ABSTRACT
The indigenous Kukis carried on age-old warrior traditions of defending their people and ancestral homeland. This chapter aims to revisit the 'military' in traditional Kuki society and the Anglo-Kuki War by discussing the significance of the som or som-in institution in imparting the warrior-tradition. Som is a very old institution among the Kukis. It is very difficult to say when it started and how it evolved over time. The chapter discusses the role of som in traditional Kuki society, especially how it groomed young boys as readymade 'soldierly material' for the community and beyond. The traditional Kuki society was largely characterised by the principles of cooperation and communitarianism rather than individual interest and individualism. There are ample evidences to show that the Kukis had fought gallantly and skillfully against the trained military forces during the War, a point recognised in colonial field reports. An equally important part of the training imparted in som was khutthem, or skills and industry.
