houses, but the Twantaks and Toklaings drove them from the village. The fight continued until nightfall when, undercover of the darkness, the attacking host retired. The Burmans accompanying the Tashons out of the Siyin country, eventually returned to the plains via Lumin and via Falam. Three days later a large party of Burmans arrived at the summit of the Letha range with rice for the Burman force. They were unaware that the army had retired as it had taken an unknown route to the plains. The Twantaks and Toklaings at once attacked the Burmans, seized their rice, killed some twelve of them and captured five guns. The Burmans fled back to the plains.
Fighting with Manipur
No-man only once carried arms against the Manipuris when he assisted the Soktes to repel the attack on Tiddim in 1857, The fight has been described in the chapter dealing with the Soktes. The Siyins say that having so easily overthrown the Maharajah’s troops on that occasion, they were encouraged to resist the British troops 31 years later.
No-man and the Twantaks and Toklaings did not raid in the Champai tract of Lushai, and those Siyins who accompanied the Sokte raiding parties into Lushai were the Limkais and the Bwemans.
No-man died at a great age and was succeeded by Kuppow, his third son (the youngest being dead).
III. THE SIYINS UNDER KUPPOW
Combination against Kuppow
Kuppow at once prosecuted bis father’s feud with Burma, and at the head of the three clans 2 of Twantak, Toklaing, and Bweman e attacked and destroyed Kalemyo, carrying off even the ponngyis into captivity. At this time a Wun was in temporary charge of the Kale State. He raised an army to destroy the Siyins, enlisting the sympathies of the Soktes and Tashons in his cause, and at the same time making friendly overtures to the Limkais to ensure their neutrality during the campaign. The Tashon army, drawn as usual from the Yahows and Whenohs, as well as from the Tashon villages, marched to Sagyilain, where it was joined by the Soktes under Yapow, Kochim, and Yetol.
Whilst the allies were awaiting the approach of the Burman force from the east, the Limkais informed Kuppow that he was surrounded, as the Tashons lay on his south, the Soktes would advance from the west, whilst one Burmese force was marching down from the north and another approaching from the cast,
Break up of the confederacy.
Kuppow considering his position desperate decided to use diplomacy to at once save village and defeat his enemies the Burmans. He therefore sent profuse professions of friendship to the Soktes and Sagyilain and an expression of submission to the Tashons. He promised also a slave each to Falam, Yapow of Molbem, and Twankam, Chief of Sagyilain, if the Chin forces would withdraw. 3 The Tashons and Soktes accepted Knppow’s messages as satisfaction and returned to their homes.
1 The Burmans confirm this story, and state that of 75 men who carried rice to the hills only 53 returned.
2 The Limkais did not take part in this raid.
3 Kuppow did not keep his promise
The Siyin ancesters are sharp and clever to against the intruder, that was why the British commented the Siyins as thief or unreliable people. Intruder Bristish hung some sort of metal in their base, for alarm bell or to alert when trouble occur. The Siyins later understand British made noisy lousy sound with the hanging staff to alert the troop, whenever they approach the base. So, they stole the staff again and again no matter how many time the British replaced it.
The Siyin represent true chareacteristic of the suantak family. Unlike vaiphei gangte and other suantak decendents who ran away from trouble the siyin-suantak faced any challenge. they choose to be dead or killed or even extinction rather than being subdued