SHILLONG:
The Syngkhong Rympei Thymmai, an organisation which has been striving to overturn matriliny and establish patriliny in the Khasi tribe, has criticised the Khasi Hill Autonomous District Council’s (KHADC) decision not to issue Scheduled Tribe certificate to children who take the father’s surname.
President of the SRT, Teibor Khongjee, condemned the statements of KHADC, Executive Member, Elaka Jambor War, and Chief Executive Member Titosstarwell Chyne that Khasi tribe certificate should not be issued to people adopting their father’s surname as per Sections 3 and 12 of the KHADC Khasi Social Custom Lineage Act 1997.
Khongjee said that this will affect the children of Khasi parents who take the father’s surname.
He said that on October 14, 2019, the SRT had sent a memorandum to the government stating that many Khasis who had taken their father’s surname applying for ST certificates were harassed and the issue of such certificates was delayed for months.
The SRT president informed the Political department and referred the issue to the Social Welfare department, Law department, and District Council Affairs department.
He said that the Social Welfare department stated that in line with the advice received from the District Council Affairs department – “whatever procedure that was followed for the issuance of ST/SC certificates, the same may be continued to be adopted by the District Authority.”
The letter from the Social Welfare department also states that the Lineage Act, 1997 does not prohibit the issuance of ST certificates to the applicants adopting surnames of either the father or mother, and the practice of adopting husband surnames by non-Khasi wife was also allowed.
Khongjee further expressed his anguish that children born of non-Khasi males and Khasi females are issued ST certificates but not children whose parents are Khasis but had adopted the father’s surname.
SRT adviser Keith Pariat said that he has his father’s surname, and his father could have had this thinking that this age-old practice of taking the mother’s surname should end and the male should be given the power to shoulder the responsibility.
Pariat also said that if both the parents are Khasis, the children born of them would also automatically be Khasis.
“If we are not Khasis then who are we? Let the district council define who we are,” he said.