ABSTRACT
There is no dispute that the so-called ‘uprising’ or ‘rebellion’ of the tribes of the Indo-Burma frontier during the First World War was triggered by the recruitment of Labour Corps by the British colonial power. However, an in-depth study reveals that the turmoil in the frontier was far more than a resistance to the recruitment policy, as colonial records deliberately chose to maintain, it was a war (locally called gal) of liberation that culminated from decades-old colonial rule. The chapter is a case study of the war in the Chin Hills. Unlike the war in Manipur, which saw large-scale participation from the Zo (Kuki) people, the war in the Chin Hills witnessed participation from only one of the three subdivisions – i.e. Haka subdivision. Under such circumstances, the chapter attempts to answer the question: whose war was it, anyway? It argues that no matter how limited the nature and scope of the war in the Chin Hills was, it was fought for the freedom of the people from colonial bondage. It marked a significant milestone in the history of the Zo people. It was indeed an outburst of anger and a culmination of discontentment against the British colonial power.
