Mytholgies of the Kom Tribe

 

The Kom people are one of the indigenous and oldest tribe who had settled in Manipur since time immemorial. They share very similar traditional attires and surnames with Lamkang.The Kom tribes have Karong, Serto, Leivon and Tellien clans etc.They are mainly found in Manipur of North-East India. They use Meitei language as their second language (L2) according to the EthnologueAccording to the 2001 Census of India, the population of Kom people is 14,602. Kom tribe is one of the important tribal communities of northeastern states, mainly found in the Senapati and Churachandpur districts of Manipur. These Kom tribes share the same language of other tribes like Aimol, Koireng, Chiru. They share a close affinity with the Hmar tribes. According to a popular myth the ancestors of Kom tribes are said to have descended from a cave of other world and then went to the Manipur fort. A tiger used to lay in wait to kill them. Amongst these people, a person named, Karongpa camouflaged a tiger by wearing a dress resembling to a tiger hide. Thus all theses people were saved from the clutches of the beast. Then Saichepa came out and killed the animal. However, there is another story that narrates that the head of this ancient Kom tribal party, Karong, killed a huge snake and also a tiger for blocking their way. After being free from the danger, all of them carried on celebration in Telenpa's house. However, the researches of various anthropologists revealed the fact about the origin of these Kom tribes. As per some scholars, the Kom tribes settled down in Manipur sometime between 200 A.D., after coming from the foreign lands. They are said to come after the Meiteis in the land of Manipur. The Koms are farmers, practicing mainly shifting and wet cultivation. Rice is the staple food. Also they produce potatoes, millets, maze etc. Kom tribes domesticate several animals like pigs, fowls, goats, cows, buffaloes, mithun etc. The artistic acumen of these Kom tribes is clearly reflected in the houses, art works etc. The culture thus gets enriched in this way. The house of a Kom tribe has got thatched roof. These Kom tribes have developed expertise in weaving. Man's regular wear is a dhoti tied round the waist. However, a man having a respectable position in Kom society wears 'pasppan', the cloth bearing the skin mark of Python-god. Black shawl with embroideries also become the style marks of Kom tribes. These tribes have great belief in Pathen. Literacy rate among the people is high and they are very active in political activities of the state.


The Kom are one of the oldest among tribes who had settled in manipur alongside the meeties (refer khamba -thoibi folklore) and they are defined later by British Indian government as Naga in their land records (administratively) but later after the entry of kuki from Burma during 1847, the anthropologist and historian considered them linguistically a kin to chin-kuki-mizo group. They are mainly found in Manipur of North-East India. Koms belong to kindred Chin - Kuki Mizo tribes. Even though they are referred as "Kom", among themselves they refer to themselves as Kakom. Kom-rem consist of six subtribes: ChiruAimolKharamPurumKoireng and Kom. Kom-rem are found in the Northeastern states of Manipur and Tripura. The majority of the Kom population reside in Manipur. They are found in almost all the districts of Manipur and concentrated mainly in  districts of Churachandpur, Bishnupur, Chandel, Kangpokpi, Tengnoupal, Thoubal, Kakching and Senapati. According to the 2001 Census of India, the population of Kom is 14,602.


Koms (collectively) identity self ascription, Kakom inchangna, is derived from this song of history. It is the basic foundation on which community ethnonym, Kakom or Kom got constructed.

Kan hongsuk e kan hongsuk e
Khurpui e kahong suk e
Heiya he heiya he
Kan honsuk e kan hongsuk e
Khurpui a kan hongsuk e
KanKom luin abong heiye
KaKom kachang ung a

The history of Komrem ethnicity processes dates back to 1927 under a nomenclature of Sadar Hills Kom Union which was initiated to define and re-enforce a common identity based on cultural and historical experiences. In the post independence era the Union resurrected with a new nomenclature ‘Komrem’; conceptually a configuration of endogenous and exogenous terminology. ‘Kom’ basically is a Meitei word, a derivative of ‘Khurpui’, a kom terminology of the origin theory. ‘Rem’ as in ‘Komrem’ refers to ‘people’. Therefore, Komrems (Koms) identify as ‘Khurmi’s. However, ‘Komrem’ as an ethnonym was given birth during the initial stage of the socio religious movement as commonly accepted nomenclature for peoplehood and mobilization in the context and process of history and has found space in the consciousness of the community and other ethnic groups in the State. The Komrem historical reality implicitly and explicitly is premised on the frame of harmony, co-existence and mutual interactions within the State-community. An observation of Komrem Identity process reflects that Identity is multidimensional and is closely linked to culture which has its own dynamics and exerts its own political status. For example, documentation of Kom culture by Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA), in collaboration with state institutions and Kom Cultural Society of Khoirentak Village Society is unique and occupies prominent place in defining cultural identity of Kom tribe (Purvottari, 2009). Religion has also emerged as an important factor of identity re-enforcement and change. Infact, Komrem community today is basically Christian in religion. There is direct and mutual interaction between religion and culture of the people which continuously define and redefine the identity of Komrem from ‘socio-religious perspective’ anchored through Kemrem Baptist Church Association (KRBCA) and the Komrem Union (KRU). The role of these emerging institutions in Komrem identity and peoplehood consciousness and organization is prominent. Education and development of Komrem community is definitely a direct contribution of Christianity which has augmented the cultural and political identity of the people.


The Kom tribe of Manipur with a population of 15,988 (2001, census) are concentrated in Churachandpur and Senapati districts of Manipur. The sex ratio is 1021.24; General Fertility rate is 81.56. Though having a high literacy rate (73.24%), their accessibility to health facilities is very low which is reflected in their causes of death - unknown (55.74%), followed by diarrhea, T.B. and birth related deaths. An attempt has also been made to review different views of their genesis and identity. Demographic aspects of fertility, mortality, age and sex ratio, migration and distribution pattern of a population in the backdrop of ecological factors are of immense importance in anthropological studies of populations. Manipur, one of the states of the Republic of India, in the North-Eastern region, lies between 23050/ and 25041/ N latitude and 9302/ and 94047/ E longitudes. The state is fringed by the Nagaland on the North, Myanmar on the East and South, Assam on the West and North-west, and Mizoram on the Southwest. An attempt has been made in this study to review the Kom tribe and their demographic profile. Koms are one of the 33 Scheduled tribes of Manipur. Very few reports on Kom tribe of Manipur are found made by the early British administrators, such as, Grierson (1904), Brown (1873), Shakespear (1912), and McCulloch (1859). In the recent years, some Kom writers such as, Karong (1976), Benjamin (1990), Kilong (2000) have also contributed to the already existing literature on the Koms. Although, these reports provide some important information related to their origin, and some aspects of their social organization, but they neither fulfill the much needed in-depth details on the socio-cultural aspects, nor do they give any information related the demographic aspect of the tribe. Therefore, a brief review of the available reports is furnished here in the following paragraphs.

The Kom are one of the oldest among tribes who had settled in Manipur alongside the Meiteis (with reference to the Khamba Thoibi epic folklore) and they are defined later by British Indian government as Naga in their land records (administratively) but later after the entry of kuki from Burma during 1847, the anthropologist and historian considered them linguistically a kin to chin-kuki-mizo group. They are mainly found in Manipur of North-East India. Koms belong to kindred Chin - Kuki Mizo tribes. Even though they are referred as "Kom", among themselves they refer to themselves as Kakom. Kom-rem consist of six subtribes: Chiru, Aimol, Kharam, Purum, Koireng and Kom. Kom-rem are found in the Northeastern states of Manipur and Tripura. The majority of the Kom population reside in Manipur. They are found in almost all the districts of Manipur and concentrated mainly in the districts of Churachandpur, Bishnupur, Chandel, Kangpokpi, Tengnoupal, Thoubal, Kakching and Senapati. According to the 2001 Census of India, the population of Kom is 14,602. 


People of the Kom tribe from Manipur hold a belief that theirs ancestors emerged from a big cave called Kharpui. The ancestors of the tribe are ‘Pu Hring’ and ‘Pu Dam’ who kept long hairs and wore turbans. The word ‘KOM’ is derived from the word “LUKAKOM”, which means Turban people. As per the legends of the Kom tribe, when the ancestors tried to step out of the cave, there stood a ferocious tiger. According to the folklores, the people planned a to kill the tiger and a tamer was employed for the purpose. The tamer wore a striped cloth to trick and kill the tiger. The Kharpui celbrations mark the killing of the tiger and thus the folk traditions of the Kharpui Lam (Lam meaning dance) began. After the killing of the tiger, a a grand feast at village called Kholamdar, by singing a song of victory with dancing in joyous, which marks the beginning of the cultural songs and dances of the Kom tribe.







































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