The land tenure system in the Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya reflects the distinctive customary institutions and social organization of the Jaintia tribal community. Traditionally, land was not regarded merely as an individual economic commodity but as a resource connected with community, clan and family rights. The system developed according to customary laws and practices and was closely associated with the traditional political institutions of the Jaintia people. The Jaintia Hills historically consisted of areas governed through indigenous institutions such as the Syiemships and other traditional authorities. Land rights were regulated by customary rules rather than by a uniform system of private ownership. The traditional system recognized different categories of land and differentiated between rights over cultivated land, residential land, forest areas and community resources. A major feature of the traditional system was the importance of community and clan ownership. Land used for shifting cultivation, forests, grazing and other common purposes was often subject to collective rights. Clan institutions played an important role in determining access to land and regulating its use. Certain forests and natural resources were treated as common property and could not