Rituals of Passage and Persistence: Death and Cultural Identity Among the Mizos of Northeast India

Abstract

The study explores the transformation of Mizo death rituals through the lens of syncretism, examining how indigenous cosmologies and Christian beliefs have merged into hybrid ceremonial practices. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork and comparative anthropology, it investigates ritual structures such as thlaichhiah, grave typology, and beliefs in the afterlife. The Young Mizo Association’s institutional role illustrates the cultural mediation and standardization of funerals. Theoretical frameworks, including van Gennep’s rites of passage and Geertz’s cultural bricolage, contextualize the ritual adaptations. The study argues that Mizo mortuary customs reflect cultural resilience, embodying negotiated identity and continuity amidst theological transformation and social change.

Keywords

Mizo tribal death rituals afterlife syncretism culture transformation

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