Tribal traditions and crises of governance in north east India, with special reference to Meghalaya

In this paper, which sets the scene for new research, Apurba Baruah points to the need for close examination of the workings of traditional institutions of tribal communities in order to understand the conflict between traditional values and those of modern democracies. Such comprehension can help to resolve the conflict of values, that otherwise may create a major crisis of governance and may well be the cause of current violence in the North East India region.