Dâra
Darmaka Ralte also known as Dâra was a Mizo interpreter for John Shakespear (British [Army officer)|John Shakespear] during the early era of British rule in the Lushai Hills. He later became Chief of Pukpui.
Life
Dâra was born Darmaka Ralte in 1843 in the village of Hmuizawl. At a young age, he travelled to the plains in Cachar and cohabited among the plainsmen and learnt Hindi. He would visit Sylhet and Cachar mostly for the selling of crude Indian rubber. His acquisition of Hindi provided him with opportunities in work, which led to his employment in the Burmese police guard under the British. Before that, he had heard at Silchar the government needed Lushai interpreters but was struggling to find any as most Mizos avoided going far to distant villages for interpreting. He stayed in Silchar for three years as an instructor of the Mizo language to the British frontier officers. However, as the British officers became fluent he became redundant. Dâra returned to making amber necklaces as a trade. Hearing the cheap price of supplies in Rangoon he went to British Burma with a letter of recommendation from Cachar officials. His amber beads trade wasn't as profitable as expected and he thus served in the Burmese police instead.Following the annexation of the Lushai hills. He is argued to be the first commoner appointed by the British as chief. His territory was defined as Pukpui and Kawmzawl and permitted to establish settlements anywhere within the boundary. During the Christianization era of Mizoram, the baptist missionaries began to grow in influence and their settlers began to farm on Dâra's land. A proclamation was made to protect his sovereignty and ban jhumming on his land from the church members. During this time in 1903, Dâra also expelled Christian converts from his villages, which led to the Christian village of Sethlun being established in 1903.
Dâra had three sons and two daughters. His son Thanghuta succeeded him in 1925 as Pukpui chief when Dâra became too old. Dara died at age of 100 in 1943.