Customary Land use Pattern of the Tribals in Manipur: a case study of the Zeliangrong Community in Tamenglong District

Abstract

Land in the Zeliangrong community is controlled under the customary land tenure system in which the village owner (Nampou) governed it by granting equal access to all the families within groups with common lineages. Rapid changes in the domestic situation of the village through government policies of rural development, there is an increase complexities which led to the alteration of traditional land tenure systems in Tamenglong District. So also, economic challenges purely for commercial purposes and private interest gave rise to privatisation of the community land. Moreover, customary property rights system are not documented as a result there is inability on the part of the Nampou to provide tenure security which in fact create dilemmas among the villagers who live at the mercy of the Nampou. The customary tenure system seems to be collapsing slowly because of the emerging patterns of growing inequalities provoked by local politics, church, access, control and ownership by few. This article focus on the mushrooming evidence of problem between the domain of formal and customary tenure systems where opportunity resides with a potential contributors to effective cooperation between tenure regimes. There is the need for a new planning of land rights negotiated by a participatory process and coordinated by both state government and traditional institutions.