Resistance Movements in North East India: the Jaintias of Meghalaya 1860-1863

In January 1860, the Jaintias, concerned that the British Indian Government had imposed a house tax on them, the collection of which had started some month earlier and further aggravated by the restrictions on the local customs, rose in resistance to the imperial power. What started as a localised upheaval soon spread over the entire Jaintia Hills. Suppressed in a few months, the British were caught unaware when the Jaintias rose in resistance again in 1862. It was another two years and more before the ＂little war＂ as it was called, was finally suppressed. This is the first detailed study on what was perhaps the most serious resistance to British rule in North-East India after 1857. The author has made judicious use of Jaintia oral history, weaving these sources with archival and published references. The origins of the uprising its nature and course of military operations are presented in detail but without losing focus on the central issue of a tribal resistance offered to alien rule. The book should be useful for those interested in the study of resistance movements, British imperialism and the North-East of India in particular.