Manipur’s Ethnic fault lines

Manipur’s Ethnic fault lines

Subject : Geography

Section: Human geography

Context: The unrest and riots broke between tribals and the majority Meitei community, displacing over 9,000 people.

What started the Manipur Violence?

A ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in the ten hill districts of the state on Wednesday to protest the demand of non-tribal Meiteis, who account for 53 per cent of the state’s population, for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Constitutional Provision:

Article 371C Special provision with respect to the State of Manipur

The President may, by order made with respect to the State of Manipur, provide for the constitution and functions of a committee of the Legislative Assembly of the State consisting of members of that Assembly elected from the Hill Areas of that State

The Governor shall annually, or whenever so required by the President, make a report to the President regarding the administration of the Hill Areas in the State of Manipur and the executive power of the Union shall extend to the giving of directions to the State as to the administration of the said areas

A Glimpse of the Indigenous Tribes of Manipur

• There are 33 recognized tribes (in Manipur) which either fall under the Nagas or the Kukis, the two different conglomerates of Manipur tribals.
• The two communities are differentiated mainly from their distinctive dialects, costumes, cultures and traditions.
• The Nagas have a history of headhunting and a strong warrior tradition whereas the Kukis are a sub-family of the Tibeto-Burman language group which is also related to Mizos of Mizoram and Chins in Myanmar
• The recognized tribes who made their home in Manipur are Aimol, Anal, Chiru, Chothe, Gangte, Inpui, Hmar, Kharam, Khoibu, Koirao, Kom, Lamkang, Liangmai, Mao, Maram, Maring, Mate, Monsang, Moyon, Paite, Poumai, Purum, Ralte, Rongmei (Kabui), Simte, Suhte, Tangkhul, Tarao, Thadou, Thangal, Vaiphei, Zeme and Zou
• All the tribes generally communicate in their own dialects among the same ethnic groups while communication between different groups is carried out in Meitei or Manipuri language, the official language of Manipur
• Despite the socio-political and linguistic differences among them, all the ethnic tribes originate from the same Mongoloid group having similarities in cultural and traditional domains.