How were traditional Mizo villages governed?

Traditionally, Mizo villages were situated on hill crests or spurs and were fortified by stockades until the region was pacified under British rule. Each village functioned as an independent political unit governed by a hereditary chief.1

Mizo society was traditionally stratified, consisting of chiefs, commoners, serfs, and slaves, the latter of whom were typically war captives. While the British administration eventually suppressed practices such as feuding and headhunting, they continued to administer the region through these indigenous chiefs. Over time, the Mizo developed an autocratic political system that was based on approximately 300 of these hereditary chieftanships.12