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The Neihsial is an ethnic group found in northeastern India. Members of this group are largely concentrated in the Churachandpur, Senapati, and Chandel districts of the Indian state of Manipur. There is also a sizable population in the neighboring Chin State of Myanmar.
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The Neihsial speak a Tibeto-Burman language similar to the Vaiphei and Gangte tribal dialects. A large portion of the Neihsial are scattered among the Vaiphei, Gangte, Paite and Thadou tribes in India, where a significant proportion speak the Neihsial dialect and follow its traditions. The word Neihsial is being spell in various variations such as Neihsiel and Neihsel due to others dialects and literature influences. Currently, the Neihsial are not recognized as a tribe in India. Instead, the Neihsial are classified under the nomenclature Zomi.
The Neihsial have a subsistence form of agriculture, Jhum or slash-and-burn cultivation.
Origin
The meaning associated behind the word “Neihsial” is a combination of the words: “neih" means to have/possess and sial means to boast. Scholars believe that the name was derived from the phrase “boasting of wealth.”. As is the case with other neighboring tribes, the genesis of Neihsial cannot be effectively traced and produced, due to the lack of written historical evidence. However, through the local traditions it was known that the cruelties and hardships their ancestor suffered in the Kale-Chindwinvalley at the hands of the Kawls(Burmans) were so severe that lead to the first wave of migration straight into the Arakans in about the year A.D. 1,000. The second wave moved over to the Chin hills during A.D. 1200-1400 taking shelter in whatever shelter was available-tick woods, crests of rocks and even caves, and they referred to one such big cave where they took shelter known as khuul.
Religion
The traditional religion of the Neihsial is a combination of ancestor worship and animism. The Neihsial believed in the existence of a supreme deity whom they called “Pathian.” Besides Pathian, the Neihsial revered and feared a number of supernatural beings. Sacrifices of fowls, pigs, dogs and goats were made to appease the deities. The important traditional festivals of the Neihsial include Sa-ai, Gallu-ai and Lawmzu nek. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, foreign missionaries, mostly from the Western world, converted many Neihsials to Christianity.
By 20th Century, the Neihsial Christian Association(NCA) was formed May 11, 1989 at Neihsial Veng, Lamka, Churachandpur, Manipur. At its young stage, they were under the Manipur Christian Organization(MCO). After some years they formed alignment with the Wesleyan Methodist Church for about seven years. After parting from Methodist Church they reorganize NCA and function independently till these day. The denominational headquarters of NCA is at Neihsial Veng itself. They belief in trinity, the father, the son and the Holy Spirit. The NCA is head by one Executive Secretary, which is assisted by clerk and choukider. There is Executive Committee to deal with any important matters concerning with the organization.
Moral values of the Neihsial
The Neihsial society is patriarchal. It is patrilineal and patrilocal with a focus on the extended family. In the Neihsial society, it is a traditional practice that husband and wife never use each other's proper names as a sign of respect. Children also never use their parents' names. The parents are addressed as "Pa" (father) and "Nu" (Mother). The father and mother of another family are addressed by elders in the name of their eldest child, preceded by "Pa" or "Nu".