• Pauchungnung Vaiphei

: In the distant past the vaiphei society was marred by inter-village warfare and the practice of headhunting was the order of the days. It is almost akin to what Thomas Hobbes had described human nature in his work Leviathan (1651), …in essence life is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” To protect the people's life and security and end such an anarchical state of affairs, a strong village administrative system has emerged in due course of time amongst the Vaiphei. In this administrative system the Chief of the village is the center of power he combines in him all the legislative, executive, and judiciary power. He appointed a council of elders to assist him in the village administration. However, he had the power to veto the decision of his council of elders. Such a strong administrative system is necessary for those days to regulate its member's behavior, especially potentially disruptive behavior. As such the Chief power is used altruistically for the attainment of the common goal of the village. He is the sovereign owner of the land and the villagers used to pay a certain amount of paddy at the end of harvesting every year as a land tax. The chief is the guardian of the village and a father figure to the villager. Therefore, looking after the welfare of the villagers is the sole responsibility of the chief and he is ready to sacrifice his life for the villager. Even, after the introduction of the modern form of village administration by the state government the village Chief’s position remained intact and he administer the village with elected village authority members. The new form of village administration called, The Manipur (Village Authority in Hill Areas) Act,1956 introduced a democratic system of governance at the grass root level. This act provides an opportunity for villagers to participate in the village administration.

Vaiphei, Chief, council of elders, Village, Administrative System, Traditional, Modern.

"Traditional Vaiphei Village Administrative System: Continuity and Change", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.10, Issue 3, page no.i201-i209, March-2023, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2303832.pdf

"Traditional Vaiphei Village Administrative System: Continuity and Change", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.10, Issue 3, page no. ppi201-i209, March-2023, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2303832.pdf