The hills of Manipur have been the home of the Naga and Kuki-Zo tribes since time immemorial. Nobody knows exactly when the Nagas or the Kukis settled here. Nobody fell down from heaven either and each has their histories of migration which are old. Both communities have legends and folktales from these hills and they have been living side by side for uncountable generations. The Royal Chronicles of Manipur records Kukis in 33AD. Even Prof. Gangmumei Kamei said that some Kukis have been in Manipur since many centuries ago. However, sadly some sections of Nagas delight in calling Kukis as Refugees without even knowing what a refugee mean. The Kukis never questioned the indigeneity of Nagas because nobody exact knows when human settlement started in these hills, or do the Nagas have written records? Infact, let the uninformed be aware that anyone in India before 15 August 1947 is an indian Citizen!
The Manipur Rajas claimed suzerain power over these tribes though the Nagas and Kukis were ruled independently by their own Chiefs or Village republics. This claim of Meiteis that the entire Manipur Kingdom belonged to their Kings and therefore cannot be broken, and the counter argument by Kukis and Nagas that it is their ancestral land(meaning they have the right to Political Autonomy) is the crux of Manipur's ethnic tensions.
Since the Manipur Nagas were the earliest among tribals in Manipur to write History they often wrote as if Mc Cullough planted Kukis in the 1860s in their territories, implying Kukis as recent settlers to the hills. In reality, McCulloch never planted Kukis amongst Nagas in what later became known as districts of Ukhrul, Tamenlong, etc. Infact, Kukis were mostly planted from different parts of these hills into the present Churachandpur area to counter the Lushai and Chin raids. McCulloch's story goes this way: With the establishment of the office of Political Agent in Manipur in 1835, Manipur's southern frontier's problems, especially that relating to the Kamhau-Sukte of Chin Hills in Burma and Lushais came to the attention of the British. It was only after the arrival of Colonel William McCulloch in Manipur in 1844 as political agent that an effort was made to establish peace in the region. He gave a large sum of money from his pocket and put some of them in the service of the state. McCulloch, with the help of Rajah Nur Singh, undertook the settlement of the Khongsais, as the Kukis were known in Manipur. Large tracts were made available to them for cultivation. Some of them were recruited as irregulars; arms were freely supplied to them and these settlements came to be known as 'sepoy villages'. In his memorandum on the duties of the political Agent of Manipur dated 8 July 1861, McCulloch mentioned: "Beyond the Manipur boundary are the Soote and Loosai tribes. These are both powerful and dangerous, but at present they profess friendship and I encourage them to come and go through; if it were possible the Soote tribe should be attacked. In connection with these people, and as a protection to the south of the valley, the Rajah and I have established in the south villages of Kookies, to whom are given arms and whom we call sepoy villages. They are to be unrestricted in their cultivation and move about and do mischief. These sepoy villages are not quite settled, but by care they might be brought to a proper state of usefulness."
The above statement makes it very clear where Kukis were planted. A simple understanding of the maps will make it very clear from which side the danger of Lushais and Chins came from. British had no need to plant Kukis amidst Nagas in Manipur as Nagas were never a threat to the British.
Moreover, many Nagas of Manipur assume that just because the district headquarter they occupy belong to the Nagas, the entire district belongs to them. We should be able to go beyond and see history before 1919. The hills of Manipur were opened for British administration only after the Kukis were defeated in the Kuki Uprising 1917-1919. The Kukis would not have defended their land for almost 3 years if it did not belong to them too. Infact, we can see as to who actually were more deeply associated with the land. The British had to spend a whopping Rs.28 lakhs in those days to suppress the Kukis. After the defeat of Kukis, subdivisions were created. Robert Reid writes that, "At an open Durbar held at the Palace in Imphal on 16 October, 1919, by the Chief Commissioner, Sir Nicholas Beaton Bell, the new proposals were proclaimed. For the better administration of the hills the areas was divided into four sub-divisions, one with headquarters at Imphal and three outside, viz., for the south west area, inhabited by Kukis, with headquarters at Churachandpur; for the North-West area, inhabited by Kukis, Kabuis Nagas and Kacha Nagas with headquarters at Tamenglong; and for the north-east area inhabited by Tangkhul Nagas and Kukis, with headquarters at Ukhrul."
The creation of the Sub-Division in the land where they held sway was actually very shameful for the Kukis.
William Shaw writes that, "The Thadous believe that they are destined to be rulers of their earth and not to be submissive to any one and so they are sometimes carried away by their ambitions and swayed by this belief in their destiny into ill considered action, a process which culminated in the Kuki Rebellion of 1918-1919. They do not consider themselves beaten yet and still brood over the future ahead of them which to their sorrow is not developing as fast as they would like. In fact by the establishment of three subdivisions in the hills of Manipur state, their prestige among other hill tribes has been much shaken. The establishment of British rule in the area where they ruled for ages was a matter of great shame for the Kukis and was a loss of prestige in the eyes of other hill tribes."
From 1 January 1930, a rearrangement of the administration of the Manipur hill areas was tried. The subdivisions constituted in 1919 were abolished, the outlying sub-divisional headquarters being done away with, and the whole hill areas was placed immediately under the President with two sub-divisional officers to assist him, one being in charge of the South and one of the North. In October, 1932, after the uprising under Jadonang, the North-West of Tamenglong Sub-division was re-opened and from 1 May, 1933, a new arrangement was made whereby the hills were divided into three sub-divisions: Sadar, Ukhrul and Tamenglong.
One thing we have to understand from the creation of sub-divisions is that, just because the sub-divisional headquarters was put in a Naga village doesn't mean the entire sub-division belonged to them. Similarly, even if the sub-divisional headqauarter was put in a Kuki village, it would not belong exclusively to Kukis. Any exclusive mentality over land is wrong especially in areas where different communities live contiguously. For example, in Kangpokpi today, just because the headquarter belongs to Kukis, it wouldn't be right to say that the entire district belongs to Kukis alone. Moreover, in Manipur, it's common sense that the British would prefer to keep the sub-divisional headquarters in Naga villages instead of a Kuki villages right after an uprising! Does that mean that all the land will automatically go to the Nagas? Not at all! Any exclusive mentality over land is wrong; boundaries are men-made but age old relations between neighbouring communities are 'primordial' and such relations have to be nurtured in a complimentary way by all.
When Naga movement started brewing in Manipur in late 1950s, there was a systematic plan to dislodge Kukis from the districts of Ukhrul. Some of these people fled to Burma. However, the Khawdawmi operations of the 60s in Burma compelled those Kukis to return to India and the GOI sheltered them as people needing refuge. This issue has been blown out of proportion as if no Tangkhul from Somra Tract has migrated to India. Let the Tangkhuls and the entire Manipur Nagas be aware that, wether we like it or not, our destinies are entertwined and any political arrangement to safeguard both communities from the Meiteis will be difficult unless we tribals join hands. Creating false narratives will not serve anyone's interest and unless we wake up to the need for tribal solidarity, there mighg be no bus again to take us beyond the final frontiers!
THE KUKI QUESTION
The Manipur Rajas claimed suzerain power over these tribes though the Nagas and Kukis were ruled independently by their own Chiefs or Village republics. This claim of Meiteis that the entire Manipur Kingdom belonged to their Kings and therefore cannot be broken, and the counter argument by Kukis and Nagas that it is their ancestral land(meaning they have the right to Political Autonomy) is the crux of Manipur's ethnic tensions.
Since the Manipur Nagas were the earliest among tribals in Manipur to write History they often wrote as if Mc Cullough planted Kukis in the 1860s in their territories, implying Kukis as recent settlers to the hills. In reality, McCulloch never planted Kukis amongst Nagas in what later became known as districts of Ukhrul, Tamenlong, etc. Infact, Kukis were mostly planted from different parts of these hills into the present Churachandpur area to counter the Lushai and Chin raids. McCulloch's story goes this way: With the establishment of the office of Political Agent in Manipur in 1835, Manipur's southern frontier's problems, especially that relating to the Kamhau-Sukte of Chin Hills in Burma and Lushais came to the attention of the British. It was only after the arrival of Colonel William McCulloch in Manipur in 1844 as political agent that an effort was made to establish peace in the region. He gave a large sum of money from his pocket and put some of them in the service of the state. McCulloch, with the help of Rajah Nur Singh, undertook the settlement of the Khongsais, as the Kukis were known in Manipur. Large tracts were made available to them for cultivation. Some of them were recruited as irregulars; arms were freely supplied to them and these settlements came to be known as 'sepoy villages'. In his memorandum on the duties of the political Agent of Manipur dated 8 July 1861, McCulloch mentioned: "Beyond the Manipur boundary are the Soote and Loosai tribes. These are both powerful and dangerous, but at present they profess friendship and I encourage them to come and go through; if it were possible the Soote tribe should be attacked. In connection with these people, and as a protection to the south of the valley, the Rajah and I have established in the south villages of Kookies, to whom are given arms and whom we call sepoy villages. They are to be unrestricted in their cultivation and move about and do mischief. These sepoy villages are not quite settled, but by care they might be brought to a proper state of usefulness."
The above statement makes it very clear where Kukis were planted. A simple understanding of the maps will make it very clear from which side the danger of Lushais and Chins came from. British had no need to plant Kukis amidst Nagas in Manipur as Nagas were never a threat to the British.
Moreover, many Nagas of Manipur assume that just because the district headquarter they occupy belong to the Nagas, the entire district belongs to them. We should be able to go beyond and see history before 1919. The hills of Manipur were opened for British administration only after the Kukis were defeated in the Kuki Uprising 1917-1919. The Kukis would not have defended their land for almost 3 years if it did not belong to them too. Infact, we can see as to who actually were more deeply associated with the land. The British had to spend a whopping Rs.28 lakhs in those days to suppress the Kukis. After the defeat of Kukis, subdivisions were created. Robert Reid writes that, "At an open Durbar held at the Palace in Imphal on 16 October, 1919, by the Chief Commissioner, Sir Nicholas Beaton Bell, the new proposals were proclaimed. For the better administration of the hills the areas was divided into four sub-divisions, one with headquarters at Imphal and three outside, viz., for the south west area, inhabited by Kukis, with headquarters at Churachandpur; for the North-West area, inhabited by Kukis, Kabuis Nagas and Kacha Nagas with headquarters at Tamenglong; and for the north-east area inhabited by Tangkhul Nagas and Kukis, with headquarters at Ukhrul."
The creation of the Sub-Division in the land where they held sway was actually very shameful for the Kukis.
William Shaw writes that, "The Thadous believe that they are destined to be rulers of their earth and not to be submissive to any one and so they are sometimes carried away by their ambitions and swayed by this belief in their destiny into ill considered action, a process which culminated in the Kuki Rebellion of 1918-1919. They do not consider themselves beaten yet and still brood over the future ahead of them which to their sorrow is not developing as fast as they would like. In fact by the establishment of three subdivisions in the hills of Manipur state, their prestige among other hill tribes has been much shaken. The establishment of British rule in the area where they ruled for ages was a matter of great shame for the Kukis and was a loss of prestige in the eyes of other hill tribes."
From 1 January 1930, a rearrangement of the administration of the Manipur hill areas was tried. The subdivisions constituted in 1919 were abolished, the outlying sub-divisional headquarters being done away with, and the whole hill areas was placed immediately under the President with two sub-divisional officers to assist him, one being in charge of the South and one of the North. In October, 1932, after the uprising under Jadonang, the North-West of Tamenglong Sub-division was re-opened and from 1 May, 1933, a new arrangement was made whereby the hills were divided into three sub-divisions: Sadar, Ukhrul and Tamenglong.
One thing we have to understand from the creation of sub-divisions is that, just because the sub-divisional headquarters was put in a Naga village doesn't mean the entire sub-division belonged to them. Similarly, even if the sub-divisional headqauarter was put in a Kuki village, it would not belong exclusively to Kukis. Any exclusive mentality over land is wrong especially in areas where different communities live contiguously. For example, in Kangpokpi today, just because the headquarter belongs to Kukis, it wouldn't be right to say that the entire district belongs to Kukis alone. Moreover, in Manipur, it's common sense that the British would prefer to keep the sub-divisional headquarters in Naga villages instead of a Kuki villages right after an uprising! Does that mean that all the land will automatically go to the Nagas? Not at all! Any exclusive mentality over land is wrong; boundaries are men-made but age old relations between neighbouring communities are 'primordial' and such relations have to be nurtured in a complimentary way by all.
When Naga movement started brewing in Manipur in late 1950s, there was a systematic plan to dislodge Kukis from the districts of Ukhrul. Some of these people fled to Burma. However, the Khawdawmi operations of the 60s in Burma compelled those Kukis to return to India and the GOI sheltered them as people needing refuge. This issue has been blown out of proportion as if no Tangkhul from Somra Tract has migrated to India. Let the Tangkhuls and the entire Manipur Nagas be aware that, wether we like it or not, our destinies are entertwined and any political arrangement to safeguard both communities from the Meiteis will be difficult unless we tribals join hands. Creating false narratives will not serve anyone's interest and unless we wake up to the need for tribal solidarity, there mighg be no bus again to take us beyond the final frontiers!
THE KUKI QUESTION
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