CHAPTER II

CLANS WHICH, THOUGH NOT ABSORBED, HAVE BEEN MUCH
INFLUENCED BY THE LUSHEIS

Fanai A CLAN which was rising into eminence, when our occupation

of the country put a stop to its further aggrandisement. The
chiefs trace their pedigree back six generations, to a man called
Fanai, who lived among the Zahaos, to the east of the Tjao.
His great grandson, Roreiluova, was a slave, or at least a
dependant, of a Zahao chief, and was sent with 70 house-
holds to form a village at Bawlte, near Champhai, in Lushei
territory, with the intention, no doubt, of enlarging the Zahao
borders, but Koreiluova entered into peaceful relations with the
Lushei chiefs, and gradually severed his connection with the
Zahaos, and, moving south-west, occupied successively various
sites to the west and north-west of Lungleh, between the
Lushai and Chin villages, maintaining his position with
considerable diplomatic skill, often acting as intermediary
between his more powerful neighbours. He died at Konglung
early in the nineteenth century, having attained such a position
that his sons were at once recognised as chiefs, and on our occupy-
ing the country in 1890 we found eight Fanai villages, containing
about 700 houses, grouped along the west bank of the Tyao and
Koladyne rivers, between Biate on the north and Sangao on
the south. Roreiluova's descendants seem to have inherited his
skill in diplomacy, for they kept on good terms with their
neighbours, and whenever these quarrelled managed to assist
the stronger without entirely alienating the weaker.

The clan is subdivided into six families and one branch.

The Fanai now talk Lushai and dress in the same way,

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