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The
people living in Jaintia Hills District of Meghalaya are called 'Pnar';
they are ethno linguistic group of people and the word Pnar encompasses an
ethno linguistic and geographical area within the administrative
boundaries of Jaintia Hills District. The Pnars
are believed to be of Indo-Mongoloid race although speaking a distinct
Austric language belonging to the Mon-Khmer group.
With regard to the social origin of the Jaintia people there is an
indigenous theory according to which they belonged to a common race, which
occupied a large area of Northern India, Burma, Indo-China and parts of
South China in the Neolithic period. The people inhabiting the District
are Pnars, Wars, Bhoi (Karbis) and Biates.
The people are often been described to be fond of amusements and
happy-going. The cheerful disposition of the people was an attraction to
the strangers. In general, they were simple, open hearted, honest people
with a very good sense of obligations and capable of sincere gratitude.
The bond of blood relationship is very strong among them.
Social
Structure
In the Pnar society the family is the core of social organization. Though
it is mother-centred, the authority of the house or "Iung" lies
with the eldest maternal uncle, he is the head of the clan and represents
the same in any village matters. But Marital and other institutional
affairs are based on the Matrilineal system.
Matriarchy in its true sense does not exists in the Pnar society. Inspite
of the female ownership of property the woman's elder brother is the
actual head of the household and when the husband, after the initial
matrilocal residence, establishes independent house, he is the undisputed
lord of the family. In the case where there is no female child, the mother
is succeeded by her son. Thus the system is called matraichal only by
courtesy.
Nowadyas
there has been tremendous change in the way of life of the Jaintia people
and it is not uncommon case for a man to live together with his wife and
children in separate houses and the house is solely run by the father of
the house and not by the uncles. Matriliny in Jaintia Hills does not mean
that the female are more supreme than the males but it is that tracing of
descent is done through a female side. The father no doubt is the head and
occupies an honoured position in a family.
Female
Inheritance
In Jaintia Hills traditionally, inheritance of real property passes from
mother to the youngest daughter called as 'khadduh'. Other sisters also
share the property but the youngest one shares more because of her
responsibility to the family. No man in the uplands of the Jaintia Hills
can possess landed property, unless it is self acquired, if a man dies and
leaves behind acquired property, his heiress will be his mother, if alive,
excluding wife, sons and daughters.
If the wife however, undertakes not to remarry, she will inherit half of
her husband property, which at her death will descend to her youngest
daughter by him. The youngest daughter who inherits the property has the
obligation, that she must look after the family idols and bear all its
Puja offerings out of her own pocket, if the youngest daughter changes her
religion she loses her position 
in
the family and is succeeded by her next youngest sister as in the case of
death.