Hope for Manipur ©2001, overview

An Overview of the Land, the People and Their History

The state of Manipur in Northeast India is bordered by Myanmar (Burma) and the Indian states of Mizoram, Assam and Nagaland. The state capital is Imphal. The language is Manipuri. Twenty-seven ethnic people groups inhabit this state, including the Meitei, Naga, Kuki, Chin and Thangkhul to name a few.

Manipur is the eastern-most state of the Republic of India consisting of 22,327 square kilometers. The central part of Manipur consists of a fertile valley, in which the majority people are Meiteis. This valley is surrounded on all sides by hills inhabited by tribal people groups. Many rare animal and bird species are found uniquely in Manipur. Although landlocked, Loktak Lake is located in the southern portion of the valley and is excellent for fresh-water fishing. This lake features "floating islands" found nowhere else in the world. Fishing is practiced extensively as a profession. Fish is the most common item accompanying rice. Although the people are generally vegetarian, eating fish is allowed. No social function or ceremony is without fish.

The Meitei People
The Meitei people (MY'-tay), numbering around 2 million, are the majority group in Manipur. They are renown for their graceful classical dances, colorful weavings, ornate dresses, athletic achievements and general cleanliness. The game of polo (sagol kangjei) as we know it today was first played by the Meiteis around 1600. Meiteis living outside of Manipur and India have excelled in science, medicine, engineering and the arts.

The international game of polo is inherited from Manipur

A Brief History
Manipur was once an independent kingdom with its own culture, religion and lineage of kingship. Of what is known for certain, their history dates back to before the time of Christ. In 1724, Manipur came into contact with India when Meitei king Pamhiba embraced Hinduism as the official Meitei religion. This brought abrupt change to the social structure with the introduction of the caste system. Their food, dress, written script and religious practices underwent significant changes. Further disruption occurred when the British grasped political control starting in the 1890s. In 1949, the king of Manipur was forced to sign a treaty with India and thus, Manipur merged into the Indian political mainstream. Since then, dissatisfaction with inferior treatment has given rise to many insurgent nationalistic groups wishing to break away from India and gain independence. Recently, there has been some interest in reviving their ancient script, which was nearly obliterated in the conversion to Hinduism.

A Meitei woman weaving a colorful cloth on the family's traditional loom

Economics
The majority occupation among the Meiteis is agriculture. The educated eagerly seek government jobs, which are the best paying, or pursue small business endeavors. The women are very hard working---they are busy in home maintenance, farm work, fishing and merchandising. It is commonly held that the women are the main income earners and generally in charge of retail business and light industry. They are experts in the art of weaving and basket making. Unemployment in Manipur may be as high as forty percent.

This famed bazaar in capital city Imphal is operated entirely by women

Social and Cultural
The Meitei people are easy-going yet fast-tempered at the same time. They are helpful and warm-hearted to strangers and friends alike. Singing, fishing and joking are integral parts of their life. They are zealous for their language. They rarely marry outside their community or village. Marriages are generally arranged, but people are also able to choose their own partners. Polygamy is accepted but extremely rare. Divorce, prostitution, homosexuality and other forms of sexual deviance are very uncommon.

Fishing in a small stream near the capital city Imphal

Sports
The Meiteis are known for their skills at games, athletics and sports and have invented many games, such as variant forms of foot hockey, martial arts and boat racing. They have proudly gifted to the world the international sport of Sagol Kangjei, or polo, in which they are world champions. Their cultural dances are graceful, delightful, colorful and acclaimed worldwide.

Meiteis are skilled in martial arts, in which they have developed their own styles

Spiritual
While Meiteis are nominally Hindu, they have their own ancient, indigenous religion, Sena-Mahi. For nearly one hundred years, there has been a Christian witness in Manipur, primarily through missionaries and the churches they planted among the surrounding tribal peoples, e.g. the Nagas, Kukis, Marings etc. In 1957, foreign missionaries were expelled from Manipur and local Christians have been occasionally persecuted, among whom there are perhaps 30,000 believers. Christian evangelism efforts have often been resisted, though recent interest has been sparked through the Jesus film and occasional mission teams. Today, because of intense, violent ethnic and political uprisings, Manipur is a restricted area and is generally closed to outside visitation.

The tower of a Hindu temple in Imphal

The drawing depicts a Meitei mother holding her boy child just after his hair has been shaved off during a traditional ritual (by Cheryl Day).