Tangkhuls Are Not Naked Tribes

The Meetei goddess, Nongpok Ireima is a Tangkhul women. She was married to a Meetei king Tabungba. Today, Meetei worships the Tangkhul woman as a Goddess and presence of Tangkhul brothers and sisters is a mandatory during Lai Haraoba of Ima Nongpok Ireima.

Irengba married the daughter of  Tangkhul Chief  Khayingba, Pidongnu Nuphabi. which is known as Haoreima  Tamheibi by the Meetei.

The leirum  (Tangkhul phee)  which is an important gift in every Meetei marriage is her father's (gift) to the Meetei king.

Interestingly the Chingdai Khullakpa (headman)  Khayingba was the second son of Thingol Likmaba of the Khuman principality. He went up to the hill to become a hillman and later became the chief of Chingdai village.

King Paikhomba married  Ingallei (Matrimei), daughter of Maram Khullakpa. The last royal blood of King Pakhangba, Charairongba was their son.

Tangkhul women performing dance during the Luira Phanit festival

The romantic relationship between the Meetei king Paikhomba and Maram tribal woman Ingallei, and the tragic end of Ingallei are soul stirring episodes in the personal relation of a  Meetei king with the hill people. The abode of Ingallei is still located at the Langol hill, and the deity of the abode is known as Tarung Lairembi in the Imphal West district.

King Charairongba too married a Chothe women.

All these suggest Manipur is a land for the Meetei, Tangkhul, Maram, Chothe, Anal, Thangal, Kabui and various other tribes. The land is not for Kuki or Naga.

We have to sit together and read history and keep that bonding intact who are trying to break the land with vested interest only.

The word "Naga" and the new religion "Christianity" came only 200 years ago. We have to read and understand history beyond this period!

When the colonial administrators and missionaries first visited the Naga Hills, the tribals used to identity themselves with a particular tribe and not as a Naga. The name "Naga" was given to them by the people of the Assam plains and in the last century was used indiscriminately for the Abhors and Daflas as well as for the Nagas themselves.

The word, Naga and Nagamese came into vogue at the same time in the closing years of the Nineteenth century. Nagamese, a form of Assamese enlived by tribal words, is what the Nagas spoke with the plains people of Assam for centuries, which later on became the lingua franca over a loosely defined territory.

Definition and the probable meaning of the term Naga was defined by Prof Gangmumei Kamei in his book "History of Manipur (Pre Colonial Period) as a derivatives from Sanskrit word Nag (snake) or Nagalogae or Nagalog, which signifies Naked.  Another view from the Myanmar side supported that the word Naga is derived from the Ear piercing tribes.

More researchers are of the opinion that the term Naga is mostly suitable for Naked people who lived in the forest where no one can entered.  Further studies by the Britishers shows there were still naked people living in the Naga Hills.

Our study reveals that there are no naked tribes in Manipur. We have a rich civilizations and tribes living in the hills of Manipur had different clothes which are colourful and have symbolic meaning.  Although, British missionaries came along with Bible, they have not brought the dress and culture in the land.

Dress worn by the Tangkhuls were beautifully woven and crafted over the ages. Haora and Changkhom of the Tangkhul tribe is filled with their own distinct design and pattern. How can we called them Naga (naked) tribe if the above definition of Prof Gangmumei Kamei is confirmed as the  only legitimate meaning of Naga? So, Tangkhuls are not naked tribes.

(Excerpt from the forthcoming book TANGKHULS ARE MEETEI TRIBE)

Unique Naga History - Where is Tangkhul in the history?

One cannot create Unique Naga history in the Northeast region by showing "Head Hunter", "Snake Eater", "Roman Script", or  Christianity".  If the Britishers were not in the North East frontier of India, the term "Naga" would not be created even in 2016 A.D. 

Instead of fooling present and future generations, the apostle of Tangkhul, Shri Th Muivah should  provide genuine, undistorted and acceptable history of the Tangkhul to be eligible to call themselves "Naga". Give us the political history, traditional and cultural insignia of Tangkhul to be part of  unified Naga history. 

Th Muivah began the Nagafication of Manipur tribes starting 1960s and even resort to ethnic cleansing, the infamous Naga Kuki War of 1990s  which is carried out to Aimol tribes recently.

As per Linguistic and Anthropologist definition, of the term Naga, Tangkhuls were not naked tribes. . Like the Meetei,  Tangkhul forefathers have beautifully weave 10 patterns of cloths. With the coming of Christian, the western writer and the Church preachers called those native people who follow the indigenous religion as "Haomi" (people of Hao). "Kameo" is  the indigenous religion of the Tangkhul community. Just like Sanamahi of the Meetei.

To define religion for the people of Tangkhul was easy if the definition was to be given based on the Christian faith they have at present but to define it from the traditional religion the people had, was one tough thing. There was no god, there was no name to their religion, rather only the spirits which also vary from village to village.

Some Tangkhul scholars says that the Nagas have been in their present settlement (known as Nagalim- created lately after 1950s) since time immemorial. However, their own folklores do not support this theory. Tangkhul folklores tell us that they originated in Myanmar.

Origin of Tankhuls is vague and tangkhul scholars gave different versions of their origin. Some connect them with the Valley, some give Hundung (near present Ukhrul town) and some Makhen in Senapati district of Manipur.

They further defend that British did not intefere with the affairs of the Nagas. This is completly wrong . Even the term "Naga" was attached with different tribes of Manipur by Christian preachers, anthropologist etc, with sole purpose of setting a theocratic land in the Northeast frontier of erstwhile British India. British gifted the Tangkhuls and other hill tribes "Christian", "Naga" "Bible", "Roman Script" and "Western Education" as early as 1890s, yet we regarded Tangkhul as under privileged tribes in the Indian Constitution.

British left India in 1947, yet slavery is there in the form of religion. When the struggle for freedom was in full swing, a section of Christian occupied ideas started demanding continuation of British rule in their area (present day Kohima). Some British officers thus, put forth the idea of "Crown Colony" between Myanmar and India, comprising of Christianize tribes from both Countries. 

Tangkhuls and other tribes of Manipur were in their own world at this juncture. They have no idea of a Naga movement until 1950s when A.Z.Phizo came to Manipur to gather soldiers for Naga National Council (NNC). Can we termed event which is born in 1950s, just 70 years as "Unique" and indigenous political history?

Mount Japvo (3000 MSL), which is close to present day Manipur border in Nagaland and other associated mountain range are much higher than the the mountains of Manipur. When head hunters was the danger faced even by Britishers, how could the Tangkhul mixed with the tribes residing in Kohima, crossing the difficult Mount Javpo? There was not a single reference to Tangkhul and Nagaland interaction till 20th Century.  These high peak act as a "watershed" for the flow of Tangkhuls staying in Ukhrul and Nagas staying in Kohima. 

However, it is not wrong to say the tribes of Nagaland had done business and exchange cultural symbols with the plains of Assam since time immemorial. Same as the Meeteis have done with the Cacharis, Tripuris and Ahoms for more than 2000 years.

Some 10 years ago, before Th Muivah and Government of India have come together for a Ceasefire Agreement, the real Nagas from Nagaland  regarded Tangkhuls an unwelcome guest and ruled out the possibility being a part of the Nagas. I am confident this political marriage will not be acceptable by the Nagas of Nagaland even today.

If Scholars and Political researchers are claiming tribes of Manipur (be it the Tangkhul, Kabui, Maram) have close unique history with the Nagas of Nagaland, where is the connecting link between them?  I don't find any missing links here, be it in terms of business, matrimonial, language or religion.

In early days, important and most prosperous Tangkhul villages of Ukhrul, Tolloi, Ngaimu, Somdal, Tuinem and Phadang have business relationship with the Meeteis in the valley. 

Today, the cultural promotion group among the Tangkhuls are proud of their rich colourful dresses like the Haora (shawl) which they now called Naga Shawl,  While promoting the beautiful design and colours of Leirum phi, kairao phi, Lai phi, Longkhum Kasum, Sukham phi, Pordesum phi the group should not forget to mention the Meetei for providing those indigenous dyes used by the weavers of Tangkhuls. 

Distortion of words and terms to get a unique history is a blunder doing by the scholars nowadays. They want every Meetei name or termed to be abolished from the Tangkhul village to delink the age old history of Tangkhul in Manipur to represent themselves as Naga. On the contrary, even today, one Tangkhul village can't understand the dialects of another village in Manipur.

Many places and villages in the remotest Tangkhul region have Meetei names. To cite few, Jessami is Phundrak, Svemi is Chingjaroi, Ramvah is Lambui. If Meetei have not reached these villages, there won't be any necessity of naming these place. 

Many young Convent educated historian claimed that Manipur Kingdom was valley based only. British expand the map of Manipur to hills. The question is "Are Britishers Meetei king's close relatives or friends"? These Convent educated historian forget the ABC of British Colonial Imperialism.  Those who talked of Manipur got the present Hill districts from British should know that  the British Imperial never tolerated any independent authority which they thought obstacles  in their rule.

When the Britisher who came as late as 1890s knows about the history of Manipur, why the Tangkhul and other communities who have been living  in the land for many centuries didn't understand the history of Manipur? It's a shame indeed!

Modern Manipur was neither created after 1947 nor created by the British in 1830s. It had been there, ruled by valley based Kings, indeed, the longest dynasty to rule any kingdom in world history! British accepted the situation and the borders of Meetei Kingdom.

When Manipur was defeated in the Anglo Manipur war, Britishers posted an political resident as done in all principalities in their occupied Kingdoms. Thus Manipur was also included in British India. The hills of Manipur were in the territory of Meetei King and the King was under the British. If the Hills were outside the King's authority, then it would be outside the British Empire.

In nearly every Tangkhul Village, the title "Khullakpa" was given to an officer for convenience of administration of village affairs. There is also an officer titled "Meetei Lambu" who knows the Meetei language more than other villagers.

Now, every tribes of Manipur who are proud to call themselves "Naga by Blood" must answer Where is Naga, what language does Naga speaks, What religion does Naga follows, how old is the political history of Naga?

If unable to give a reply, the best way is to embrace the traditional and native culture, religion and language which every proud community is following to promote their roots.