Manipur is Not Your 'Ancestral' Land: Tangkhul Nagas to Kukis

Imphal, October 21, 2019:

The centenary celebration of the Anglo-Kuki conflict in many Kuki inhabited districts of Manipur has brought simmering tensions between the Kukis and the Tangkhul Nagas, one of the 16 primary tribes, to a fore.

The uprising between 1917-1919 was led by the chiefs against the British to oppose youth from the community being forcefully inducted into the Imperial Army’s Labour Corps, which was meant to aid the British.

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The Anglo Kuki War Centenary Commemoration Committee had begun a three-year-long commemorative programme which ended this past October 17.

However, the erection of memorial pillars in stone in many Kuki inhabited districts of Manipur inscribed with the words, “In defence of our ancestral land and freedom”, has drawn the ire of Tangkhuls, who claim that it is not the Kukis' "ancestral land". Tensions escalated to such an extent that Kuki women reportedly stood guard in front of the pillars to protect them from getting destroyed.

United Naga Council, the representative body of the Nagas in Manipur, also appealed to the Kuki brothers to refrain from making any provocative statements on the issue and remove the provocative words.

In fact, much of the land inhabited by the Kukis is claimed as part of the "Greater Nagalim" by the Naga tribes in Manipur, including the Tangkhuls. The simmering tensions between the two communities also threatened to disrupt the 'Shirui Lily Festival' in Manipur.

To calm the situation after Tangkhul Naga protests, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh held a meeting with Kuki Inpi, the representative body of the community, appealing for "peace".

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