Life of Pei: Transitions in Rongmei Naga Village Governance

Abstract

The broad objective of this study is to examine the extent to which the Pei (village council) of the Rongmei Nagas has been reconstituted as it encountered and negotiated with modern institutions and practices over the past two centuries. The Rongmei, one of the major Naga tribes inhabiting Manipur, Nagaland, and Assam, traditionally followed a village-based polity in which the Pei functioned as the central governing authority. Composed of male elders and guided by consensus, it regulated political, economic, judicial, and ritual life, embodying a system of customary governance rooted in collective responsibility and social harmony.