Tag: Lalgin Chongloi

By Lalgin Chongloi

Culture is the unique quality of a social group which reflects their identity. Different societies all over the world have different culture. The Kuki of Manipur is blessed with unique and vibrant culture which they have been preserving and upholding without any outside influence for very long decades. However, culture is not something static but is dynamic and rapidly changing. The culture of Kuki society also witnessed a wind of change mainly due to outside influence. Since then their culture is in the process of flux and change. Therefore, this article attempts to explore some aspects of cultural changes, both material and non-material, among the Kuki of Manipur as observed in Chalva Village.

Fulltext PDF

By Lalgin Chongloi

Creating distinct identity from others, the Thadou one of the Kuki tribes of Manipur is endowed with a beautiful, varied and colourful culture and customs which makes them unique. Like many tribal groups of Northeast India, the Thadou also once had Som (dormitory) for boys where a group of young boys would sleep together at night and were being imparted the significant fundamental practices of healthy social living. Thus, Som acts as an institutional centre for learning in the traditional society of the Thadou. However, the isolation of the simple Thadou society was broken with the advent of British rule in Manipur and the western culture and world views were gradually diffused in the minds of the Thadou. Eventually the Thadou are drifting away from their traditional ways of life. As such, Som was badly affected. This paper attempts to highlight the significant role played by Som in the traditional society of the Thadou and also aims to explore the factors which might have been responsible for discontinuation of Som.

Fulltext PDF