Inpui (Kabui) Culture and Identity: Continuity and Change

Image credit: Isaac Inkah

The search for identity is endless; it can be ascribed or acquired, be it at the individual, group, or organizational level. Identity is a matter of reality as well as that of virtual and imagination. In sociological theory, the concept of identity is closely linked with culture. Culture gives a person a sense of social belonging. Collective identities are expressed in cultural materials-names, narratives, symbols, rituals, clothing, etc but not all cultural material express collective identities. The need to redefine tribal identity in the globalized world has been continuous and it has reached a new dimension due to the emergence of new cultural values and norms. The tribal tag is considered to be a stereotype attached to barbaric and helpless people who have no sense of modernity. Yet, the society once refers to as tribal has completely changed from their previous ways of behaving, eating, dressing, etiquette, and has adapted to new changes due to intermixing of cultural identities and outside exposure.

The word ‘Naga’ is a generic term with no consensus among scholars on how and when the name was coined or given. But there is some consensus that the name refers to hill tribes. The colonial writers, ethnographers popularized the term through their writings and other forms of documentation. Likewise, the idea of identity formation among the Inpuis was felt in the early 20^th century after the contact with outsiders particularly the western missionaries and the indigenous missionaries appointed or ordained by the westerners. 

This identity consciousness came with the imposition of the western political (government) system both at the state and local levels which further led to the formation of tribal identity consciousness among the hill people of Manipur. This article is an attempt to give a brief overview of the changing narratives of the various social and cultural life of the Inpui tribe.

Redefining Inpui Identity

Inpui Naga is one of the tribes which until recent times has been facing a deep identity crisis in Manipur and beyond. The clubbing of Inpui with Rongmei in Kabui and thereafter the recognition of Kabui by the government of India can be regarded as a flashpoint where Inpui lost their tribal distinctiveness.  The idea to have a distinct identity was further complicated by coining of the term Zeliangrong which complicated the issue further through the term was meant to refer to four tribes ie Rongmei, Liangmei, Zeme and Inpui in 1947 but Inpui was subsumed as a sub-tribe of Rongmei which defy all basic logical argument as all the four sub-tribes speak different languages often unintelligible to one another though they have a common historical heritage. 

The word Kabui has its origin in Inpui yet the construction and cultural appropriation by the major tribe has brought much confusion in identifying who are the real Kabuis.  In common parlance Kabui refers to only Rongmei without giving equal recognition to the Inpuis, as it can be seen in the use of the term for radio (AIR) broadcast where only Rongmei is being used. In doing so the majoritarian construction of identity has overshadowed the minority tribe.

Inpuis search for identity and recognition was fulfilled to a certain extent through the recognition by the government of Manipur in 2011 but it is yet to be recognized in Nagaland. The inclusion of Inpui in Naga Hoho (2008), United Nga Council (2003), Naga Women Union, Manipur (2002), Tenyimi Peoples Organization (TPO) in 2007 which is a conglomerate of ten fraternal Naga tribes are also considered milestones in this identity shift which gave Inpui new space and visibility.  “Inpui” as an established identity apart from being identified by the much-contested terminology Kabui has slowly begun to assert their identity both culturally and politically.

Inpui Culture: Continuity and Change

Today, society is witnessing a sea of change in everyday life. It seems certain that the legitimacy of tribal culture will be measured and determined differently by western norms and processes. For instance, the original building and architectural designs have completely disappeared since the materials used for construction were exclusively organic like hay, wood, bamboo mud, leaves, etc. But some monuments which are considered to be cultural heritage and have huge historical importance in terms of people attachment to their culture and identity like village gates, memorial stones, stone used for boundary demarcation, raised platform in public spaces, stone slabs or rocks which were used are still available and well preserved. As society rapidly progresses in every sense of the term people dressing sense, music, eating habits, the way ones socialize or interact, and even festivals are strongly influenced by western thinking and practices. 

The dichotomy between tradition and change and change is the only constant, tradition is either assimilated or lost and change has triumphed. Change is not at all bad for culture when it is adapted or suits one's culture, it only improved and enrich culture and do not necessarily affect the whole social system. But today a totally alien culture is presumed to be ours in its totality which can be suicidal in the long run.  Imagined or real, people now wanted to be part of the larger community influenced by western cultural ideas (Benedict Anderson, 1983). 

The desire for the preservation of indigenous culture has taken back seat and became part of the glorification of western culture and values. Apart from the above social ethos the change in the mainstay occupation from subsistence slash and burn farming to agro-business, office goers, and the emergence of the middle class in the society is also evidently visible. Tribal culture is intricately bound with the forest and their survival depended on its resources. 

The land and the resources therein also give tribal’s culture and identity. Cultural exposition like dances is accompanied by songs and drums; it often depicts a story of past life and its intricacy in living closely with nature giving an insight to the rich cultural heritage in which Inpuis or Naga as a whole is proud of. The way of living is economical and environmentally friendly. Almost every household owns a loom and rice pounder, women gathered in the gossip of their everyday lives and share their joy and sorrows and sing songs while carrying out their work. This kind of social simplicity has given way to a more complex form of social interaction. 

The Inpuis are patrilineal and patrilocal who traced their descent through the male line. As a patriarchal society man inherits the property and stays at his father’s place which is a general practice yet there is also an exception where a man stays at his in-law's house. The house is inherited by the youngest while properties like cultivable land, animals are distributed equally among the male siblings.  Today, there is a rising debate to include women in the inheritance of family property. Landed property was not given to women in Inpui society as the question of inheritance is based on habitation. 

The ownership of land can also be under the village authority but land owned by a particular clan/family is inherited by one generation to the other within the clan. The demand for an equal inheritance of property is recent and there is ambiguity in the interpretation where the conservative clash with modern norms and value. And in the process, the need arises so as to blend with modern values and bridge the gap between the modern and customary practices. The legitimacy of such a change has to get social approval.

Tribal identity is closely associated with the territory and in recent times the rise of the population has caused pressure on land and its resources (Table 1: 1 shows population in Inpui areas). Negotiating within a limited geographical land area while extracting the available resources will bring intra-tribe and inter-village tension and even inter-tribal as it is seen in recent conflicts involving neighboring tribes (Phalwak-Rongmei with Kabuikhullen, Khundong/Nurathel-Liangmei with Bakuwa, Kharam with Pungmon, Makhom-Rongmei with Haochong). 

At this critical juncture, boundary needs to be redrawn and redefine the space which will secure land and its resources as landmarks like streams, rivers, rocks, hillocks, or particular mountains were used to indicate the boundary between villages in the past which became unclear as infiltration or crossover in search for a little resource available has become common. Clear demarcation will lessen tension and help avoid a crisis in the future thereby leading to coexistence and not co-destruction. In these degrading environmental situations and shrinking of land, the need for conservation and cultivating sustainable development is felt more than ever before.

Table 1: 1 Population of some Inpui villages since 1971.

Sl	Village	1971	1981	1991	2001	2011
1	Haochong	401	443	828	950	Total Household:231 Male : 640  Female: 595(Literacy rate: 92.33 M/:94.23 F 90.28) Total Population: 1235
2	Pungmon	180	219	324	424	Total Household: 97Male : 271  Female: 248 (Literacy rate: 54.11M/:56.61 F 51.36) Total Population: 519
3	Oktan	270	346	491	1018	Total Household: 146 Male : 401 Female: 382(Literacy rate: 50.44 M/:53.85 F 46.79) Total Population: 783
4	Ijeirong	191	210	276	384	Total Household:75 Male : 216  Female: 210(Literacy rate: 63.40 M/: 69.23 F 57.14) Total Population: 426
5	Kabuikhullen	341	148	567	740	Total Household: 206 Male: 512 Female: 485 (Literacy rate: 46.06. M;47.91% F44.24% ) Total Population: 997
6	Nungtek	173	279	442	670	Total Household: 178 Male : 446 Female: 413(Literacy rate:83.95 M/87.47 F/ 80.28) Total Population: 859
7	Waphong	NA/NE	NA/NE	NA/NE	NA/NE	Total Household: 46 Male : 120 Female: 115(Literacy rate: 47.37 M 46.55 F 48.21) Total Population: 235
8	Bakuwa	NA/NE	NA/NE	NA/NE	NA/NE	Total Household: 71 Male : 164 Female: 170 (Literacy rate: 87.23 M/ 91.24 F/83.21) Total Population: 334
9	Yurembam	1568*	2127*	2781*	3169*	Total ST Population: 280 Male: 130 Female: 150 (Total ST Literacy rate: 85.12 . M/92.43 F/78.25)
10	Changangei	1811*	2437 *	3098*	3713*	Total ST population: 257 Male : 124 Female: 133(Total ST Literacy rate: 90.61 M/96.25 F/85.13)

Notes: 

Inpui villages like Pantilong, Tamphagei were enumerated but clubbed with other communities. Inpui living in Senapati headquarters, Nagaland (Jalukie, Dimapur, Kohima), Tamenglong headquarters, etc. were also clubbed together with other communities.

 * Overall population of different communities. NA: Not Available. NE: Not Enumerated.

Sources: www.census2011.co.in , data.gov.in & desmani.nic.in

The modern way of life has affected the family; the close-knitted family bound by strict traditional values and norms has lost its stricture and authority which it once had. The society altogether has a different outlook towards life because of the advent of education and Christianity. But until today the majority of the women continue to be in charge of the household chores and their status is relegated to lower strata of the society comparing to the male counterpart. To make things worst education priority continues to be given to man as the question of investing money is involved. 

There is an urgent need for empowering Inpui women which implies giving equal opportunity, enhancing women’s ability to dream, their capability to accomplish tasks, their command over events, and their ability to exercise influence both in domestic and public space. As half of the workload is still being taken care of by the womenfolk, the current status given by the society is still a cause for concern. So far no woman has had representation in Inpui Naga Union (INU) the highest decision making body of the Inpui. With this as an inference, political participation in mainstream politics is a distant dream. The patriarchal nature and mindset are deep-rooted and there is a lack of general sensibility on gender issues and women in particular. One critical tradition that needs revival is the oral tradition as many historical accounts are embedded in oral history; songs, folktales, etc. 

This tradition can go hand in hand with the modern mode of education as oral storytelling is an art form as well as a way of educating youngsters. It is to be noted that equal importance has to be given while imparting formal and traditional methods of education. The process of standardizing Inpui history in written form is of recent origin and most works of literature are limited or confined to theological writing rather than secular discourse. These imbalances need to cater to. The twin corollary factors of western education and the establishment of churches through missionaries have broadened Inpui’s worldview and produced tremendous changes in their social and cultural life. 

The church as an agent of social change today is also grappling with modern ideas, technology, and way of life and is perhaps challenged by emerging ethos contradictory to its fundamental principle. As a social institution, the power and authority which the church yielded are also dwindling. Due to this changing trend, the concept of individualization from community-oriented culture and from a value-centric to material-centric culture is slowly emerging in society.

Anthony P. Cohen (1993) explains that with ignorance of a culture goes the denial of its integrity because the culture is expressed symbolically and thus has no fixed meanings and it is often invisible to others, especially to powerful others. The society which once fiercely guarded their uniqueness against outside interference of influence (closing roads by cutting down tree branches in order to discourage outsiders to come inside their dwelling from fear of disease, interference in their social-political life) is more or less welcoming the arrival of an outside culture both of the west and of the surrounding environment. 

And Inpui tribal identity is slowly giving way to a more modern cultural amalgamation. This may further lead to strains in the tribal society if it threatens or brings an abrupt change in their everyday social interaction and behavior due to the generation gap and the influence of modern technological advancement. Though the effect of TV, internet, phone (forms of social media), and other sources of information which globalization brought along is too recent to judge.  But the transition from traditional to modern cultural outlook has changed the social landscape of the Inpui Naga.

This article is an edited version of that was published in Kala-Khwanbaang, an annual publication of Inpui Students’ Union, Delhi in 2015 as an editorial and thematic highlight of the said edition.