compared to the previous one. Dense forest registered a decrease of 562 sq.km. while the open forest (Safety Reserve Forest) registered an increase by 125 sq. km.
Types of Forest in Mizoram may be classified as follows: the Tropical Wet Evergreen Forests, Tropical Semi-Evergreen Forests, and Montane Sub-Tropical Pine Forests. Of the three types, the Tropical Wet Evergreen Forests are rich in valuable evergreen species, particularly in South and West Mizoram. The Tropical Wet Evergreen Forest is also called The Virgin Forest. The Tropical Wet Evergreen Forest covers the major portion of Mizoram. The Sub-Tropical Pine Forest is found in the eastern part of the state at a higher elevation and the climate is cooler compared to the other places.
Mizo Traditional Land System
Even before the advent of the British, Mizo people seem to have had a proper social order and a systematic political structure. Each village had its own governance, where the Chief commanded the highest authority in administration and judicial powers. The Chiefs were helped by elders called Lal Upa.
In the traditional Land System, the land belonged to the community under the stewardship of the Chief. Each village had vast areas of land, and every inhabitant of the village was entitled to live, cultivate and hunt. Each village had boundaries separating one village jurisdiction from the other, which were normally natural boundaries like rivers or hills. The area of a village land varied from village to village, sometimes depending on the size of the population. However, each village had sufficient land to meet people needs.
Every villager had a sense of ownership of the land. No one, including the Chief, claimed private ownership of the land and no individual had separate pastoral holdings of land. But the Chief was overall in charge of the land and the village.
Sacred Grove
Mizos called the sacred grove Ngawpui. Each village has its own sacred grove, the size varies from village to village.
No tree is allowed to be cut in the Sacred Grove, except for those trees that showed signs of age and decay. Sacred Groves are undisturbed natural vegetation scattered in small pockets all over Mizoram providing food and sustenance to people and animals alike.
Sacred Grove is a home for animals, natural objects such as rivers, rocks, mountains, bamboo, plants and trees. Sacred Grove is also a home of gods and goddesses. Those spirits were named Ramhuai. The goddess of animal Lasi and the goddess of nature Chawngtinleri lived there along with many other spirits.
The concept of the sacredness of plants reflects the unity of life in nature, in the sense of communion and fellowship with the divine as the centre and source of life. The sacred trees are said to be deeply rooted in the ancient religious, cultural and economic life of the Mizo people.
Sacred Groves were associated with beliefs, taboos and folklores which have helped in conserving the relict flora and fauna of the regions. By conserving the flora and fauna, the local communities have conserved valuable genetic resources and species, which can be used in further afforestation programmes. The most important aspects is the retention of often sizeable patches of forests from few hectares to a few hundred hectares as inviolable Sacred Groves.
Timber felling was taboo for the Mizos, insuring tree preservation through the ages. But collection of various non-wood produce and sometimes of fallen leaves for manure was carried out, without endangering the ecology of the people. The forests were considered the property of the gods and goddesses of the villages in which they were situated, and the trees, therefore, ought not to be cut without the permission of the deity.
The absorption of ancient deities into Christianity, often followed by church construction, was another early threat to Sacred Groves in Mizoram. Modern forest policies replaced the Sacred Groves or led to their decline.
The major threat to the groves arose from the state laying its claim over all the forests, including the groves, under the British regime. The state domination over the forests would have led to the villagers losing their hold over the land.
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