Origin of Khunchai (Kuki) Tribes

P. Uttam Mangang *

A Hmar couple - Ethnic Doll at Mutua Museum's Cultural Heritage Complex in 2008

Khongjai or Khunchai is a generic name applied to tribes whose home is in the mountain tracts lying between Mynmar, Kangleipak, Cachar and Arakan Yoma range. They are pro-mongolid people. The new term Kuki instead of Khunchai appear to find its origin in the Chittagong hill tracts.

The word Kuki is an Assamese or Bengali term, which used to apply to all the various hill tribes. Later on, the word Kuki was pickup by the Britishers and used it to denote the Khunchai tribes. Meetei's used to call these tribes as Khunchai or Khongjai, because they used to settle everywhere in Kangleipak in the form of scattered settlement. Once upon a time, the Geographical boundary of Kangleipak was so vast.

According to 1971 Census, some of the Khunchai tribes of Kangleipak consists such as
Aimol (836),
Gangte (6,307),
Hmar (23,312),
Lamgang (2,622),
Lushai /Mizo (7483),
Paite (24,755),
Ralte (154),
Simte (4,177),
Salhte (3),
Vaiphei (12,347),
Zou (10,060),
Thadou (59,955) etc.

Moreover, in the census report of 1971, the other unspecified like Chongthu, Khasi etc. was 1,227 and no data for Purum, Haokip, Baite, Zeme, Mate, Jomi etc.

According to Zale'n-gam, the Kuki of Chittagong are the Susai, Toungtha (Mru) and the Khyoungtha. It is again divided into seven sub-tribes such as Tipperahs or Mroongs, the Kumi, the Mroos (Masho), the Banjogees, the Pankhoons, the Shingdoos or Lakheyr and Howlog and the other tribes of Kuki are Chongloi and Hangsing, Doungel, Guite, Gangte, Haokip, Hmar, Kipgen, Lhungdim, Lamkang, Lunkim, Changan, Lenthang (Telein), Thangeo, Kolhen, Lhangum and Lhanghal, Milhem, Mate, Pate, Sitlhou. Lhouvum and Singsit, Simte, Touthang, Vaiphei, Zou etc.

Again, in the Tedim-chin groups such as Paite, Jomi, Hmar etc. are having their own traditions and culture. The three important groups of Khunchai are Thadou, Hmar and Paite-Jomi.

The origin of Khunchai tribes:

According to Sir James Johnstone, Kuki settlement in Manipur was started from 1830 (Manipur and Naga Hills, 1896, p.25). It may be the Tidim-chins and Mizo-Kuki-chin groups of people of Kangleipak (Manipur). It is reported that Gangte tribes comes from Burma, their population is about 20,000 people and settled at 54 villages in Kangleipak (Manipur).

The Paite believed that they were originated from "Chinnuai" (Chinwe) somewhere from Southern part of China or Chin hills. The word 'Paite' signify 'pai' means 'fly' and 'te' means 'in group' or flying out in group or coming out in group. A new religion of Paite i.e., 'Laipian' which was founded by Pau-chin-hau was gaining more followers. It believed in one creator or Almighty supreme God and taught no blood sacrifice and no use of wine or beer.

Likewise, Hmar people believed that they were also originated from 'Suilung' somewhere in china. Although Hmar scattered in different parts of North-East India and Burma, most of them live in Churachandpur district and concentrate in and around Tipaimukh, Vangai ranges and Jiribam areas. They called Tipaimukh as Ruonglevaisuo, which means the meeting point of Tuirung (Ruong) and Vai (Tuivai) rivers. They regarded it as a holy river. According to Khunchai people, paite or Zomi as a tribe or clan has been created in the recent past, like paite, the Simte means sim is East and te is group or people or flok i.e. people of the East.

After the adoption of Christianity, it has affected to some extent to their culture, customs and traditions of Khunchai people as a whole. It was done at Chassad areas over the central and Southern parts of Ukhrul district and slowly and steadily, it has reached all over the hill areas of Kangleipak. Here, one point should be noted that the first evangelist mission was started in the year 1894 at Ukhrul by Sir William Pettigrew and Angom Purum Singh of Pheiyeng Village of Kangleipak.

Again, according to the original history of Aimol, they also migrated from the bank of river Chindwin/Irawaddy river of Burma, then settled at Moreh and after that they have shifted at Khudengthabi as Nongpok Aimol. Afterward they settled at valley e.g. Aimol Khulen Kanglabung then they settled at 14 villages at Kangleipak.

They are :
Khulen Aimol,
Chandonpokpi Aimol,
Ngairong Aimol,
Khomdamphai Aimol,
Tampak Aimol,
Chingnunghut Aimol,
Khunjai Aimol,
Satu Aimol,
Kumbirei Aimol,
Unapal Aimol,
Khundengthabi Aimol,
Kha-Aimol,
Luchulbung Aimol,
Tuikhang Aimol respectively.

The Khunchai people are also having clan system. It is said that Khunchai permanently settled in the Kabaw valley before the reign of King U-Aungzaya of Burma. In 1752 A.D. Khunchai (Kuki) army had helped King U-Aungzaya when he fought the Assame and Kangleipak's (Manipur) kings. They called Tamenglong as Laijing, Churachandpur as Lamka and Ukhrul as Chassad respectively.

As we all know, the Manipuri language (Meetielon) is in the Tibeto-Burman linguistic group. It is also closely related to those Kuki-chin group of languages spoken by different tribes of Khunchai people. G.A. Grierson and even modern linguistic scholars have proved that Meeteilon and other tribal dialects of the state have a common roots and structure. Some of the new Kuki like Singson tribes were also assimilated into Meeteis society e.g. Sougaijam family of Meetei's and the most prominent example of the transformed Tarao Meeteis are the Waikhongs.

Conclusion:

As we all know, due to various socio-economic, socio-culture and socio-political factors, ethnic fusion and ethnic fission take place in the land of Kangleipak. This process of ethnic fusion and fission has been taking place since the time immemorial.

Thus, we have experience two type of ethnic fusion and fission in Kangleipak. One type of ethnic fusion is that of ethnic amalgamation or ethnic assimilation in the form of Meetei culture out of the long interactions of various ethnic groups and another type of ethnic fission is that of the ethnic atomization which has resulted more than 36 present different ethnic group in Kangleipak.

Not only this, some of easterners (Nongpokharam) and westerners (Nongchupharam) migrated into both valley and hilly regions.

Out of ethnic amalgamation and cultural assimilation in Kangleipak, a unique Meetei identity was formed and the emergence of Meetei civilization in Kangleipak.

On the other hand, the phenomenon of detribalization appeared everywhere, men become like fish out of water, unable to identify themselves with either the western people whose culture they adapted or their forefathers whose culture they had foolishly thrown away. We are pursuing a mirage identity while slowly and deliberately strangulating our real identities. It is high time we know ourselves and stand together to save the common heritage that was the gift of our ancestors and uphold the cultural, territorial and emotional integrity of Kangleipak.