NAITUH DI

BRU HISTORY

Reangs are one of a tribes residing in the states of Tripura, Assam and Mizoram. They belonged to Mongoloid and speak Tibeto-Burman language(Kaubru). They had a belief in benevolent (Buraha, Longdrai) and a malevolent( Songraima, Mainokma, Khunokma) and were believed in witchcrafts and omen. They belonged to Kuki family. Kuki, a Bengali word, which means something savage or wild hilly people. When the British took possession of Bengal, they had their contact with hill tribes and named them Kuki.


During Tlang dynasty in China in the early 9th century, Reangs were believed to settle in a kingdom of Chindwin valley along with other Zo clans. They were constantly in move on account of war. Being a weaker and a smaller in population, they had to move from place to place. They moved mostly towards South and south west. As a fallout of major tribal wars during 13th to 16 th century, they had crossed Kabaw valley. Majority of them moved to the west and some of them had moved to south and few to the north. This was ensured by the presence of the descendent of Reangs in Arunachal Pradesh, Myanmar and Western and Southern Mizoram. Further, the dresses of the women of reangs descendent in Arunachal and Myanmar are same with those in Mizoram.


Reangs were believed to reach Mizoram by the early 16th century. But when the Lusei had been pushed to west by Zahau, Thlantlang, Haka and Tlasun, then Lusei had to crossed Triau river and entered Mizoram. Lusei pursued Reangs' possession by little power since Reangs were not indulged in wars for possession of land. They left their region uttering that there were a vast land for cultivation on this world, so we don't need to worry about it.


On the west of Tiau river,the Lusei had established a village named Selesih, on combining a number of subtribes into one in 1740. When Lallula became the chief of Selesih, he made a fault play on his friendship with eastern chiefs and launched a massacre of Thlan rawt where a number of warriors died in it. Ensuing this massacre, many of Lusei felt threatened and migrated toward south pushing a handful of Reangs to southern region. On the south, there were chakmas and Marmi who were stronger than Reangs which made them split into smaller group and spread scarcely.


By the 1810, the Lusei had driven Hmar, Reangs, Tiperra and Saks away from the western. Hmar moved to north, Reangs and Tiperra together fled to west and Saks to south of Arrakan. Later, by 1890 Reangs had consolidated themselves in the hilly regions of the west of the present Mizoram which the Raja of Tiperra claimed that all outlying hills bordering to Tiperra belonged to him.


Dawnga meska.