Mizo - Settlements

In the past when the villages were under the control of chiefs their number and names were constantly changing. People were continually searching for land for cultivation and water. The villages were also split up among the sons of chiefs. A traditional village located on the spur of the hills was shapeless and clustered. In 1966 villages were reorganized under a Project called "Operation Security," which involved 68 percent of the population. These new villages are of a linear cluster type: a main road bisects each village and all smaller streets radiate from a central plaza, with groups of houses arranged along the roadsides. Each village has at least one church, a school, a blacksmith's workshop, and shops. Villages range from 60 to 80 houses with a population of 400 to 700. Houses are constructed on raised bamboo or wooden poles. There are two major house types: those with two-sided roofs and those with four-sided roofs. A typical ordinary house is rectangular in shape with a thatched two-sided roof. Floor and side walls are made of split or plaited bamboo with one or two windows. Those who are well-off use wooden planks for the floor and corrugated iron for the roof. Generally an earthen hearth is constructed near the left side in the center of the roof. In the traditional houses the main bed occupied by the head of the house is at the rear side of the hearth. The large room is also partitioned to make cubicles for privacy. Storage of grain and food is in a corner of the room. Poultry and pigs are kept either in the front veranda or in a small enclosure behind the house.