Mawkyrwat Civil Sub-Division was notified as a fully fledged Civil Sub Division with effect from 26th June, 1982 under Government Notification No. HPL.539/81/51, dated 22nd June 1982. And, whereas, for public convenience and better administration the Governor of Meghalaya considers it necessary to upgrade the said Mawkyrwat Civil Sub-Division of West Khasi Hills District with minor modifications, therein, into a fully fledged District. And whereas, the new District will compose all the villages of two Community & Rural Development Blocks viz. Ranikor Community & Rural Development Block and Mawkyrwat Community & Rural Development Block, including 18(Eighteen) villages under Warsan Lyngdoh Gram Sevak Circle of Nongstoin in Community & Rural Development Block as listed in the Schedule-I to the Notification with the following boundaries:
- North: West Khasi Hills District
- South: Bangladesh
- East: East Khasi Hills District
- West: West Khasi Hills and South Garo Hills District
Now, therefore, the Governor of Meghalaya has upgraded Mawkyrwat Civil Sub-Division into a District Named as “South West Khasi Hills District” with headquarters at Mawkyrwat.
History of the name Mawkyrwat
According to the booklet, “Ka Khana Pateng jong ka Shnong Mawkyrwat” by Dr. O.L.Snaitang, the then Mawthengbah which is now called Mawkyrwat, there are 4 (four) events or stories as to why it is called Mawkyrwat;
Firstly, a story from the Dorbar Sankur ka Ri Khain Nonglang was that there was once a person named ‘U Kyrwat’ the first Zamindar of the Sankur who was also a very optimistic and well-educated person. When he was the Zamindar, there was a market at Nonglyngkien which is unique in their Clan and first of its domain, but far from Rilum and Riwar, therefore, under his leadership he shifted the market to Mawthengbah.
To strengthen the relocation of the market, ‘U Kyrwat’ performed rights and rituals by placing a large rock which commemorated the relocation and which was also to be a sign of blessings.
All the works done by ‘U Kyrwat’ was un-opposed and supported by the Sankur Clan and in his memory after his death the name Mawthengbah was changed to Mawkyrwat.
Secondly, another story about the origin of the name Mawkyrwat tells of an elderly woman named Iaw Men from the Sankur Clan, who established a market at Mawthengbah long before the Great Earthquake of 1897. The market brought prosperity to the people, and the clan elders felt deeply indebted to her.
After her death, they decided to honor her by erecting a large monolith. A suitable stone was found in the Banber area of Rangmaw village, but transporting it proved difficult. To overcome this challenge, the elders performed rituals and promised a human sacrifice called “U Langsohmoh.” Following this, the stone was miraculously moved with ease to Mawthengbah.
An orphan named U Kyrwat, a hardworking man of unknown clan, was chosen as the sacrifice. When the stone arrived, he was asked to enter the foundation pit under the pretext of completing the work. The elders then dropped the stone on him, killing him instantly and thus fulfilling the ritual.
The monolith was erected, and a smaller stone from Laitlawsang was placed on top to conceal the act, though it was later dislodged during the earthquake of 12 June 1897.
Although the monolith was meant to honor Iaw Men, the elders felt guilty about the sacrifice. Eventually, they named the place Mawkyrwat in memory of U Kyrwat, whose life was taken during the ritual.
Thirdly, the name was taken from the stone which contains the circlet crown outcrop which was from the bottom to the top. This stone was located near PWD IB and was formerly known as Sempakhir.
Lastly, there is information that the name ‘Mawkyrwat’ is named after Phankyrwat Lyngdoh of Mawten village who planted the rock, Mawbynna (monolith) at Sempakhir which was later known as IB Dakbangla. This story was from TBn.D.D.Khardewsaw taken from his article “Ka History Jong Ka Balang Presbyterian Mawkyrwat 1952-2002’ which states that the name Mawkyrwat came from a man name u PHANKYRWAT LYNGDOH from Mawten. This man planted a Mawbynna rock in the village near the office of the Sub-Divisional Officer – P.W.D. (R) Mawkyrwat.
Culture
The Khasi people predominantly inhabit the districts of South West Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, also known to be one of the earliest ethnic group of settlers in the Indian sub-continent, belonging to the Proto Austroloid Monkhmer race.
The Khasi-Pnars: The Khasis inhabit the eastern part of Meghalaya, in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills. Khasis residing in Jaintia hills are now better known as Jaintias. They are also called Pnars. The Khasis occupying the northern lowlands and foothills are generally called Bhois. Those who live in the southern tracts are termed Wars. Again among the Wars, those living in the Khasi Hills are called War-Khasis and those in the Jaintia Hills, War-Pnars or War-Jaintias. In the Jaintia Hills we have Khyrwangs, Labangs, Nangphylluts, Nangtungs in the north-eastern part and in the east. In the Khasi Hills the Lyngngams live in the north-western part. But all of them claim to have descended from the ‘Ki Hynniew Trep’ and are now known by the generic name of Khasi-Pnars or simply Khasis. They have the same traditions, customs and usage with a little variation owing to geographical divisions.
Dress: The traditional Khasi male dress is “Jymphong” or a longish sleeveless coat without collar, fastened by thongs in front. Now, the Khasis have adopted the western dress. On ceremonial occasions, they appear in “Jymphong” and dhoti with an ornamental waist-band. The Khasi traditional female dress is rather elaborate with several pieces of cloth, giving the body a cylindrical shape. On ceremonial occasions, they wear a crown of silver or gold on the head. A spike or peak is fixed to the back of the crown, corresponding to the feathers worn by the menfolk.
Food & Drinks:The staple food of Khasis is rice. They also take fish and meat. Like the other tribes in the North-East, the Khasis also ferment rice-beer, and make spirit out of rice or millets by distillation. Use of rice-beer is a must for every ceremonial and religious occasion.
Social Structure:The Khasis, the Jaintias and the Garos have a matrilineal society. Descent is traced through the mother, but the father plays an important role in the material and mental life of the family. While, writing on the Khasi and the Jaintia people, David Roy observed, ‘a man is the defender of the woman, but the woman is the keeper of his trust’. No better description of Meghalayan matrilineal society could perhaps be possible. In the Khasi society, the woman looks after home and hearth, the man finds the means to support the family, and the maternal uncle settles all social and religious matters. Earlier in the conservative Jaintia non-Christian families, however, the father only visits the family in the night and is not responsible for the maintenance of the family. Inheritance: Khasis follow a matrilineal system of inheritance. In the Khasi society, it is only the youngest daughter or “Ka Khadduh” who is eligible to inherit the ancestral property. If ‘Ka Khadduh’ dies without any daughter surviving her, her next elder sister inherits the ancestral property, and after her, the youngest daughter of that sister. Failing all daughters and their female issues, the property goes back to the mother’s sister, mother’s sister’s daughter and so on. The Ka Khadduh’s property is actually the ancestral property and so if she wants to dispose it off, she must obtain consent and approval of the uncles and brothers. Among the War-Khasis, however property passes to the children, male or female, in equal shares but among the War-Jaintias, only the female children get the inheritance
Marriage: Marriage within a clan is a taboo. Rings or betel-nut bags are exchanged between the bride and the bridegroom to complete the union. In the Christian families, however, marriage is purely a civil contract.
Religion: The Khasis are now mostly Christians. But before that, they believed in a Supreme Being, The Creator – U Blei Nongthaw and under Him, there were several deities of water and of mountains and also of other natural objects.