Everything Seems to be Fair in War: The Misconceptions that Destroyed the Fabric of Manipur as a Political Entity

As a young boy who grew up mostly in Imphal, I have high regards for the Meiteis for various reasons particularly when it comes to respect for elders. Compared to the tribals whom they often considered as “unclean” and were not even allowed to enter their house in olden days, they are far ahead in civility. In fact the Meiteis had the name “Hao” to mean the hill people. Oftentimes, the word “Thu” was added to make it “Haothu” which is extremely derogatory [Hao-Hill People; Thu-Women Private Part]. In a slightly less vulgar term, “Haomacha” [Hao-Hill People; Macha-Children] is also often used but carries the same derogatory tone.

Similarly, the Meiteis in the heart of the Valley call the Meiteis who are living in the outskirts (rural areas) as “Lawai”/“Louwai”, literally meaning those who rented lands (fields) from landowners for cultivation [Lou-field, Wai-rent]. Even within the rural areas, there is a division based on the distance from Imphal. Those who are nearer to Imphal consider Meiteis living deep inside the rural areas or hills as people living beyond the hills, meaning they are far more “Lawai” than them. This implies the existence of upper lower class within the “Lawai” communities as well.

The worst case was the “Lois” many of whom have been recognised as “Scheduled Caste” (SC). These Loi communities such as those from Sekmai, Phayeng, Andro, Sugnu, Kakching, etc. speak Meitei-Lon (Manipuri) but with a slight accent. For the Royal families within the Meitei community, the Lois were outcaste for allegedly committing serious crimes against the state. They were treated as lowly as those from the hills. However, the reality was that, these communities were historically the original settlers of Imphal valley who refused to be subjects of the Maharaja. Since they were adamant on being subjected to the authority of the Kings, they were considered unclean, and were barred from entering the mainstream society. Anyway, if they had accepted the authority of the Kings and their pseudo-priestly class from Bengal and Assam, who were mostly later migrants into what they fondly called Kangleipak, they would have been engaged as manual labourers, manual scavengers, and slaves. Either way, their status would have been the same as that of the lowest caste in the Hinduised Meitei society.

Therefore, the Lois preferred to be “free” as “unclean” than being enslaved for generations. This attitude of the Lois, whom the mainstream Meiteis considered as unclean and outcaste, have few things in common with the hill people. First, they love to be free as much as the hill people does. Second, they eat all sorts of meat including beef, pork, dogs, etc. like the tribals. The Meiteis eat only fish, egg, and milk, and consider themselves as vegetarian. Third, these Loi communities have closed relationship with the neighbouring hill people. Whereas the Meiteis worship Hindu Gods along with Sanamahi, a household deity, the Lois are followers of animism as much as the tribals before they were converted to Christianity. Moreover, since they worshipped in the hills and forests, most of which are owned by the tribals, the lives of the two communities were intricately related.

During tribal festivals, these Lois who are living mostly in the peripheral areas of Imphal would come to join them in the celebrations. Similarly, the Meitei festivals such as Cheiraoba and Yaoshang are often frequented by the hill people living nearby. Every elderly man in the hills has “Mangai” or “Matao” (something like a friend but usually much deeper in meaning than the usual friendship) in the valley. Whenever the hill people go down to the Valley, they will stop by at their Mangai’s place, have food and water, and then continue their journey. There was no amang-aseng (clean and unclean) between them though they can’t even lay foot on the doorstep of a Meitei house in Imphal.

Even during my college and university days some two decades ago, my Loi (SC) friends would often tell us that, “We (SC and ST) are the same. We belong to the Meitei community but we are very different from the general Meiteis.” When the general Meiteis had strong reservations being in the midst of the tribals, there was no such hesitation from the “Lois” and “Lawais”. However, since they usually speak in the same tone as the general Meiteis, we were not aware of what they truly meant. In fact, it was not easy for young students like me to differentiate between the Lois from the Meiteis since they are more or less the same in almost every aspect. They used the unique tone they have only when they speak among the Lois themselves. This was mainly to avoid being identified as a lowly caste “Loi”. 

Such discrimination based on one’s place of settlement has gradually changed since Manipur chose to be a state under the newly formed Indian democratic nation-state system. Many scholars and activists, particularly those who claimed themselves to be the champions of extreme right-wing Meitei Sanamahi revivalism often argued that such discrimination began only with the coming of Vaishnavite Hinduism in the 17th-18th centuries. Keeping aside the arguments for and against of how it began, it is an established fact that the discrimination had been practiced for centuries and hence the psyche of the Meiteis have already been highly infected with the disease.

When the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), the first major revolutionary group in the Valley, was formed in the 1960s, its main objective was to establish an independent Manipur state. To make it appear more inclusive, a Kuki and a Naga (Kabui) were inducted into the cabinet. It is interesting to note that though UNLF was formed mainly by the higher royal caste, such as the Rajkumars, the inclusion of tribals in its first cabinet showed that the Meitei society has begun to see social change. The formation of Revolutionary People’s Front/ People’s Liberation Army (RPF/PLA), a factional group of UNLF, was another Valley Based Insurgent Group (VBIG) who refused to identify itself with the Meiteis alone, at least theoretically. 

It may be noted here that the Tangkhuls, the largest Naga tribe in Manipur, and the Naga tribes of Senapati, did not find a place in the first cabinet of UNLF simply because the Naga tribes in the Northern and Northeastern hills of Manipur have already joined the Naga National Council (NNC) led by AZ Phizo in the 1950s. Moreover, the Tangkhuls have been at the forefront of Naga movement at least since the 1960s, and till about a decade ago, the claim that the Tangkhuls and Meiteis are blood brothers has always been refuted. It is only in the recent times that the same people who have been fiercely opposing the Meiteis’ narrative are happily endorsing the same. In fact, the Meitei Chief Minister Mr. N. Biren Singh had formally declared that the Tangkhuls and Meiteis are blood brothers! A few days later, Tangkhul bodies refuted the claim, but the damage was already done. Whether one likes it or not, it will be difficult to undo a formal declaration made by a head of state.

Politics is such a dirty game that your fierce enemy today can be your ally tomorrow. It is also ironic that the Meiteis who migrated to the present state of Manipur from different directions at different points in time are now happy to claim a particular tribe as their own brother. It might be true that some sections of the Meiteis and some clans of the Tangkhuls share the same ethnic origin story, but to generalize such oral history to the whole Meitei or Tangkhul community was simply a fool’s act at its best. 

In a similar case, the Maos and Angamis are considered to be among the closest Naga tribes, but their relationship has been wounded too deep to be healed in a short while. It will take decades to reconcile the two. And what is interesting is, the Mao Nagas who have been at the forefront of Naga National movement even before the Tangkhuls jump in to hijack in their favour are having bonhomie with the Meiteis in the last one decade. The only Naga tribe whose options are never two ways are the Kabuis since many of them settled in the valley. 

Coming back to our discussion, the post-colonial period have seen a sea-change not only in Manipur but around the world. The improvement in transport and communication system, education, and science and technology have brought a huge leap forward. Distance, which was the main criteria to judge a person/ community in Manipur, have become obsolete. Especially in the age of internet and smartphone, distinction based on one’s place of residence no longer holds water. Now, the younger generation started claiming on social media platforms that being “Lawai” is not defined by distance, but the heart [character] of the person. To them, a person may be born and brought up in Imphal but s/he can still be “Lawai” if s/he is uncivilized and mannerless. Though this sounds convincing, it was never the case in the past. 

Despite all these historical wrongs done in the past, I considered the Meiteis to be a civilized community as far as my experience with some of them is concerned. They were caring, sympathetic and concerned for the hill people. This genuine feeling of respect changed a little after I encountered some of the intellectuals. But my conscience kept telling me that even though there are intellectuals and educated elites who are hell bent on discriminating the tribals, the Meitei society as whole are much more civilized and respectful than those few opportunists indoctrinated by feeling of hatred towards the hill people. 

But, since the 3rd of May 2023, the day the state-sponsored ethnic cleansing pogrom began, I started to feel that not all the Meiteis are good at heart. Maybe they didn’t show to the world but deep inside they might have been slowly accumulating the feeling of hatred towards us.

During the initial days of the conflict, the so-called “Lawai Machas” and “Lois” (outcaste) communities, who have been traditionally in good terms with the hill people nearby, have assured the neighbouring Kuki villages that they will not allow attacks on them. On many occasions, they were able to persuade the marauding Meitei mob led by Arambai Tenggol cadres and Manipur Police Commando personnel from attacking them. But as the ethnic turmoil continued, these communities could no longer protect their age-old neighbours with whom they shared both good and bad times. 

In the end, the Arambai Tenggol and other radicalised groups overpowered them, mostly out of fear for their life, to join hands with the general Meiteis in attacking, destroying Kuki villages and murdering innocent civilians. In retaliation, when the Kukis did the same on a few occasions, it was the same community who bore the brunt of most of the attacks from the hills. Though everything was planned and designed in Imphal, the victims were mostly from the peripheral areas who have been culturally and economically closer to each other than their own people. 

Now that social media posts and comments are filled with anti-Kuki rhetoric, I can only wonder how a community who have been with them through thick and thin, particularly whenever the demand for greater Nagalim or integration of all Naga inhabited areas with Nagaland, became the most hated community overnight. I also began to question myself whether my intuition was right in believing the Meiteis to be a civilized community. 

However, I am still hopeful that not all the Meiteis are evil. I am also convinced that unless the most educated class were the architects of the present ethnic violence, thousands of Meitei mob wouldn’t be able to change their hearts overnight, and the more than fifteen lakhs Meitei populace would never turn their anger against a particular community simply for being weak and disunited at that moment.

By: T. Anthony Shongthu

(Courtesy: KSO Bulletin, Thingkho le Malcha, Issue No. 250, 1 June 2024).