Territorial Integrity of Manipur
RS Jassal
To
Dr. Irengbam Mohendro Singh
1. Your article in TSE July 10 gave me interesting reading. It is highly educative and informative but only for those who are well versed in academics and qualified on the subject to understand the civilisational studies of ethnic evolution. Please accept my congrats. Also try to be with me, when I say, here in Manipur we are faced with semi-literates who try to behave like over-literates and inject their voices (as expertise) on general masses and refuse to call a spade a spade. Such people may be from valley or the hills.
2. Nobody denies the history of Manipur. Readers have read similar revelations on number of times since 2001 when first trouble on the probability of disintegration of the State started due to extension of Cease Fire in Naga areas of Manipur too. Since then intelligentsia, frontal organisations on both sides are engaged in a battle of words and wits settling scores with blame games and counter blames.
3. With the recent visit of Shri Th Muivah to Nagaland and Somdal (Manipur) first ever in its boding since he left his village to join NFG/NNC (1964), economic blockades, burning of trucks loaded with commodities beating and use of insulting filthy languages to poor drivers, handymen and above all Govt machinery of Nagaland observing ‘no interference’ stance in the ongoing events, co-ercing the elected MLAs to resign and extending threats to the elected members of Autonomous Councils and NSF delegates from Nagaland allowed to move freely in Naga inhabited areas of Manipur on the mission to mentally prepare the youth to carry forward the agenda of balkanizing Manipur is the subject of date which has attained a peculiar importance and has assumed proportions of a new pitch and hype. Your propounded thought illuminating and true though, but sensitivities apart, let me put it on record that in the entire East and NE there had been scattered Kingdoms, Sultanates, Monarchies and battered Kings, and chiefs, Khulakpas, Raja’s in Hills and fiefdoms too. Where areas did not qualify under such ratings had/have interfacing, interlacing and interlocking affects and extended like mosaics of psycho philosophy with emptiness. At places/areas big interjections divided two distinct ethnicities as ‘no man land’ in between hills/swamps/jungles for miles together which still exist where ethnic revivalism could not affect as yet. This is surely and distinctly visible in Manipur too, when viewed with hills inclination into Imphal valley compared with Hills touching Myanmar, Mizoram & Nagaland. Justifying example is of expedition and changing hands on possession of Kabo valley is between Meitei Kings and Ava of Burma not once but on various occasions in differing scales till the boundary was finally settled by British Administration who were considered by both sides as neutral with their interests different though. No side objected to it till 1960’s, since signing of the Yandaboo Treaty (1834). Ground realities are different though no change in peopling/culture, but it has been made the burning issue by each insurgent group of the valley. And hills insurgents claim territories were never annexed by war/battle but through Britishers with their intervention or by tribe to tribe & to community by understanding and basing on theory of needs greed’s and feeds.
4. Since this is not main purpose of my letter to you, I close it here in the side gallery. Whatever it be, it is a fact Manipur has legitimate boundaries—as of today not by subjugation of hills or conquest of valley people. It is bound by common lingua franca which did do wonderfully well & kept people together. See ethnics of Sawkardai ie, Hmar tribe close to Tipaimukh in Mizoram though Hmars but have fully integrated into Mizos and enjoy acceptability. Hmars of Hmar Khullen (adjacent to Jiribam) and other areas from Halflong much less in number though in the southern Cachar of Assam and Thanlon—Parbung Langthulien within Manipur have their own realms and ambitions to unite politically & administratively. They are also good in Manipuri language as common lingua franca.
Same stories may be read about Zeliangs—in Nagaland, Manipur and Assam and most importantly nobody cares about the people of hills and valley at the periphery of valley who have become part of like Sadar hills and Vengai Range and other far flung areas in the interiors. With this background, shared sorrows, grandeurs and histories, common lingua franca (Meiteilon) is the biggest asset God could bestow on the people of Manipur. Discrimination towards Hills people was conspicuous in ancient/medieval periods so far equi-development is concerned but in post independence era most of it got narrowed down but unconsciously though, hills and valley divide has widened to an alarming degree may be considerably due to interference by UGs under gun power. Since it pivots around balkanization of Manipur, emotional breakdown at the moment and factors which lead to this current cause of conflict in Manipur and Nagaland have to be understood.
Once individually we are ready then a resolution on solution at collective level can be quested. At first there is a need to realise what type of social environs we have landed in. Isn’t it the societies are groaming under times of mixed cacophony of depression, repression, denial, trickery, treachery, betrayal, neglect, discriminations culminating in retreat and self deception. There is a third factor generation who have contributed considerably to the economy of the State we call them ‘outsiders’ are threatened by RPF to quit Manipur. They may be 44000 to 45000 at a reasonable estimate but they are disciplined are peaceful. There are more than two lakh Meitei/Manipuri’s who have left Manipur of their own or forced by extremist activities to leave are not persuaded to come back. How paradoxical! Mayangs who are contributing financially to their kitty are coerced to go and those sons of soil who need contribution to local economy are forced to stay out where are they. What a drain on brain and economics! Battle is left to be fought by depriveds with all those who are powerful in control of resources and unlawfuls wielding guns.
5. So enlisting only history will not do. Now cat is out of the bag. Naga following the lines dictated by Gandhian Satyagrah though backed by guns whether all and sundry from hills really want it or otherwise despite the fact elected members in the Legislative Assembly and Autonomous Council are there. So what is to be done at this juncture? That debate needs to be initiated. To my mind social scientists and opinion makers need to take conscientious pledge not to distort historical, social and economic facts; orally or scribally. Anyone producing favourable results for integrity of Manipur from other side be honoured suitably by the Govt. It is an undeniable fact that there is no place like Manipur on the earth. It is having 33 recognised tribes and still struggling for recognition Manipur today is an idea of Raja Gambhir Singh and FF Pearson British Political Agent nurtured by hills and valley leaders like MK PB Singh, Bob Khatting, R Suisa, Dahio and Ngulhao a renowned Christian leader of those times.
Nobody denies its history, culture and social togetherness with Hills. Events and circumstances obtaining in its present territorial limits are indeed of underestimation of one another’s inner strengths which led to create trust deficit with its periphery and of course directed by various misguided interest groups & propelled by a disintegration force be rather seen more than con-quest(s). There is emotional breakdown which has put even the moderates into a quandary. So I suggest :
One : Manipur Diaspora abroad and in India should establish constant touch with the Naga Diaspora abroad and here.
Two : Frontal Organisation like UCM-AMUCO, Meira Paibies with picked up persons from Civil Organisations who are aided by the Centre and international bodies for peace be formed into group of 5 to 10 each and move to interact with counterparts wherever possible and initiate dialogues of reconciliations without prejudice to the past.
Three : Govt since is formed from elected representatives from the people must devote 10% of their total time in pushing forward contact groups to the disturbed zones with devoted involvement and must invest in the cause and provide people with fair & dare governance
Four : Lastly, for the time being all of us—the writers and opinion makers avoid spurious writings affecting unity of hills and valley people & Media to play constructive role to smoothen, the bitterness from articles/opinion papers when detected any.
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Funeral rites of the Kabuis
Dr Budha Kamei
(contd from previous issue)
Finally, the grave diggers fill up the grave with earth. With the burial of the dead body; the man is incorporated to the land of the dead as a new member78 because the underworld is supposed to be the land of the dead79. Carl Clemen80 has rightly stated that “the earth is the soul of life, but it is also the realm of dead”. The grave diggers with their spades on their shoulders go around the grave thrice in clockwise and also repeat the same anti clockwise. This custom is known as Tarou lam Lamei which means dancing of grave dance. Then, they wil break the gourd which is placed on the grave. A fish bone made of bamboo pieces is also placed on the grave which indicates a division between life and dead81. On the fifth day accounting from the day of death, the fish bone will be removed from the grave. Grave dance signifies to the dead man that he is no more82. The deceased is thus comfortably provided for and admonished by word and deed to go into the other world, and in any case not to meddle with living, the mourners return from the grave.
Funerary rites do not usually bring to an end with the disposal of the corpse by burial. Post funerary ceremonies and customs generally have two not necessarily mutually exclusive motives83 to purify the mourners and to mourn the dead. When the funeral is ended, all who have taken part in it must commonly be purified. Purification means the ritual which is used to protect against unclean, sinful and undesirable situations84. The purification of the mourners is the other post funerary action. “A corpse straddes the boundary between this world and the next and as with most such liminal objects it is regarded as simultaneously powerful and polluting”85. All the participants in the funeral are therefore in need of cleansing before they can return normal life.
Consequently, the Kabuis perform various forms of purification, chiefly; washing or sprinkling of water, Gahroumei (to rub a slice of the mixture of turmeric, leaves of kaa plant, Ngeinem, a kind of thatch grass and water at the jaw) and Thanjoujangmei (drinking of holy wine) 86. “The ancient Greeks put all the door of the death chamber a vessel full of pure water obtained from another house, so that all who came out might purify themselves”87. Finally, fire is contacted by all the participants in the funeral to drive off the Evil sprits that comes along or follows and only after this ritual; they are permitted to enter their respectively houses88. Frank Byron Jevons89 states, “They pass through or over a fire is to make communion with the fire-God because it has the purificatory power”.
In spite of the elaborate precautions to prevent the dead man from returning, he is often thought to be present in the dwelling after the actual disposal of the corpse90. Accordingly, measures are taken by them to purify the place and remove the tabu. This may be accomplished by driving away the ghost. In this connection, the two elders of Pei who officiate as priests will perform the Kaiphekmei meaning cleansing the house with Ten Maimit, a kind of grass.
A feast is usually a part of the funeral rites. Among the Kabuis, the funeral banquet is held in presence of the corpse before burial. This meal is the sacrificial food called Takan Jan which offers for the deceased91. The purpose of funeral feast is to bring all the survivors together, and sometimes with deceased in the same way a chain which has been broken by the removal of one of its links must be rejoined92. It is a rite of incorporation.93 Funeral feast may be interpreted as in honour of the dead94. It may also be a fare well banquet– a send off one who is unwilling to go at the termination of which the deceased is formally but firmly shown the door”95. R.Brown96 states that “On the death of a Kowpoi Naga a feast is given by his surviving relations to the friends of the family and others should the parties be well off”. The funeral rites themselves are also held to place the obligation on a dead man to give the survivors the benefit of his supernatural power97.
When a man dies with debt and at the same time he has no one in the village to repay the debt; in that case, the dead is buried with formal ceremonies and every requirements in the funeral will be brought out by the villagers. To make him as a free and undebt both in the living world and to the land of the dead, a ritual locally known kakhukdoudanmei is accomplished. An elder of Pei who acts as priest divides his khuk into two halves and places on the grave. This act signifies to God and mankind that this man has nothing and free from debt in the living world as well as in the Taroilam98.
On the fifth day counting from the day of death, Tarou kashemmei is accomplished. Tarou kashemmei means to repaire the grave for beautification. All the relative and friends of the deceased take part and a stone flat is also erected over the grave99. The erecting of stone is in honour of the death.100 Offerings like rice, curry, wine, fruits etc are placed on the grave for the departed soul.
In Kabui society, the period mourning of a death is observed for one year until the celebration of Gaangai festival. The mourning of the dead is observed especially by near relatives in the form of abstention from amusement. The meaning of such action seems evident: “grief felt for the loss of a dear relative or friend naturally express itself in forms of self denial. But the purpose may sometimes have been those who still enjoyed life in this world”101. In view of Arnold van Gennep102, “mourning seems to be as an aggregate of taboos and negative practices marking society of those placed in a sacred impure state”. It is believed that during mourning, the living mourners and the deceased constitute a group, situated between the world of the living and the world of the dead103. Gaan- Ngai is the biggest post harvest festival of Kabui people which holds in the month of December or January every year. In this festival, farewell is given for all those who died in the previous year104. Emile Durkheim105 says, “When an individual dies, his soul quits the body in which it dwelt, and after the mourning is accomplished, it goes to the land of the souls”. On the first day of Gaan-Ngai, a fare well feast is given for the deceased in which all the relatives and friends of the dead take part. They believe that the spirit of the dead leaves the burial place after the festival106. These rites lift the prohibitions of mourning and make reintegration into the life of society107.
he death of a person decreases the strength in a group or community consisting of limited number individuals is an event of mean importance. The nearest relatives are severely disturbed and the whole community is mutilated. The whole event breaks the normal course of life and shaken the moral foundations of the society. Death is, therefore much worse than the removal of a member. It threatens the very cohesion and solidarity of the group upon which the organization of the society, its tradition and the whole culture depends. Herman Hooker108 says,”Death is as the foreshadowing of life. We die that we may die no more”.
—concluded