Yumnak is a family name (Sagei) In the Meetei society, and they speak Meetei Language. The name Yamunak as Pronounced "yoom-naak". Ethnic ''yumnaks'' are used in the Meetei /Meitei community including the Meitei Pangal and Meitei Bamon (

Manipuri Brahmin Manipuri Brahmins () or Meitei Brahmins () are the Brahmins who speak the Manipuri language as their native tongue and mainly reside in the valley areas of Manipur. Description Manipuri Brahmin origins stretch as far as Bengal, Odisha, Mithil ...

). The Meitei community lie largely in the Northeast

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, mainly in

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 ...

, Next in

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

Tripura Tripura () is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a populat ...

and a few in

Mizoram Mizoram is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India, with Aizawl as its Capital city, capital and largest city. It shares 722-kilometres (449 miles) of international borders with Bangladesh to the west, and Myanmar t ...

Nagaland Nagaland () is a States and union territories of India, state in the northeast India, north-eastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south, and the Naga Sel ...

Meghalaya Meghalaya (; "the abode of clouds") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeast India. Its capital is Shillong. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the Assam: the United Khasi Hills an ...

. Some live in

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and

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 ...

Historical background

In Meetei society, all the ''yumnak'' belong to only one of the Salai Taret except the ''Yumnak'' of the ''Meitei Bamon (

)'' including Kshetrimayum. There are seven major Salais or Yek Salais or Salai Taret, namely : #

Mangang Mangang () is a group of people, which is recognized as one of the seven Yek Salai clans of the composite Meitei confederacy. It consists of several Yumnaks, which belong to the native people of ancient Kangleipak (now Manipur), one of th ...

# Luwang # Khuman #

Angom Angom () is a group of people, which is recognized as one of the seven Yek Salai clans of the composite Meitei confederacy. It consists of several Yumnaks, which belong to the native people of ancient Kangleipak (present day Manipur state o ...

# Moirang # Kha Nganba # Sarang Leishangthem (Chenglei).The Meitheis - A Study of the Tribe of the Brahmaputra Valley by T. C. Hodson 2006.
/ref> Yumnaks are the sub-clans of these seven major '' Salai'', formed by the collection of different Yumnaks. Yumnaks inhabited specific areas and formed collectives. Later, these family members migrated to different areas, dispersing their Yumnaks.

The Yumnaks which do not have Yek Salai

Yumnaks without Yek Salai are Meitei Brahmin surnames that do not follow the Yek Salai tradition, unlike other Yumnaks as they are not of Meitei origin. Notable clans such as Aribam, Kshetrimayum, Gurumayum, and Lairikyengpham do not have any Yek Salais.

Unique Naming System

From ancient immemorial time, based on Meitei custom, naming system differs between males and females. Commonly, in both the genders the person's ''Yumnak'' is used as a prefix to their name. Keeping their respective names in the middle. The suffix name part is the one differing from males to females. In females, the suffix name part is made either by the gender identification or marital status identification like "Chanu". After getting married, the females changed their suffix part to "Leima", adding the term "Ningol" just after her paternal surname and by adding "Ongbi" after her husband's surname completes her full name. Examples : A female Meitei having the name ''Leishna'' with ''Khaidem'' as her paternal ''Yumnak'' will have her full name, before getting married, as per the Meitei custom as, * Khaidem Leishna Chanu After getting married, assuming, she married ''Narumbam Sanathoi Angomcha'', noting that ''Narumbam'' is her husband's surname, ''Sanathoi'' is her husband's name and Angom is her husband's Salai/Clan name. Then, her full name as per the Meitei custom will be changed as, * Khaidem Ningol Narumbam Ongbi Leishna Leima NOTE : The females don't carry their Salai/Clan name because the Salai/Clan system is a

patrilineality Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...

one. In males, the suffix is made either by the name of their respective ''Salai'' or gender identification like "Meitei/Meetei" for males. And sometimes by adding "cha" to their respective ''Salai'' or Clan name. "Cha" meaning "child". Examples: A male Meitei having the name ''Ahenba'' with 'sougrakpam'' as ''Yumnak,'' and noting that 'sougrakpam'' surname belongs to ''Mangang'' clan, will have his full name as per the Meitei custom as, *Sougrakpam Ahenba Mangang or *Sougrankpam Ahenba Meitei or *Sougrakpam Ahenba Meetei or *Sougrakpam Ahenba Mangangcha Through these Yumnaks, the

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

of Meitei can be traced.

Historical background

The Yumnaks which do not have Yek Salai

Unique Naming System

See also

References

Further reading