| caption: |
to Themoketsama; comparison of Rengma and Mezama groups show them to be the same |
| note: |
inaccurate spelling in the original text |
| text: |
[15] 4th March, Monday. Moved camp into Themokedima - distance about 12 miles over a capital road the whole way. About 8 miles from Chichama we passed through Themoketsama, a village containing about 250 houses. We are now among the Mezama (or Rengmah) Nagas, a dirty, squalid miserable looking race, physically far inferior to the Tengimah - though reputed to be equally blood-thirsty and fierce, though I doubt this very much. I had no sooner taken interest in Themoketsama than I at once saw that the Rengma of the Kolliani and the Mezama of the Doyang must belong to one and the same tribe, and on further investigation I found their houses, their dress, their manners (or rather customs) and their language to be almost exactly alike; the latter I ascertained by having fortunately brought with me a list of Rengmah words and was thus enabled to compare the two dialects. Both my brother and I were much struck and exceedingly surprised at finding two such utterly dissimilar races, Tengemahs and Mezemas, living almost I may say within a stone's throw of each other. |
