Re-reading Suakpuilala: ‘The Grand Old Man’ and the British Connection

Abstract

The Anglo-Mizo encounters in the nineteenth century form an integral part of historical writings of modern Mizoram. This is largely because of the abundance of colonial records and writings, and because these encounters played a significant role in the history of modern Mizoram. However, the large-scale and unfiltered use of colonial writings often led to misrepresentation and a lack of contextual analysis. This case occurs when discussing the relationship between Suakpuilala and the British. While at some point he is presented as a friend of the British, at the same time, he was involved in raids against the British, and all his sons were involved in resisting colonial incursions, and two of his sons were even martyred. The existing works on him struggle to fully account for his relationship with the British. This paper revisits this issue and tries to offer a more contextual analysis of his relationship with the British.