The Tangkhuls, also known as the Tangkhul Nagas, are a

Tibeto-Burmese The Tibeto-Burman languages are the non- Sinitic members of the Sino-Tibetan language family, over 400 of which are spoken throughout the Southeast Asian Massif ("Zomia") as well as parts of East Asia and South Asia. Around 60 million people speak ...

ethnic group An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...

living in the Indo–Myanmar border area, occupying the

Ukhrul district Ukhrul district ( Meitei pronunciation:/ˈuːkˌɹəl or ˈuːkˌɹʊl/) is an administrative district of the state of Manipur in India with its headquarters at Ukhrul. The Ukhrul district has a long history dating back to the 1920s when it wa ...

and

Kamjong district Kamjong District ( Meitei pronunciation: /kām-jōng/) is one of the 16 districts of Manipur, India. It was created in 2016 from the Ukhrul district, prior to which it was a subdivision of the latter. The district headquarters is located at Ka ...

in the

Northeast India Northeast India, officially the North Eastern Region (NER), is the easternmost region of India representing both a geographic and political Administrative divisions of India, administrative division of the country. It comprises eight States and ...

n state of

Manipur Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...

, and in parts of neighbouring

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

. Despite this international border, many Tangkhul have continued to regard themselves as "one nation". The name "Tangkhul" is originated from the

Meitei language Meitei (; ) also known as Manipuri ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of northeast India. It is the official language and the lingua franca of Manipur and an additional official language in four districts of Assam. It is one of the scheduled ...

words, "Tang" meaning "scarce" and "Khul" meaning "village" respectively. According to another theory of origin, the term "Tangkhul" is derived from "Thankhul", meaning "Than village" in

Relationship with the Meiteis

Haoreima, the

Meitei goddess Meitei may refer to: *Meitei people, of Manipur, India **Meitei people in Bangladesh **Meitei people in India ***Meitei people in Assam ***Meitei people in Meghalaya ***Meitei people in Nagaland ***Meitei people in Tripura **Meitei people in Myanma ...

of tragic love and separation, was actually a

deified Apotheosis (, ), also called divinization or deification (), is the glorification of a subject to divine levels and, commonly, the treatment of a human being, any other living thing, or an abstract idea in the likeness of a deity. The origina ...

person of the Tangkhul origin. She was a daughter of ''Khelemba'', a Tangkhul chief of Chingdai village, and was married to ''Khamlangba'', a Tangkhul chief of Chingshong village. Despite marrying Khamlangba, she had a secret love affair with Meitei king ''Meidingu Tabungba'', also called ''Tabung Saphaba'' (1359-1394 CE). However, the Meitei king had an untimely death, which shocked Lady Haoreima. Afterwards, she went to the ''Kanglei Pungmayol'' (in modern day

Imphal Imphal (; , ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (officially known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the former Kingdom of Manipur, surrounded by a ...

). Later, she also died, following her lover's path and was eventually venerated as the Meitei goddess of tragic love and separation. She is also identified as goddess

Ireima Irai Leima is a goddess in Sanamahism, the indigenous religion of Manipur. She is the goddess and the divine female personification of water and aquatic life. She is the consort of Irai Ningthou (literally, ''king of water''). Both are regarded ...

, an

incarnation Incarnation literally means ''embodied in flesh'' or ''taking on flesh''. It is the Conception (biology), conception and the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form or an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic form of a god. It is used t ...

of goddess

Panthoibi Panthoibi (, ), also known as , is a goddess associated with civilization, courage, fertility, handicraft, love, victory, warfare and wisdom in the mythology and religion of Ancient Kangleipak (early Manipur). She is a consort of the God Non ...

of the Meitei pantheon.

Notable people

Rishang Keishing Rishang Keishing (25 October 1920 – 22 August 2017) was an Indian politician from Manipur. Keishing served as Chief Minister of Manipur from 1980 to 1988 and from 1994 to 1998. He was a former Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha represen ...

* Darlando Khathing * Ralengnao Khathing *

Rewben Mashangva Rewben Mashangva, also Guru Rewben Mashangva (born 21 June 1961), is a folk musician and singer from Manipur, India. He is known for reviving musical tradition of the Tangkhul Naga of Manipur, and use of traditional musical instruments in his ...

Wungngayam Muirang Wungngayam Muirang (born 16 February 1999) is an Indian footballer who plays as a defender for Indian Super League club Jamshedpur. Career Gokulam Kerala In October 2018, it was announced that Wungngayam Muirang signed for Gokulam Kerala in ...

Thuingaleng Muivah Thuingaleng Muivah (born 3 March 1934) is a Naga nationalist politician and General Secretary of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (I-M). Early career He joined the Naga National Council (NNC), an armed group campaigning for seces ...

* Min Naing *

Hormipam Ruivah Hormipam Ruivah (born 25 January 2001) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters. Club career Youth and early career Hormipam hails from Somdal Village in the Ukhrul District ...

Hangmila Shaiza Hangmila Shaiza (19 September 1920 – 3 August 1997) was an Indian politician who was the first woman to be elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manipur. She served from 1990 to 1991, representing the Ukhrul Assembly constituency.

Yangmaso Shaiza Yangmaso Shaiza (1923 – 30 January 1984) was an Indian politician and the fourth Chief Minister of Manipur. He founded the Manipur Hills Union in 1974, and became the first chief minister from hill regions of the state. He is the first Chief ...

* Rungsung Suisa

Notes

References

External links

*http://www.tangkhul.com *http://www.ukhrul.nic.in *http://www.tangkhulnet.tripod.com *https://tangkhulonline.com/ {{authority control Scheduled Tribes of Manipur Ethnic groups in Myanmar Ethnic groups in Northeast India Ethnic groups in Manipur People from Ukhrul district Ethnic groups in South Asia Ethnic groups in India Scheduled Tribes of India

Relationship with the Meiteis

See also

Further reading

Notable people

Notes

References

External links