Relation between Anal and Meetei Tribe

History of Manipur will be incomplete without knowing about #Tangkhul Sarang Pakhangba, Funal #Maring Telheiba, #Chothe Thangwai Pakhangba, #Kabui Salang Maiba, Wangpuren of #Anal.

Don't be proud of two terms #Kuki and #Naga given by some foreigners. Know your roots, your identity and culture.  No force can erase the history of Manipur. Citing some researcher's view, "...Mao-Maram and Tangkhul ladies were the queens of Manipur from time to time. Notably, Ingallei, queen of Paikhomba, Nungthilchaibi, queen of Pamheiba, from the Mao-Marams and queen Leisana of Pakhangba from the Tangkhuls."

After the Nongban clan, Nongyai from the Khuman Clan gained the ascendency. He has nine children and established their settlements at Mongba Sangai. His eldest son, Kaobi was the progenitor of the Khuman clan. The youngest son, Angou became an Angom. Another son became a Tangkhul.

When Kege (Keke) became the ruling clan, it brought in three clans namely, Khaba,Tangba and Chakot. Khaba became Khamaran tribe, Tangba became Tangkhul tribe and Chakot became the Chakot tribe. The Kege clan went southwards and merged with the Moirang clan. All these clans existed around 2000 BC, after King Kangba era.

An Anal tribe living in the Chandel District of Manipur. (photo courtesy - HL/Google image)

Even, the Anal tribes living in Chandel district of Manipur cannot be separated from the Meetei tribes. Wangbrel, one of the nine deities who protect the south direction married an Anal lady named Shangnu of Anal Khullen. Wangbrel was the God of Water. Homage is regularly paid at the Shrine, erecting two stones of which the bigger one symbolises Wangbrel while the smaller symbolizing Shangnu.

(Excerpt from the forthcoming book TANGKHULS ARE MEETEI TRIBE) 

State Re-organisation to Solve Indo - Naga Issue

Why India mentioned Manipur in the Shillong Accord of 1976 as Supplementary Agreement, without consulting the Government of Manipur? The same thing is repeated now while signing the Indo-Naga Framework Agreement of 2015. And some fools in the United Naga Integration Council thought that state unit of Indian National Congress is the final authority to allow the integration of Naga tribes, paving way for a separate homeland in Manipur. 

If BJP Government at the Centre is happy and convinced to satisfy few tribes who called themselves as Naga in Manipur, then please work towards State Re-organisation in entire Northeast India. If India is ready for South Nagalim within Manipur and "shared sovereignty" in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur, let us divide Northeast based on the ethnic communities.

Though, it is impossible for State Re-organisation in the ambit of Indian Constitution. If Centre believes they can play with the Constitution of India to appease few people, let us do state re-organisation!

The BJP Government in Assam should stop importing and exporting Bangladeshi Muslims or Hindus first. For Assam will have drastic impact with the appeasement policies of Centre. The BJP government at the Centre is seriously concerned about pleasing Th Muivah, NSCN (IM) leader from Manipur to be the torch bearer of ending decades long Indo-Naga conflicts.

Let those tribes residing in Arunchal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland and Manipur make their own land. Likewise, Assamese living in the entire Northeast too formed a separate State. Let Kukis living in Manipur, Assam, Mizoram and Nagaland too formed a separate Kukiland.

Meetei must formed a separate land with those Meetei living in Nagaland, Assam Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram. The same rights be given to other communities too, if India believes that such proposal to integrate Nagas is acceptable for bringing peace in the entire region.

The question is how much sacrifices have been done by some tribes who called themselves Naga. How many villages in Manipur, Assam or Arunachal Pradesh are torched and innocent killed by Indian forces to suppress the Naga struggles for freedom from India? How many villages in the proposed South Nagalim revolted against the Indian forces like the Naga brothers are suffering for freedom from India? 

During the period from 1953 to 1955 it was reported that the activity of the Naga Movement resulted in lawlessness, violence and created a fear psychosis in the minds of people living in the Naga Hills. By 1955 over 10,000 Nagas had been beaten up and tortured, 1562 women were beaten up and assaulted, out of whom 709 girls were below 20 years of age. 515 granaries were destroyed or burned down,1811 men were maimed through torture, 482 houses had been looted by Indian soldiers; 60 houses belonging to Naga leaders were pulled down and many schools were occupied by the Indian armed forces; 46 villages, containing 10, 791 houses had been attacked as many as 223 times, and Rs 86, 517.60 was been imposed as "fines". 

Let us not linked Oinam incident in Manipur with the freedom struggle of Nagas. It was purely a different issue. On 9 July 1987 the Oinam village become quite a nightmare of terror and horror when the Assam Rifles Outpost near this village was raided in broad daylight by the NSCN. 

Indian general elections of 1952 and 1957 had been totally boycotted by the Naga brothers. But, the so called Tangkhul leaders were enjoying in Delhi as Member of Parliament, right from 1952 onward. And why no Tangkhuls or Maos or Zeliangrongs or Marams or any Naga tribe who claimed to settle in Manipur, signed the 1951 plebiscite? 

BJP leaders should study the facts and act accordingly. Entire communities in Northeast want to see Naga get their solutions, for they have suffered much! But India should not divide Manipur or any other States to satisfy fake Naga tribes who were waging war against its own people!

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)

There was no Naga or Kuki in Manipur

There was no Naga or Kuki in Manipur (erstwhile Kangleipak). Tangkhul, Kabui, Maring, and Kom tribes are the offsprings of Meetei tribe.

These tribes are the progenies of Seven Clans. Meetei who migrated to the Koubru (North west) direction came to be known as Meetei Kabui which further migrated to Thibomei (Kohima) and settled there as Aomei, (Ao), Lothamei (Lotha), Liangmei (Liang) of present day Nagaland. 

Those meetei ancestors who migrated to the Moirang (south west) direction are called as Meetei Kom which later sub divided into Koireng, Anal, Chiru, Chothe, Purum, Kharam, Koirao, Lamkang, Moyon, Monsang and Tarao.

Meetei Maring migrated towards Meiram (south east direction) are known as Meetei Maring.

And those Meetei who migrated towards Chingkhei (Northeast) are known as Meetei Tangkhul. Earlier Tangkhul used to be called as Tamkhul or Distant village by the Meetei.

Before 1944, most of Meetei Tangkhul in Ukhrul worshipped animism and followed the ancestrals rituals. However, after Second World War, Christiany became powerful and identity of Meetei Tangkhul was replaced by Naga Identity.

When Maharaj Churachand allowed to revive Meetei culture and religion, those tribes from the Hills who wanted to convert themselves into Hinduism fold were taxed 80 rupees and 8 Pai (One sheer) which is a huge amount for the hill people to afford, So Christianity was more favourable in the Hills. This has led to the growing distant among the Valley (Hindu) and Hill (Christian).

----- Excerpt from the forthcoming book "TANGKHULS ARE MEETEI TRIBE"

British officers were proud of the Meetei Race

When Sir James Johnstone was the Political Agent of Manipur, he went to an expedition in Burma border along with Meetei soldiers. They were inspecting the area located in present day Somrah Tangkhul (in Myanmar) and few other places like Jessami. 

When they were at Jessami village, Sir James Johnstone asked one of the Manipuris to challenge any Naga, to a wrestling match. None of the villagers came forward, though the village have strong men. He confirmed his opinion that Manipuris were superior to any of the hill tribes in the kingdom.

British used Burmese soldiers to controlled the Tangkhuls living along the Myanmar border. During one such occasion, 700 Burmese soldiers who were sent by the Britishers were totally wiped out by the Tangkhuls. However, as the Meetei forces advanced, different tribes, after one struggle, quietly submitted and on both occasions, the people in Tangkhul areas were in admirable orders  and behaved as if they had always been peaceful subjects of Manipur.

Thang Ta - Meetei Warrior (Image credit- E-pao.Net)

The Meetei race have stable and industrious qualities which the Burmese and the Shans do not posses. The men are capable of learning anything and the women are famous as weavers. In any expedition, Meetei are always ready to march,and march all day and all night, if necessary.

With such powerful skills in warfare, it was confirmed that for the greater part of the last century, the Kabaw valley unquestionably belonged to Manipur and it was never in any sense a Burmese province. When it was out of Manipur Kingdom, a feudatory of the Shan Kingdom of Pong controlled it.

Terming Meetei as the descended of  Indo-Chinese race, Sir James Johnstone wrote about the enigmatic qualities of Meetei as , " the Indo-Chinese races exceed even the ordinary Asiatic on reserve and Sphinx like Characteristics, and the Manipuris are an inscrutable set.."

One possible reason for linking Meetei with the Chinese might be from the fact that starting 1250 A.D., a large Chinese force invaded the Meetei Kingdom, which was signally defeated. All who were not killed were made prisoners. These taught the Meetei the silk culture and a most of them were made to settled in Senjam Kameng in Imphal West. The Chinese also taught the art of Brick making.

People living in and around the Naga Hills (present day  Kohima ) held the Manipuri more superior than the British. During the Kohima expedition, the Nagas told the Manipuri not to co-operate with the British against them. They prefer to remain under Manipur as a feudal subject  rather than an occupied territory of the British.

Even after bringing  the Nagas into the subjection to the British rule, there were two parties in every Angami village - one attached to the interest of Manipur and another to that of the British.  (Lieutenant Vincent).

Johnstone also mentioned clearly in his "My Experience in Manipur"  that there is every reason to believe that Manipuris in former days did penetrate  into the Naga Hills and exacted tributes when they felt strong enough to do so. All the villages have Manipuri names in addition to their own..

Whenever a Manipuri visited such Naga village he was treated as an honoured guest, at a time when a British subject could not venture into the interior without risk of being murdered.

During the Kohima expedition (1879-1880), the Nagas regarded Manipuri as the greater power of the two, because of her conduct was consistent. Many of the Nagas began to speak Manipuri (Meeteilon) and several villages paid an annual tribute.

N.B. Naga Hills are areas surrounding present day Dimapur, hills of Assam bordering Nagaland and present day Nagaland.  Not a single hills and villages of Manipur was included in the Naga hills