How researchers and writers misrepresent the identity of a community: Case of Inpui (Kabui)
“To leave errors unrefuted is to encourage intellectual immorality”.
Karl Marx to Henry Hyndman, 1879
In numerous indigenous societies, it is commonly the colonizers and Christian missionaries who introduced Western education and instilled the practice of written history. This trend is particularly evident in Northeastern India. Indigenous communities were directed to abandon their traditional cultures in favor of contemporary Western norms, resulting in a significant loss of cultural identity, with minority groups bearing the brunt of the impact. In many cases, colonizers failed to distinguish between different communities, leading to the recording of names and even the creation of new names for convenience and ignorance.
The inconsistency in naming tribes persisted, as did the pattern, after the British departed India, contributing to the ongoing identity crisis. While some indigenous scholars are well-versed in colonial writings, acknowledging the imposition and cultural appropriation, others, often from the majority communities, continue to perpetuate similar errors. They adopt the same flawed approach, inference, citation, and construct histories based on inaccurate facts without thorough research.
Here is an instance concerning the Inpui (Kabui) tribe, a small community whose individuals were inaccurately grouped together by colonialists and later appropriated by the dominant community according to their own narrative. An illustration of this patronizing portrayal of the Inpui (Kabui) tribe is provided below, as expressed by Gonmei Lanbilung:
“The name of Puimei older than Kabui is simply ridiculous. The Puimei origin of Kabui will put the Rongmei out of history. This is criminal and a historical crime. Puimei consists of the people of Liangmei and Rongmei origin who were ethnically, but speak a different dialect.”
(Gonmei, Lanbilung, The Zeliangrong Villages in the Valley of Manipur: A Historical Perspective, EBH Publishers, 2018 p.9).
Many articles about Inpuis authored by Zeliangrong scholars exhibit this pattern, with no direct quotations, interviews, or book references from the Inpuis (Kabui) themselves to support the arguments. Instead, the narrative is shaped solely by the Zeliangrong construction of history. This portrayal reflects a colonial mindset that sharply contradicts the image these writers project in their written works.
The
discussion continues……..
If
an Inpui has to write like the Zeliangrong scholars then it will go something
like this:
“The
Tanganrwan are found scattered in different states particularly Manipur,
Nagaland, and Assam. The Tanganrwan is a recognized tribe in Manipur. Likewise,
the Zerwan and Lengrwan inhabit the three northeastern states namely Nagaland,
Assam, and Manipur”.
Tanganrwan:
Rongmei
Zerwan:
Zeme
Lengrwan:
Liangmei
Here
rwan in Inpui means people including mi (not mei).
However, none of the Inpui writers or scholars have utilized terms like Tanganrwan, Lengrwan, or Zerwan to refer to the Zeliangrong. The ongoing discourse surrounding the Inpui identity crisis is extensive, and the historical bias imposed by Zeliangrong elders/leaders since the establishment of the Zeliangrong Union in 1947 persists to this day. Inpui (Kabui) has been an integral part of the Zeliangrong community even before the term was coined. Despite not being explicitly named, the Inpuis actively participated in both secular and religious organizations within the Zeliangrong. Noteworthy leaders include Late Abui Kabui, Chingthuizin Inkah, Late Arei Khumba, Kuthoi Khumba, Late Kadilin Inkah, and Alung Khumba, among others.
Despite the formation of The Joint Tribe Council (JTC) by the four CSOs (Inpui, Liangmei, Rongmei, Zeme, and Liangmei) in Manipur to signify the distinct identities of the four cognate tribes, researchers and intellectuals continue to engage in dishonest practices to this day.
The Inpuis consistently identify themselves either as Inpui or Kabui. Similarly, Rongmei individuals in the Imphal valley, as well as a few in Assam and Nagaland, persist in using the term Kabui. Some even claim a distinct tribe under the leadership of the Kabui Union, an organization formed without public mandate (as corrected by respected Rongmei elders Ragongning Gangmei and Amu Kamei in local dailies).
The Inpui adopted the name Kabui for their organizations, such as the Kabui Union and Kabui Naga Baptist Church Association (recognized by the Manipur Baptist Convention). Although recent changes omit the term Kabui from organizational nomenclature, Inpuis still retains the name Kabui, with many in the Imphal Valley identifying themselves as Kabui as their title.
Origin of the term Puimei
Regarding the origin of the term Puimei, it is alien to Inpui/Puirwan/Kabui. Rongmei, Zeme, and Liangmei, particularly Rongmeis, use Puimei. Liangmei refers to Inpuis as Makhuamei, and the village of Haochong, also known as Makhwam Namdi by Liangmei, was part of undivided Haochong (Pantong) in Noney district, Manipur. In Inpui, Pui means big, and mei can mean fire or wife, making Puimei a term popularized by Zeliangrong, not Inpuis. Inpui is known by various names such as Kabui, Inpui, Puirwan, Inpuirwan, Poeron, or Puimi, where mi signifies people (not mei).
Despite the government gazette indicating Inpui, Kabui, and Rongmei, confusion persists in the usage of the term Inpui (Kabui) by Zeliangrong scholars and writers. Even the Britishers used Pooeron, not Puimei. In their long history, Inpuis have not written their name as Puimei but as Kabui, Inpui, Puimi, Puirwan, Pooeron, Puiron, etc. Scholars and writers should avoid using Puimei in official communications, research papers, and books. The Tamenglong District official website used the term Puimei for an extended period but this has recently been corrected.
While Zeliangrong acknowledges Inpuis as a cognate tribe, most CSO leaders and elders accept this fact. Still, many researchers refuse to acknowledge this history, perpetuating bias and discrimination against the minority community. These errors need acknowledgment and rectification, as no reaction can justify such inaccurate writings. It also highlights the limited knowledge about Inpuis, with only a few researchers conducting actual research and others quoting references from unreliable sources in books or articles written by Zeliangrong scholars on the Zeliangrong community.
In most cases, only a few lines or, at best, a paragraph or two are dedicated to Inpuis, often containing misleading information or language embedded with inherent research bias. This underscores the lack of proper background study or research on Inpui by Zeliangrong scholars. As a consequence, non-Zeliangrong writers also fall into the trap of repeating the same mistakes, writing Puimei/Puimai instead of Inpui/Kabui based on these flawed references.
“Maturity is simply the process of discovering
that everything you believed in when you are young is false and that all the
things you refused to believe in turn out to be true.” (Carlos Ruiz Zafon)
Here are a few lists of Zeliangrong scholars/writers/organizations and their articles using Puimei/Puimai instead of Inpui (Kabui) in their writings.
Ramkhun Pamei. The Zeliangrong Nagas: A Study of the Tribal Christianity. Uppal Publishing House, 1996
A Brief Account of the Zeliangrong Nagas published by All Zeliangrong Students’ Union (AZSU) Assam, Manipur and Nagaland. 2009
Poujenlung Gonmei. Better To be the ‘Liangtuang’ than the ‘Nruna-nah’: A Grand Strategy for the Zeliangrong Nagas in Souvenir, Zeliangrong Students’ Union, Manipur Diamond Jubilee (1949-2009), 3rd-6th March 2010, Editor, Dr.C.Mathew Kamei
Dr.Azailu Niumai. Globalization and Naga Women: A Sociological Study in Naga Society in Souvenir, Zeliangrong Students’ Union, Manipur Diamond Jubilee (1949-2009), 3rd-6th March 2010, Editor, Dr.C.Mathew Kamei
T. Kammei. Brothers in Dilemma in Souvenir, Zeliangrong Students’ Union, Manipur Diamond Jubilee (1949-2009), 3rd-6th March 2010, Editor, Dr.C.Mathew Kamei
Dr.Kamei Sanjit. Zeliangrong in the 21st Century in Souvenir, Zeliangrong Students’ Union, Manipur Diamond Jubilee (1949-2009), 3rd-6th March 2010, Editor, Dr.C.Mathew Kamei
Mathiupuang Gonmei and Poujenlung Gonmei, Zeliangrong Movement: Problems and Prospects in Souvenir, Zeliangrong Students’ Union, Manipur Diamond Jubilee (1949-2009), 3rd-6th March 2010, Editor, Dr.C.Mathew Kamei
Memorandum Submitted to Dr.Manmohan Singh Hon’ble Prime Minister of India on 4th December 2008 for Recognition of “Any Zeliangrong Tribe”, including Zeme and Liangmai in lieu of Kacha Naga and Rongmei in lieu of Kabui available in appendix –II in Souvenir, Zeliangrong Students’ Union, Manipur Diamond Jubilee (1949-2009), 3rd-6th March 2010, Editor, Dr.C.Mathew Kamei
Gonmei Lanbilung. The Zeliangrong Villages in the Valley of Manipur: A Historical Perspective, EBH Publishers, 2018
Kamei Samson. The Zeliangrong Movement in North-East India: An Exegetical Study, Sociological Bulletin, May-August 2012, Vol. 61, No. 2 (May-August 2012), pp.320-334
Amu Kamei, Unfortunate/inappropriate misunderstanding within the Zeliangrong community, June 25 2019 http://epao.net/epSubPageExtractor.asp?src=news_section.opinions.Misundertanding_within_Zeliangrong_community_By_Amu_Kamei
Origin and Migration of Kabui (Rongmei Naga). January 21, 2019. https://rongmeiencyclopedia.wordpress.com/2019/01/21/origin-and-migration-of-kabui-rongmei-naga/
Akham Gonmei. The emergence of “Zeliangrong”. December 10 2017 https://rongmeiencyclopedia.wordpress.com/2017/12/10/emergence-of-zeliangrong/
Rongmei Naga and Puimei. May 9, 2014 https://meirilung.wordpress.com/2014/05/09/rongmei-naga/
Kabui Samiti Manipur dismisses Zeliangrong United Organisation's claim. 09-Feb-2021
Kamei Beeju. A Way of Life of the Zelianrong Nagas in Manipur with Special Reference to Rongmei (Kabui) Tribe. International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, Vol. 4, No. 2, March 2014
Aphun Kamei. Nagas Identity and Nationalism: Indigenous Movement of the Zeliangrong Nagas in the North East India. In: Ratuva, S. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Ethnicity. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. 2019. pp 907–926
Heera Marangmei. The Martyr, Haipou Jadonang Marangmei. August 15, 2017. http://kanglaonline.com/2017/08/the-martyr-haipou-jadonang-marangmei/
The list goes on………….
Let us not be guided by ignorant and unfounded information and be a little cautious in our search for knowledge and understanding of a community with a distinct identity.
If someone says it’s
raining and another says it’s dry, it’s not your job to quote them both. Your
job is to look out the window and find out which is true.
Team
Antrimwanbut Khwan
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