Kabui Tribe: History, Society, Culture, Dress, Food, Economy

Gaikhamdim Marangmei *

Tribal concentrations are densely found in few regional distributions while in some other State it is found sparsely distributed. They inhabit widely in a varying ecological and geo-climatic condition in hill, forest desert and plain region. According to the census of India (1991) there are 573 notified scheduled tribes in India with 74 primitive tribal communities for which special governmental development programmes are certainly needed.

They constitute 8.08 per cantor 67.76 million population (excluding the state of Jammu &Kashmir) where Mizoram (94.75%) and Lakshadweep (93.55%) are the highest tribal concentrated state and Union Territory respectively whereas in Manipur 34.41 % are tribal which is broadly divided into Naga and Kuki chin. Out of the total schedule tribe population, 22.73%, 10.80% and 10.38% live in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Orissa respectively.

In Manipur whole of the tribal communities constitute 0.97% only. This small hilly state called Manipur at the extreme corner of north eastern part of India is placed centrally in the eastern arm of Himalaya between the latitude and longitude of 23o 50’N to 25o 41’N and 93o 2’E to 94o47’E respectively. It is surrounded by hill ranges on all sides and bounded by Nagaland in north, Assam on west, Mizoram on the east and southeast with effective physical and administrative functional barrier (Vedaja, 1998).

This state has a total area of 22,327 sq km. In which 92% and 8% areas are hills and valleys respectively. It has altogether nine districts, five in the hills and four in the Central Valley that have been divided into 37 subdivisions and 38-Community tribal development blocks. It has a total population of 23, 88,635 where SC and ST population are 37, 105 and 6, 32, 173 respectively (Census, Manipur state, 2001).

Kabui is one of the indigenous tribe of Manipur, Kabui tribes shared very good relations with other community like Meitei, Pangals. They are also settled in every nook of eastern and western regions of Imphal, the capital city of Manipur. Kabui tribes have their different and distinctive socio -cultural, traditional and linguistic variants and also genetic identity. However, in spite of these associations, these Kabui tribes also have their individual endogamous groups.

History and Origin of the Kabui Tribe

The word kabui is still a mystery to the kabui themselves. It is an alien word of which no definite origin is known to the kabuis. The kabuis now days call themselves Rongmei. It is a combination of two words RONG and MEI meaning SOUTH and PEOPLE respectively.

Thus Rongmei stands for the southerners, the ancestral home of the kabuis lies in the mountain ranges in the Tamenglong sub division of Manipur and adjacent mountainous areas of Nagaland and Assam. The Kabui settlement area within the territory of Manipur happens to be the southern portion of the vast tract of kabui country and hence those who settling in the southern part of their habitat within Manipur call themselves the Rongmei the southerners.(Life style, Indian tribes: locational practice, Volume 2: By Shiva Tosh Das)

In present day literature, the word kabui has been widely used within and within and outside Manipur and the name Rongmei is less known to the other communities. The original home of the kabuis of the Manipur lies in the Tamenglong area which is a vast tract of hilly region situated along the western borders of Manipur. It is reported that many early settlers into the valley of Manipur came from Tamenglong area. It is reported that the earliest settlement of the Kabuis in Imphal is more than a century old.

In terms of race and language, the Kabui fall under the Tibeto-Burman family of the Mongolian race. It is believed that a number of Mongoloid groups, including the Kabuis, used to inhabit the upper course of the Chinese rivers of the Yangtze and Hwang Ho. According to the writings of ancient ethnographers of as early as British era, they are one of the twenty two tribal communities who belonged to the Manipur state. Today also, these Kabui tribes have been enlisted as one of the twenty nine tribes of the Constitution of India.

Society of the Kabui Tribe

The social and cultural features and practices of the Kabui tribe are determined to a great extent by the physical environment which surrounds their habitation. They live in close communication with nature, and their natural environment has a major influence on their lifestyle. The villages of the Kabui are usually small in size and the habitation is scattered.

Each village has a headman called Khulakpu (Khulakpa). There is a house of commons called the Paikai. All problems are expressed and sorted out here. The people are allowed to express their different views, following which the decision is taken. Theft and violent crimes are usually not seen. The social system of the Kabuis is patriarchal and each of the clans enjoys equal status. They usually try to maintain exogamy, and marriage between cousins is most preferred.

Apart from the traditional Naga systems of marriage, they also have their own unique marriage rituals. Some distinct systems may be mentioned here. Noumang-mei-Nou-kao is a system which allows a boy to stay at a girl`s place for three to four years as her husband. This system is followed with the agreement of both parties and after the completion of the time agreed on, the boy returns home.

Chamemei is when a girl is married without her consent as repayment for some debt or obligation. Naokakhaomei is the ritual which dictates that at the death of a man, his closest brother will have to remarry his wife and look after the family. As regards dressing habits, the Kabui wear a lot of ornamentation. Both men and women have pierced ears. While the males usually wear feathers in their ears, the women traditionally wear brass rings. The traditional dress of women usually includes the Phe-soi (shawl), though traditional attire is fast being replaced by modern clothes.

Religion of the Kabui Tribe

The religion of the Kabuis has been greatly determined by basic human needs, and is often seen to include magic and mysticism. Many of the tribals still follow traditional tribal practices. They believe that sacrifices are a must in order to appease the deities, as otherwise they might incur their wrath and this will ruin their crops. When the Christian missionaries started coming in, a number of the Kabuis converted to Christianity.

In fact Christianity has been seen to exist here since the last 150 years. However, though they still practice Christianity by faith, most of the Kabui people still follow the ancient traditional practices.

Culture of the Kabui Tribe

Festivals

As with everything else, the various festivals of the Kabui are closely linked to their physical habitat and are also a celebration of religion. The celebrations usually reflect the different agricultural stages. The celebrations usually include an expression of physical prowess and talents. Some of the important festivals are- Gan-Ngai, Rih-Ngai (Chaga Ngai) and Gudui-Ngai.

The Gan Ngai is celebrated following the harvest season, in December-January. Festivities are held for five days. The festival commences with the blowing of the traditional horn. A fire is made by the ancient system of the friction method and it is distributed among the different households. Song and dance is held on a large scale, only to be interruoted by feasting.

The Rih Ngai(Chaga Ngai) is like a war festival, celebrated only by men. During this time, the men have to stay separate from the women, and even food cooked by the womenfolk is not taken. Strangers are not allowed to enter the village during this time.

The Gudui-Ngai festival is celebrated during the sowing season, sometime in April. Durimg this time, people celebrate by drinking the juice of ginger, after having cleared the fields for sowing. A tug-of-war is held between the men and the women, symbolic of the copetition between teh Gods and Goddesses. If the war is won by the girls, it is a good omen, symbolic of a good harvest.

Dance

Dances are one of the prime forms of celebration among the Kabuis. A number of different dances are performed during different festivals, distinct in their step and style of performance. Colourful costumes are worn by the dancers, replete with various ornaments and even hornbill feathers. Dancers continue to perform throughout the day and all through the night, accompanied by thudding drums and a viloin-like instrument called the Nrah.

Dress

The Rongmei (officially called known as kabui) are among the earliest inhabitant of Manipur. The rich variety of their clothing reflects their rich cultural heritage. The Rongmei dance with their colourful costumes is a well known tribal form of tribal performing art. The Rongmei dress is categorised on the basis of gender (Male and Female) and age gradation ; child, youth, married and elder woman.

For instance the following description of the dress is given in brief:

Food

The staple food of the Kabuis is rice. It is eaten twice a day with meat or vegetables. Dried fish is much liked here and it is consumed almost every day. The Kabui are fond of meat and non-veg. Meat and even skin are often dried over the fire and stored for future consumption.

Where drinks are concerned, the local brews are Jou and Jung Ou. During celebrations and festivities like marriages, Jung Ou is the drink of choice. Among beverages, tea is quite popular. A popular habit is the chewing of betel leaves with lime and raw kowai, i.e., raw betel nuts.

Economy

The economy of the Kabuis is agrarian in nature. Agriculture is the main source of livelihood for the people. Jhum cultivation is practised in a great way here. Pigs and stock are also maintained by the people. These serve a dual purpose of consuming the plant wastes as well as stock for sacrifice during periods of festivities and scarcity.

The Kabui are greatly skilled in bamboo, wood, blacksmith and pottery works. The raw materials for the same are easily available here. Bamboo baskets, mats, shields etc are manufactured in a great way here.