he asks for the labour force. Siehmang Upa Siehmang Upa are selected members of the village council who aids the Chief in the Administration of the village. Elite capacities, Siehmang Upa are men of impeccable integrity and excellence in all walks of life. They are exempted from all kinds of tributes and taxes. The number of Siehmang Upa is relative to the size of the village. The combo of the Chief and Siehmang Upa constitute the village court wherein disagreeing parties sort out their differences or grievances. Anyone resolving to litigate against fellow-villager in the village court must pay the customary fee of a pot of country liquor. If any of the party is found guilty, then the same is compelled by ethics to slay, as a penalty, either a mithun or a swine and cough up a swelling pot of tribal brew. The village court also employs the service of the Tangsam or town-crier, which invariably is a hereditary status. Tangsam Otherwise known as the village/town-crier, the tangsam is the official spokesman of the village. Dr T.S. Gangte elucidated that the Tangsam has a prestigious role and the range of his chores is expansive. He is conferred with the duty to inform all the Siehmang Upa when and where the village council is to meet, and also to apprise the villagers of the outcome of the council's deliberations. For all his contributions, the villagers repay him with a tin of paddy each annually. It is hard to limit or detail the exact status and role of the Tangsam as he, literally, is the errand boy of the village who delivers as demanded. Thiempu (priest) A conspicuous facet of the primitive Gangte polity is the role played by the village priest, who is also the doctor of the village. Natively known as Thiempu, his status and role is a standout for the fact that there are certain areas of jurisdiction where his decision is the law. Given a situation, the priesthood is the only office that can challenge and curb the tyranny of the Chief. However, for all its might and main, priesthood is considered hereditary, with certain factors engendering its ascribedness. The nuances of healing and the enigma of medicine are well-kept secrets, finely hidden from the knowledge of the public. The passage of tricks of the trade is only between the priest and his sons or grandsons. Moreover,