THE Zous commemorated the Centenary of the Zou Gal (1917-1919) in Behiang village, Churachandpur district, near the Indo-Myanmar border, on December 18-19, 2017. The centenary stone, Zou Nampi Suongphum, was unveiled, and hundreds gathered to pay tribute to the souls who fought against the British during 1917-1919. Interestingly, Zou Nampi Suongphum is also inscribed in Zoulai script, adding a unique cultural touch to the memorial.
To protect their land and people, the
peace-loving Zou tribesmen were compelled to wage a costly war against the
mighty British, who encroached upon their ancestral territory.
Hiengtam and Gotengkot Forts served as the two main centres of resistance for the Zous, where both British soldiers and Zou fighters suffered heavy casualties.
A remarkable aspect of this struggle was that,
despite living in distant and scattered settlements, our forefathers rushed to
the epicentre of the conflict to support their fellow Zou warriors.
Their love, sacrifice, and unity are praiseworthy and serve as an inspiration for future generations. Though they lived in the hills in thatched, straw, or wooden houses, they abandoned their agricultural work and joined the fight against imperialist forces to defend their ancestral homeland.
In other parts of the Kuki areas, fierce fighting
also took place against the British. Early colonial writers referred to this as
the “Kuki Rebellion”.
This story from our side has never been recorded,
yet the truth remains.
At Zougal Cemetery stands the memorial stone of our brave Zou warriors, inscribed with their names, clan names, and villages — a lasting tribute to their sacrifice.
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| My great-grandfather. |
Let us honour their legacy by reflecting on their names through the lens of this writer, who visited the cemetery on 01 February 2021, Monday morning 8:47 AM to pay tribute to his great-grandfathers from the Suantak-Dopmul clans: Pu Goulian Dopmul, Pu Suokviel of Hita village, Pu Phungsel, Chief of Tuollien village, Pu Genzakham of Khuainuai village, and Pu Khaamdal Dopmul. This writer has discovered 97 names of Zou warriors. Undoubtedly, some may have been forgotten or remain untraceable.
The United Kingdom must acknowledge and apologize for the killing of our great-grandfathers on our ancestral land.
Here some photographs ...
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| PU GOULIAN DOPMUL (father of my grandfathers - Thangchinkhup & Mangzathang) |
My grandfather, Pu Mangzathang (son of Goulian Dopmul), composed a folk song
in our dialect about the Zou Gal:
Tuizum Mangkang kiilbang
hing khang,
Zota
kual zilbang liing e;
Pianna ka gamlei hi e! phal sing e!
Ka naamtem hiam a, i Zogam lei laal ka naw,
Sansii’n zeel e!
Ngalliam vontawi ka lau lou lai e.
Free
translation:
The
seafaring White Imperialist coils like the ‘kill’ plant,
Tremors of earthquake do quiver the Zo world,
’Tis the land of my birth: I shall not part with it!
Stain’d with blood is my Sword
That has routed the adversaries of Zoland,
I shall yet fight with the wild Boar, injured.
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The BRITISH owe us an APOLOGY for their GRAVE INJUSTICE during the Zou Gal uprising.
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| ZOLAI (SCRIPT) |
!!! Their voices silenced, but their legacy roars !!!
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