Thangal Naga
Thangals are one of the indigenous Naga tribes restricted to the Senapati district of the state of Manipur in the North-east India. Presently there are 13 Thangal Villages. They are found in eleven hill villages of the Senapati District. Mapao Thangal, Thangal Surung, Makeng Thangal Tumnou Pokpi, Tagaramphung (Yaikongpao), Ningthoupham and Mayakhang are some of the bigger villages. They speak the Thangal language which is resembles Maram[1] and Rongmei.They are Mongoloid in appearance. They are close-knit and live in hill villages. Traditionally Thangals are farmers cultivating a range of crops such as Paddy, pulses and vegetables such as Brinjal, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Chillies, Cucumber and Mustard leaf fruits such as Mango, Papaya, Plantain, Pomegranate, and fruits locally known as Tii.The agricultural implements that these Thangal tribe use to a great extent are adze, sickle, axe, plough, yoke etc. Some villages practice Jhum or the slash and burn agriculture. Animal husbandry and poultry farming are also the occupations which make them self-sufficient.Womenfolk too are engaged in various cottage industries especially weaving.
The Ethnic dress of Thangal tribe The traditional attire of Thangal tribe reflects the inherent simplistic lifestyle of the Thangal people. The people of the region, both men and women, generally dress in bright and colorful attires. The principal dress which the people of Thangal wear is largely traditional in nature. The way these Thangal people wear clothes is unique from the other communities. During social functions, the females deck up with clothes like Thangal Mekhela called Pa- thoi, a wrap around and shawl. Thangal Mekhela is the main ethnic dress of Thangal women, worn by women of all ages. It is in the form of wide cylinder of cloth folded into pleats draped from the waist downwards. The folds are to the right, as opposed to the pleats of saree which are folded to the left. Strings are never used to hold the Mekhela around the waist. Ornamental designs on the Mekhela are traditionally woven, never printed. Mekhela plays a symbolic role in the social architecture of the Thangal Woman. It is worn during social celebrations, official meetings and observance of National Day. Males prefer to wear trouser and shawl which are generally hand woven. A piece of cloth called muffler is worn around the chest. In the Thangal society, there are seventeen ancestral lineages of Thangal tribes including Kadei Keimei, Payei Naomei, Syong Duimi, Payot Naomei and Deibung Naomi, Maguipuinamei are some of the well known clans. The selection of mates is restricted by the `rules of lineage exogamy` i.e. the brides should be from other lineage groups. The Thangal society is a monogamous one following the tradition of a nuclear family. They celebrate the Maamalang festival post monsoon after transplantation of paddy. Thangal Surung dance is one of the popular cultural aspects of Manipur
Many of the festivals commemorate various socio- religious rituals and customs related to farming. Some of the festivals are fixed as per the position of full moon (Hadet). In the month of May or Kaphala, the first Thangal month, the two-day festival of Kapha is held. They worship Keirong-raiba for good health and prosperous society. In Jangheiha month (May–June) festivals of Imphoi Dangnit are held. Special prayers are held to save the seed-grain from pests etc. Janghei is a two-day festival feted to beat back evil spirit, namely saraikagai. Some other festivals like seed sowing festival called Linhut tangnit. August 13 is celebrated as Thangal Day. This is to commemorate the martyrdom of Lungthoubu Thangal [2] better known as Thangal Menjor or popularly as Thangal general in the year 1891. Contemporary Thangals are employed in the government and private sectors. Literacy rate is nearly 50 percent. They practice and profess Protestant Christianity Besides these festivals, dance festival like Kakhoi Yagathou is observed. This involves praying the deity for prosperity and growth of village. Administrative set up It is unfortunate the Thangal traditional attires are endangered due to dearth of research and documentation which prevents inter-generational transmission. Moreover, the impact of American Christian missionaries undermined the growth of rich cultural heritage.
Thangal Village Administration
The legislative, executive and judiciary of the Thangal tribe is fully vested on village authority. A hereditary office of Khullakpa leads it. The council also consists of Khullakpa (chief) and for other memmers elected by After the Manipur village Authority (Hill areas) Act, 1956 the modification in the structure occurs as:
i) Chairman is always the Khullakpa
ii) Secretary is the Luplakpa
iii) Treasurer and
iv) Members