The Kom are one of the oldest among tribes who had settled in
Manipur
Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of ...
alongside the
Meiteis
The Meitei people, also known as the Manipuri people,P.20: "historically, academically and conventionally Manipuri prominently refers to the Meetei people."P.24: "For the Meeteis, Manipuris comprise Meeteis, Lois, Kukis, Nagas and Pangal." is ...
(with reference to the
Khamba Thoibi
)
, Image_Name = Khamba and Thoibi (The Capture of the Wild Bull).jpg
, Image_Caption = Khamba and Thoibi (The Capture of the Wild Bull)
, Aarne-Thompson Grouping = no
, AKA = Khampa Thoipi
, Mythology = Meitei mytholo ...
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
Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of ...
of
North-East India
, native_name_lang = mni
, settlement_type =
, image_skyline =
, image_alt =
, image_caption =
, motto =
, image_map = Northeast india.png
, ...
.
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
The Tibetan antelope or chiru (''Pantholops hodgsonii'') (, pronounced ; ) is a medium-sized bovid native to the northeastern Tibetan plateau. Most of the population live within the Chinese border, while some scatter across India and Bhutan in ...
,
Aimol,
Kharam,
Purum,
Koireng and
Kom. Kom-rem are found in the Northeastern states of Manipur and
Tripura
Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 36.71 lakh ( 3.67 million). It is bordered by Assam and Mizoram to the ea ...
. 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
Churachandpur ( Meitei pronunciation: ''/tʃʊraːˌtʃaːnɗpʊr/'') is the district headquarter of the Churachandpur District in the Indian state of Manipur. It is named after the Meitei King Churachand Singh, the Maharaja of Manipur Kingdom.
...
,
Bishnupur,
Chandel,
Kangpokpi,
Tengnoupal
Tengnoupal ( Meitei pronunciation:/teŋ-nə́u-pəl/) is a hill town at the highest point of a road ( NH-2) between Imphal and Moreh at the end of northwestern Myanmar; the ASEAN Highway passes through the village. It is the district headquarter ...
,
Thoubal
, nickname =
, settlement_type = Town
, image_skyline = View of thoubal.jpg
, image_alt =
, image_caption =
, pushpin_map = India Manipur#India
, pushpin_label_posit ...
,
Kakching and
Senapati
Senapati (Sanskrit: सेनापति; ''sena-'' meaning "army", ''-pati'' meaning "lord") is a title in ancient India denoting the rank of military commander or general of the army.
It was a hereditary title of nobility used in the Marath ...
.
According to the 2001 Census of India, the population of Kom is 14,602.
[2001 Census of India]
"Population of Schedule Tribes of Manipur"
/ref>
Origins
Their origin is unclear as they have settled in manipur from time and memorable since many decades. Kom myth holds that the people emerged from a cave (khurpui) believed to be under world. ''Karong'' (referred to also as Puvom), Leivon, Serto, Mangte, Telen/Thingpui, and Mirem were the names of the major clans who formed the kom tribe. The names of these clans represent the social stratification and roles played by the leaders of the Kom people during the time of emerging from the cave.
Clan names
The clan names are as follows:
Although the clan names have been retained through decades and since the genealogy of khurpui(cave) story. The majority of this community are Christian. Their stories - folklore and legends - are passed down through generations by oral/verbal forms or word of mouth.
Gallery
File:KomGirl.png, Kom girl
File:KomBoy.png, Kom boy
File:KomAdultFemale.png, Kom woman
File:KomAdultMale.png, Kom man
References
{{Hill tribes of Northeast India
Ethnic groups in India
Kuki tribes
Scheduled Tribes of Manipur
Ethnic groups in Northeast India
Ethnic groups in South Asia