Imphal, March 18 2009:: One may fret that the tribals' cultural and traditional mores are forgotten with the invasion of indigenous cultures by the exotic cultures coming from various directions.

And one may wonder that the present mobile generation or the coming generation may be ignorant of the past tradition and culture.

But all hopes were not lost.

In an attempt to preserve the cultures and traditions of the tribal forefathers for posterity, the Zogam Art and Cultural Development Museum in Churachandpur has proved its mettle for the prolongation of the traditions.

Located a few yards west of the Churachandpur bus terminus along Thangzam Road, Hill Town at the heart of Churachandpur town, the 168.75 square metre sized museum, under the tutelage of the Zogam Art and Cultural Development Association (ZACDA) provides a chance to explore the insightful past tradition, cultures and relics of the tribal.

Welcome to the museum.

Inaugurated for the public on November 25, 2002 by the then Art and Culture Minister, Dr M Nara, the museum, adorned with various collections, objet d'art and replicas, has entertained more than thirty thousand visitors, including from abroad like Japan, Korea and the USA etc till date.

The museum, initiated by a doughty and affable persona, T Dongzakai, the Chairman of the Zogam Art and Cultural Development Association has inter alia, exhibited a memorial stone of the 1997-98 ethnic clashes that had occurred in Churachandpur with all its efforts to preserve the past incidents and happenings.

Starting the compilation of different types of historical artifacts since 1970, the museum,under the able supervision of T Dongzakai Gangte has collected and maintained various historical bits and pieces.

The museum has, though in an almost airless and rather dark room, exhibited replica of tribal house with different kinds of household pots, receptacle, baskets, tools, domestic animals and a replica of family members.

Tribal musical instruments, bell metals, gong, bugle, tribal piper, banjo, the biggest drum of the state etc are also put on display.

It also maintained the first Christian of Churachandpur district, first Bible trainee and first foreign Missionary of the district.

The way the tribal conducted the burial ceremonies in the ancient, medieval and modern ages have also been depicted in the museum.

Apart from these, a pictorial art of the legendary longest hair Lengchonghoih, Khupting and Ngambom were also put on display.

Though houses in a small rooms, one may take longer time than expected to explore all the items.

Figurines of Keimi, Chomnu (the mythological poltergeists) are also portrayed.

Visitors of all hues ranging from research scholars, curators, foreign tourists, students, social workers etc have seen the sights of the museum.

"A ray of hope for my research to see the ancient way of the hill people with lots of information stored in the museum," writes Mary Bachaspatimayum, a research scholar at MS University, Baroda.

Exploring the collection, Curator of the Manipur State Museum, Dr K Sobita writes that it is a good museum depicting the cultural wealth of the tribal communities while also suggesting that it needs improvement of the display technique by providing better galleries.

"Beyond words, it's full of motivation for others," says Ravi Ranjan Singh, the President of Parliamentary Journalists' Forum, New Delhi.

Thus wrote Holkholun Lhungdim, the then President of Kuki Inpi Churachandpur and now KIM President and his team, "The collection surpasses most government and non government museums we have visited in the region.

It is a treasure house of memory".

Interestingly, the rare museum has been run solely by the Zogam Art and Cultural Development Association (ZACDA) sans financial or any other assistances from the Government and other agencies.

"All the items have been collected by the Association without any help from any quarter.

No contribution has been received from any individual contributors or from the government until now," T Dongzakai, the president of ZACDA and curator of the museum lamented while talking to Hueiyen Lanpao.

He added that doors are wide opened for any individual donor and the Government while saying optimistically that there is still time for the government to extend help to the museum.

"It will be most welcomed if the State Government extends assistance toward the cause of the museum which could not be maintained wholly with the abysmal income it generates," Thanga Suantak, an assistant of the museum wished.

The present generation may know what Thinggophel, Thinglusum or Tuivamit are but not all know their significances.

But, if you are curious enough to know all these and explore the past tribal way of life, you may step in at the museum where you will be greeted by a replica of Siamese elephant and the natural map of Manipur the moment you take a stride into the campus.

Definitely, it is going to be a bridge between the past and the present and an important storehouse of information for researchers in tribal studies.

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