Covering an area of 22,327 sq km and having a population of approx. 2.8 million, Manipur is distinctly divided into 2 main parts: the outlying hilly area made up of 9 hill ranges and the centric beautiful valley. The people of Manipur are also grouped into three main ethnic communities based on these 2 landforms – The Meiteis inhabiting the valley and the Nagas and Kuki-Chins inhabiting the hills. Each one of them is further sub-divided into sub-tribes, and those under the Nagas and the Kuki-Chins alone count up to 33. Despite the socio-political and linguistic differences among them, all the ethnic tribes originate from the same Mongoloid group having similarities in culture. All the tribes generally communicate in their own dialects among the same ethnic groups while communication between different groups is carried out in Meitei or Manipuri language.

Of all the tribes that inhabit the land of Manipur, few of the recognized ones are as follows:

The Meitei people are primarily settled in the valleys and constitute approximately half of the total Manipuri population. Most of the rich culture of Manipur can be credited to the Meiteis. The famous Manipuri martial art Thang-ta also had its origin from the Meitei knights during the ruling of the kings. The Meiteis are also fond of horse riding. Rice, vegetables, and fish are staple food of the Manipur, and Meiteis prefer fish. 

These are hilly people but recently most of them have shifted to the plains. Aimol means “mountain of crabs.” The folklore traces the Aimol ethno genesis to an uncertain cave at Khweps from which the people had been believed to have emerged out under the Earth. They practice both wet and shifting paddy cultivation in the hills. Some of the crops other than paddy are sesamum, maize, soyabean, pumpkin, gourd, ginger, tomato, chilly, and groundnut.  Most of the Aimols are now converted to Christianity and identify with the Nagas, although they may be related to the Chin-Kuki group. Due to close proximity, they are also directly influenced by the Meiteis. Some of the important festivals that are performed are (1) Lungkam ut – The stone erection festival (2) Khuong-tan– The beating drum festival (3) Lam-jir – The road construction festival, and (4) Tolai-tan– The palanquin festival.

The Anal tribe is one of the oldest dwellers in the Southern hills of Tengnoupal district and belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family of tribes. Earlier they were recognized as one of the oldest Kuki tribes, but nowadays they identify themselves as a Naga tribe. Their cultural life is rich and preserved in traditional folklores and folksongs. The festivals include "Akam" performed to invoke divine blessings. Kamdon dance is performed during the Akam festival both by man and woman.

They are found in four districts of the state in Tamenglong, Kangpokpi, Churachandpur, and Thoubal. They speak Chiru dialect, one of the Kuki-Chin-Naga languages. Their manners, customs, and language appear to identify with Kuki origin, but their physique, habits, hairstyle, etc represent the Nagas. They are one of the smaller tribe in Manipur. Festivals are one of the most important cultural elements of the Chiru tribe that distinguishes their distinctive culture from other tribes. The six major festivals of the Chiru are as follows:

⦁ The Dentai Rohoi and Reinreii Lamvata festivals that symbolise the social status of children and youth.

⦁ The Phoibei Moroi festival signifies the importance of reading of years.

⦁ The Sangroukou, Shangbouk, and Loipuishak Rathakoui are festivals of seed sowing, harvesting, and worship of a deity.

They are also called as Purums as they settled at a place called Purum in Chandel district. The term “Chothe” derives from Kachohte, meaning to bring or to hold a boy. The main festival of the Chothe is sasuhang (harvesting festival) along with Christmas, New Year, Good Friday, etc. Dance and music are an intrinsic part of their cultural life both in religious and recreational events. The men wear a dress called Men-Aikang, which includes a bandanna or a head gear. The women, on the other hand, are fairly beautiful with their hair tied in knots on their backs. Their traditional dress includes a Leikui (a headgear) and a Khwang-Chek tied around their waists. 

They are said to have emerged from caves called Khul located in the present day country of China. The Gangte occupy the District of Churachandpur, which is located towards the south end of the state. Most of them have adopted Christianity as their main religion but still hold high significance of their ancient practices as well. The major festivals in the tribe are often celebrated with sports, games, songs, and dance. The prominent festivals of the Gangte are (1) Chapchal Kut, (2) Gahmasa Kut, (3) Mim Kut, and (4) Chavang Kut. Meat cooked on bamboo shafts are considered to be an exquisite meal. The Gangte people are a big fan of red chillies and spices, evident from the fact that they grow and consume it to a large extent. The ancient tribe wore cotton dresses made from traditional looms and weaving machines but was gradually replaced by wool. The Gangtes are also one of the educated and developed tribes, with 99% literacy rate.

These people mostly populate the southern region of Manipur of Tipaimukh and Churachandpur. They speak Hmar language and converse well in Meiteilon.  They are one of the highly educated  Christian communities of the Manipur tribes. Hmar also forms one of the highly educated communities of Manipur along with the Gangtes.  Earlier Hmars worshiped spirits, the mountains, the rocks, and rivers. Agriculture and weaving are their main occupations. 

The Koms are scattered in the Churachandpur, Tengnoupal, and Senapati districts. Their language is to an extent recognised by the Aimol and Chiru. They also have close relationship with the Hmar. The Koms are easily identified by their way of dressing. The men and women have different sets of attires namely, Nubmeipen and Pasepon, respectively. Koms believe in Pathen, the supreme god. This tribe is also highly literate and takes part in many political activities.

They live in small villages on the hills to the north of Imphal Valley in Senapati district. The women of this tribe are given a relatively high status compared to men, as they take part in the economic activities. A woman member is also represented in the village council. They cultivate paddy, maize, sesame, potato, arum, and ginger and trade with the Meiteis. They are smaller in number, and the literacy rate is also low compared to the other tribes.

 

The Koiraos inhabit the Sadar hills of Senapati district. In earlier days, they bartered their agricultural products, baskets, and blacksmithing products with the Meiteis for food, with Tangkhuls for earthern pots, and with Kukis for beaded necklaces. Favorite festival is Linhut tangnit (seed-sowing festival), along with other Christian festivals.

 

The Mao areas have better communication and electricity. They inhabit the hills of extreme north of Manipur.  The literacy rate among tribes in the Mao area is high like the Koierang and Kom. A majority are agriculturists and cultivate terraced paddy fields. They rear cows, buffalos, pigs, fowls, etc. Mao is also a commercial center and station for tourists with buses and commercial trucks plying via the Imphal-Dimapur road.

The Lamkangs are settled in the southwest and southeastern parts of Manipur in the district of Chandel. The language has been influenced by the state language, which is Meitei, as the people have been in contact with the Meiteis. Lamkang tribe is known to be one of the oldest of 19 Naga tribes living in Manipur. This tribe can be easily recognized from other Naga tribes through their traditional cultural attires.

They can be identified by the traditional design on the shawls, which are marked in black with a few stripes of red. The design is simple and devoid of any geometrical figures. They speak Thadou language and converse in Meiteilon with others.  The Thadous are non-vegetarians and fond of drinking zu made from rice or maize, but due to religious constraints this has been replaced by tea. They form the largest population in all the tribes and are dispersed in several districts of Manipur. Basket weaving, poultry, and cane work are the traditional crafts of the Thadous.

Despite being geographically and politically divided by the landforms and the number of tribes, Manipur is strongly united by the common lifestyle followed across different tribes such as the food they eat, the core reason of the festivals they celebrate, and the bright colors in the clothes they wear. It’s enchanting to see how so many tribes stay together with so much similarity yet stand out in some way or the other. Thus, it’s a no-brainer why Manipur is named as the “Land of the Jewels.”