The Traditional Justice System Among the Wancho: A Historical Study of Customary Law, Dispute Resolution, and Social Order.

This study provides a socio-legal analysis of the traditional administrative and justice frameworks governing the Wancho community in Longding District, Arunachal Pradesh. Settled along the Patkai hill range of the Eastern Himalayas, the Wancho tribe historically established a governance system centered on hereditary chieftainship (Wangham). This research investigates the operational mechanics of Wancho customary jurisprudence, examining how traditional institutions maintain social equilibrium, manage territorial resources, and administer justice. Drawing upon primary empirical field data gathered from 50 key respondents across four major Wancho villages—Niausa, Senua, Chanu, and Longkhaw—and integrated with ethnographic literature and historical archives, the paper evaluates the structural composition of the traditional village council, rigid class stratification, youth dormitories (Pā), procedural arbitration, and traditional penal sanctions. The findings demonstrate that unwritten, orally transmitted customary laws continue to function as the primary framework for local dispute resolution and community cohesion. However, structural limitations emerge regarding complex cross-border territorial conflicts, uncodified legal interpretations, and historical gender exclusions within public adjudications. To address these challenges, the paper advocates for the systematic legal codification of Wancho customary jurisprudence and the formal integration of tribal governance bodies into statutory alternative dispute resolution frameworks.