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murders and blood-money; dobashi demands fine from a man for illegally killing a calf 28 years ago; land disputes |
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Spent the whole day hearing cases. The usual crop of people from across the frontier. |
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Among other gossip I heard a fresh account of the Horomi affair in which the head man of one khel killed the head man of the other and was later killed himself. The story bears the aspect of truth. Zoike had a row with Sotushe and killed him. Sotushe's khel demanded compensation. Zoike's people then collected Rs60/- for that purpose, but before it could be paid Khuzhokhu of Shotumi heard of the subscription and weighed in with a demand for Rs15/- as a fine, and was paid it out of the 60/- which had been collected. The sum could not then be paid because it was short. Wochehe G.B. of Baimho then followed suit with a claim for compensation on the alleged ground that the dead Sotushe was his Huki. He extracted another Rs20/- from the fund. A third vulture in the shape of Zukishe, one of Gwovishea's sons, descended on the feast and took a khang of paddy per house of the offending khel. Then as the fellow clansmen of Sotushe saw the price of blood gradually dwindling and themselves unlikely ever to see the full amount they fell on Zoike and slew him. No one could tell me what became of the remainder of the cash that had been collected. It was reported by someone else that Wozehe and Khuzhokhu of Shothumi were still quarrelling. Apparently the foment was given an additional fillip some time ago - probably some years ago - by a quarrel in which one party quoted the authority of the dobashi Luzukhu for something. The other replied that Luzukhu was no dobashi but a scullion in Mokokchung kitchen. Luzukhu later visited Zukishe's village and backed by Zukishe and his brother Hovokhu realized Rs50/- on account of this "slander" of which Rs30/- was deposited with Khuzhokhu as a fund for the payment of Aowi to dobashis. It is not known what happened to the other Rs20/-. With any luck it will end by both Wozehe's and Khuzhokhu's being killed, like Sotushe and Zoike, and a very good riddance too if it does. |
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A man from Viyelho came in to complain that he had had a case with some men of his village about the killing of a calf 28 years ago and had been ordered by Luzukhu (either this year or last but apparently about 9 months ago) to pay Rs20/-. Of which he says that Rs15/- was paid to the owner of the calf and Rs5/- to Luzukhu as Aowi. It is most undesirable that dobashis should take up disputes of this sort. It is probably time that Luzukhu's transfrontier activites were checked - and his father's. Nahatomi and Tehephema are having difficulties about land. The land of the latter village comes right up to the edge of the former while the former has a tila close to the latter. It ought to be possible to effect an exchange. |
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The old case of cutting cane by Sakhai on Khushikonoma land came up as usual. I fined Sakhai for the third time. |
