The Manipuri Nation
- I
By Waikhom Damodar Singh
A Nation means a people usually the inhabitants of a specific territory, who share common customs, origins, history and languages or related languages.
Also it is defined as an 'aggregation of people' organized under a single Government of a country. It also primarily signifies a 'political body' rather than a 'physical territory' under one independent (sovereign) Government, without close regard for their origins. A people again means a group of tribes, clans or communities united over a long period by common culture and social ties and a country means the territory of such an independent groups of people, 'the Nation', irrespective of its size.
Manipur, therefore, was a country of hoary antiquity. It is no doubt a very ancient land and an independent kingdom (existed for more than 2000 years) hallowed by the footprints of great and heroic Spartan-like forefathers of the people, who lives as an independent Nation since time immemorial and who have very rich history, traditions and culture and also who excelled in many 'manly and heroic' games like Sagol- Kangjei (Polo), Mukna (Wrestling), Mukna Kangjei (Manipuri Hockey), Hiyang Tanaba (Boat race), Yubi Lakpi (Manipuri ruby) etc.
This indigenous people now known as the Manipuris are divided into two groups - the Tammis who settled down in the valley portion and the Chingmis (the
Haos), who settled in the hills and who are consisted of different small tribes speaking different dialects of their own (Meiteilon, the language of the valley people, the Meiteis being their Lingua-franca) - viz, the Tangkhuls in the east, the
Mao-Marams etc. on the north, the Kabuis (Kameis, Gonmeis, Gongmeis, Longmeis, Rongmeis etc. who are cognate (related by blood having a common ancestor, especially the maternal one) tribes of the Kachins, Karens etc. whose ancestral home was the ancient Teru State of southern
China) on the west, the Chothes, Chirus, Koms, Koirengs etc. of the old Kuki group on the south west, the Anals, Aimols, Thangals, Moyol-Monsangs etc. on the south, Funans and Marings of the Mon-Khmer origin of the Austro-Asiatic race on the south-eastern region. Also the new group of the Kukis - the Thadous viz, the Haokips, Kipgens, Singsols, Chonglois, Hangsens, Changsens etc. settled on all the hills intermingling with all the above mentioned tribes, and the Mizos and Hmars on the south-western portions.
The country of Manipur was earlier known to its neighbors by a variety of names. The east called it cases or Kahtes and the near west Meckley or Meghalee. It was also known as Mogli in the upper Assam (Ahom region) as a very powerful independent kingdom with its indomitable people, both the Tammis and the Chingmis who lived as the inseparable 'kith and kins' of a great family descended from the same primitive Mongoloid stock and who had been existing as an independent nation since time immemorial, even much earlier than the people of the neighboring kingdoms of the Ahoms etc.
The physical feature of a country generally moulds its history. Manipur, beings a hilly and mountainous country remained well guarded and not easily penetrable to external incursions to which contributed greatly the 'might' of the Chingmi people, as
is described in the short lyrical version 'Chingna Koina Pansaba, Haona Koina Panngakpa (of the Meiteilon), meaning 'well defended all around by fort like high mountains and guarded by the 'invincible' chingmis, but shut up from its neighboring countries till very
recently. However it was her resourceful hills and plains that could easily maintain her people who remained self-contained for years i.e. without depending on the external help for livelihood. A mosaic nature in the history of her people came into existence because of alien bloods that had been mixed up in course of time.
The Meiteis who emerged out as the biggest group of the Manipuri people in the process have been the product of the 'interclan fusion' so taken place, especially, in between the several 'autochthone' tribes or clans (salais) - the Mangangs, the Luwangs , the Khumans, the Angoms, the
Kha-Nganbas, and Sarang-Leishangthems. According to the learned historians the Mangangs (the Ningthoujas or Ningthemchas) were earlier known as 'Mangang-Haos' a Tibeto- Burman tribe of Bodo origin who were on the western portions of the hills during their initial period of migration and settlement and who later on merged with the most powerful groups, the Poireis, a Himalayan Mongoloid tribe or neo-Tibetan tribe of Sakya (Chakkhya) origin who came down from Hukong Valley region of China and settled in the north-eastern hills and valley region as the earliest settlers migrated under their Prince named Poireiton, the founder of the ancient kingdom of Manipur of the northern portion, the southern portion was the area mainly covered by the Kabow - Valley founded by another Sakya King. Abhi Raja.
The Mangangs were also amalgamated by Lei-hous, so also the Tangkhuls are consisted of the Lei-hous and Mahous. It is said that the name, Tangkhul came after the name Tangkhu, a Wung tribe which lived somewhere on the north-eastern corner of Manipur (known as Nongpok Thong i.e eastern gate) and belonged originally to a 'Khu' tribe of the Khunungs and Khumans groups. Tangkhul was a good dancer and his dance performances were highly appreciated by Poirei Kings. The Tangkhuls and the Poireis lived in good relations with 'social intercourse' upto the time of the Poirei king, Tabungba (1359-1384) although there have been a very long gap in this indigenous relationship. It has now been very freely revived among the present societies of the Meiteis and the Tangkhuls (so also the Kabuis, Clothes, Kukis etc) without any more restriction whatsoever, even without any bar to their being different in having different religious faiths, the former being Hindus and Sanamahis and the latter Christians.
In fact, it is said that the 'Ao' tribes who are now settled in Nagaland were once a cognate tribe of the Tangkhuls i.e originally they belonged to the Lei-hous and Mahous and were earlier in the Makokching area of Manipur in the north eastern side having a close affinity with the Meiteis. The phonetic variant of 'Hao' of the Meiteilon i.e. phonetically the word has been changed into 'Ao'. In Manipuri language the word 'Hao' actually means an all insulting word as has been very wrongly interpreted by many people.
To
be continued..
(Courtesy: The Sangai Express)
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