Manipur - People
Manipur had a population of 22.94 lakhs (2001 Census provisional figure). Of the total population, 61.54% live in the valley and the remaining 38.46% are in the hill areas. The hills are inhabited mainly by the tribals and the valley by the Meiteis (including Meitei Muslims). The Hindus outnumber other religious groups having a share of 58 percent followed by the Christians (34.11percent) and the Muslims (7.26 percent). The other religious communities whose migration from other parts of India aflux during the sixties. The Christian population in the state also showed a high growth rate during the decade 1961-71.
The 6 Valley districts are inhabited by Meitei community (Hindu) approximately 50 % and Meieti Pangal Community ( Muslim) approximately 8 %. Valley constitutes 10 % of total state area. The 10 Hill districts are inhabited by Naga (7 districts) & Kuki tribes (3 district) (Both Christian together approximate 40 %). Hills constitute 90% of the state area. The Naga, Kuki and Zomi mostly follow Christian religion.
The Meiteis had their own system of religion, which had its own myths and legends, Gods and Goddesses, priests and priestesses, rituals and festivals, etc. though it was more or less akin to the animism of the tribals. The Meiteis embraced Hinduism in the 18th century A.D. The tribes of the hills remained unconverted and were relegated by the new Manipuri Hindus to the "degraded heathens". In the later part of the history, when Manipur fell into the hands of British Administrators, missionaries were brought in the hills. The first even conversion of Manipuri tribals to Christianity took place at Ukhrul (in the eastern hills) in 1894. American Baptist mission landed earlier at the Northeast and Southeast hills of Manipur. Roman Catholic mission became active in the 1950's. The Manipuri Muslims or "Meitei Pangals" were settled with their religion in Manipur Valley during the 17th century onwards. They are called "Pangans" as derived from Bengal (Bangan then Pangan) the place where they migrated. Meitei language was adopted as their mother tongue and they became an integral socio-religious component of Manipuri population.
The population escalation during the last three decades has been helped by the insidious infiltration of illegal foreigners from Nepal, Bangladesh, Burma etc. Among the hill tribes, the Tangkhuls (Naga) of the eastern hills and the Thadous (Kuki) of the North-western and Southern hills constitute the largest tribal groups. The Angamis, Semas and Saltes form insignificant populations in the state. While the hills are the natural demarcated habitats of various tribal groups, their phenomenon of migration towards the plains in the recent years have assumed demographic and socio-economic concern since there is already a demographic imbalance featuring 67.5 percent of the people in the valley which is 1/10th of the total area of the state and only 32.5 percent live in the Hills comprising as vast an area as 9/10th of the total area.
Caste stratification was not featured in the pristine form of Manipuri society. The existence of the seven salais (clans) was exogamous and not endogamous as in the Hindu caste system. Womenfolk enjoyed an equal status with men folk before the advent of Hinduism. "Sati" and "Pardah" systems were unknown. At present, families are patriarchal. Polygamy once common in earlier times has become less prevalent. Child marriage is absent. Widow remarriage is socially permitted. Women are hardworking and are seen in almost every field where men are. Wives are very much loyal to their husbands. Dowry does not constitute an essential feature in marriages.
The People of Manipur are popularly known as Manipuris and they fall under two main classes namely the Bishnupriyas and the Meiteis. Apart from these two main classes the land is inhibited by numerous tribes. The people of Manipur include Meitei, Naga, Kuki, Meitei Pangal and other colorful communities which have lived together in complete harmony for centuries. These are the people whose folklore, myths & legends, dances, indigenous games and martial arts, exotic handlooms & handicrafts are invested with the mystique of nature.
Its people include the Meitei, Pangals (Muslims), Naga, Kuki, Zomi, and Gorkhali (Nepali) who speak different languages of branches of the Tibeto-Burman family. Meiteilon (also known as Manipuri ), is the lingua franca in the State. The Meitei, who live in the State’s valley region, form the primary ethnic group (60% of the population). The term Meitei now refers to five social groups,viz., the Meitei marup (believe in only Meitei culture and God), Meitei Christians, Meitei Goura Chaytonya (believe in both Meitei and Hindu gods), Meitei Brahmins (locally called Bamons), and Meitei Muslims (also called Pangals locally). All of them has Meiteilon as their mother-tongue.
Absorption of people from the rest of India was rather late. The settlement of these people probably started since the time of king Thangbi Lanthaba (1302-1324 A.D). The amalgamation of the new entrants into the Meitei society was effected by conferring them appropriate Sageis (surnames) and Salai (clans). This "meiteisation" of different migrants gave the Meiteis, not only numerical advantage but also helped in enriching their literature and culture and ultimately evolving into a settled civilization with pristine national heritage of its own long before the Aryans came.
The Meiteis of today are Tibeto-Burman Mongoloid with Australoid, Aryan and Thai admixture and still blended with some Negrito and Dravidian elements. This racial blending is intimately hooked to the evolution of a distinct civilization in Manipur valley. The ethnonym "Meiteis" was originally applied to the "Ningthouja" salai (clan-dynasty), which was one of the seven salais who ruled seven independent principalities in the valley in the early part of the recorded history. Later on the Ningthouja salai overruled other principalities thereby absorbing the different social groups thereof to form the "Meiteis. Again, Mc Culloch (1859) and Brown (1874) subscribe to the theory of the Naga Kuki origin of the Meiteis. Hodson (1908) was also fully described the Nagas and Kukis of the hills. This ethnic homogeneity facilitated the absorption of many tribes into the Meitei social groups.
Besides, oriental Mongolians consisting of Shans Burmese and Chinese etc. who settled in the valley either as war captives or peaceful immigrants were also observed. The settlement of people from the East continued since the time of king Naothingkhong in the 7th century A.D. till the time of king Maramba in the 18th century AD.
Manipur was more linked to South China and South East Asian countries. There is a close cultural affinity of the Manipuris starting from household life and the individuals’ temperament to a community way of life and national ethos with the descendents of the Hoang Ho and the Funan civilization. Cultural congruence and parallelism between and among the South East Asians are remarkable despite variations in language and other aspects.
People are predominantly Mongoloid, and speak Tibeto-Burman languages. The Manipuri language which is the mother-tongue of the Meitei people is the lingua-franca of the State. English is the official language and also the language of doing business.
Manipur is the ancestral territory of the Manipuri people. Manipur is presently under Indian rule. The royal chronicle Cheitharol Kumbaaba maintains an uninterrupted historical record of the land and its people since 33 A.D. Throughout the history, the valley was, and continues to be, the core region where the distinctive Manipuri culture and way of life took shape and where political developments having repercussions throughout the Indo-Burma region often originated.
Among the Manipuris, the Meiteis form the predominant ethnic group and they traditionally inhabit the valley. The surrounding hill ranges are settled by many tribes. They are broadly grouped together and known as the NAGA and the KUKI tribes. While the Meiteis thrive on wet cultivation, the tribal population subsist largely on the slash-and-burn technique of cultivation and depend heavily on the valley for their needs. In recent decades, however, the steady influx of immigrants from the Indian subcontinent into the hill areas and into parts of the valley and also the internal migration of tribes from the valley, have disturbed the traditional settlement patterns and demographic balance both in the hills and the valley of Manipur.
The tribal ethnic groups have their mutually distinct cultural heritage. The members of a tribe communicate among themselves in their own dialect, but the Manipuri language is the lingua franca used for inter-tribal communication and by all Manipuris settled inside and outside Manipur. The tribal dialects are in varying stage of development; they are all written in the Roman script. The Manipuri language had evolved from Meiteilon, the native language of the Meiteis which is written in its own script. All the tribal dialects as well as the Manipuri language belong to the Tibeto-Burman family of languages, just as all the indigenous ethnic groups in Manipur are of the southern Mongoloid stock racially.
Of the 18 national languages constitutionally recognized in India, the only language from the Tibeto-Burman family so recognized, though done so under political compulsions of the ongoing liberation struggle, is the Manipuri language. Anybody whose mother tongue is Manipuri language or who identifies himself/herself as a Manipuri, whether living inside or outside Manipur, belongs to the Manipuri people. There are about three million Manipuris in the world today. The Manipuris as a people are thus bound by a common language and culture and by inheritance of a common ancestral territory now called Manipur.
Manipur is a mosaic of ancient traditions and rich cultural pattern. In the field of art and culture, the State is best represented by its classical and folk dance forms. Raas Leelas depicts the Leelas (sports) of Lord Krishna as a child with Gopies (Milkmaids) of Brindavan, and express their yearning for communion with the Lord. A spring festival, the “Lai-Haraoba” held in April-May is symbolized by a traditional stylized and ritualistic dance performed for peace and prosperity. The Tribal folk dances are an expression of nature, creativity and aestheticism of the tribal way of life. Lui-Ngai-Ni (Seed sowing festival of Nagas of Manipur) and KUT (the largest festival of Kuki-Chin-Mizo communities) are annual events and State Holidays.
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