Maring Tribe history and profiles
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MARING-ORIGIN & HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The term “Maring” is derived from the word “Meiring” or “Meiringba” where “Mei” stands for “fire” and “ring” stands for “alive” which means “the people who keep fires unquenched/alive”. The traditional oral history says that this people “Maring” or “Meiring” or “Meiringba” obtained fire from a traditional ways of making fire called “Meihongtang” using dry wood of a particular tree called Khongma-heeng with bamboo strips and dry bushes or grasses. The bamboo strips are rubbed with dry grasses/bushes against dry Khongma-heeng until fire produced due to friction. The fire thus produced is considered “sacred” (Meikhring) and were set up at sacred places like village altar called Malamun or Rlhamun, Village Gate called Palshung and Dormitories called Rkhang. The sacred fire is kept burning by feeding fire woods (Meirup heeng) and this practice of keeping fire alive/burning continued till the dawn of Christianity in Maring Land.
Today, the Marings are settled mostly in Chandel District in the South-Eastern part of the present State of Manipur (India) bordering Myanmar. Some of them are found scattered in places like Senapati, Ukhrul, Churachandpur, Tamenglong, Thoubal, Imphal East and West Districts of Manipur. But the oral legend of our forefathers that have been handing down from generation to generation says that the Marings were once living inside a cave called “Nungmuisho” in Kulvi-Shongshong under the rulership of Khopu-Rampu like 1) Charang: Purangmei (Rangmeithil) 2) Dangsha: Khalsherung 3) Makung: Kungkrung and 4) Tontang: Tangkirung (Phur’in-Phurkham/Tumpok-Khingmanchok) with full civilization. The legend further says that the life inside the cave or underneath the Earth was terribly difficult and hard. However they could not come out of the cave as there was a big stone gate called “Lungthung” sealing the gate of the cave. They tried to open the Lungthung (stone gate) using several means like pig, cow and buffalo but failed.
According to the legend, the flattened nose of pig and the crack marks on buffalo’s horns were received while trying to push open the Lungthung (Stone gate). After much consultation among themselves, Shirimpa Bungrang (a black male Mithun – white spotted) was sent and the Mithun opened the gate at last. Thus, the Marings who had been struggling to set free themselves from the terrible and hard life in Nungmuisho (Cave or underneath the Earth) at last could come out of the cave and thus the first settlement on earth begun there at Kulvi-Shongshong. It is also said that Mithun is therefore the only accepted animal for important rituals and ceremonies like naming of person (Minphuk-phalphuk), erection of monument stones (Thillai), ritual ceremony for erection of flower vats and poles (Paryao/halbu-bun), as Bride Price, etc.
From Kulvi-Shongshong, the Maring people gradually scattered to different directions and established many settlements into villages.
INDIGENOUS FAITH
The Indigenous faith/belief (Primal religion) of the Marings has been firmly based on traditional ways of invocations, worships, offerings, sacrifices, appeasement and healing. They believed in all these systems and practiced them for their sustenance.
The Marings believed that there is one God, called/known as Om (The Supreme Deity, whose natural benevolence is believed to be only one and is above all. He is the Creator (Seempi-Shapi Pu) of all things, including heavens (thangwan, nungthou, khiya ram) and human beings and things; the Sustainer (Dunpi-yukpi Pu), the God of Universe (Shimlei-Thangwan Pu). Besides this, they worshipped other lesser gods or gods of the lower realm called ‘Thrai’. They also worshipped the local deity called Rampu-tupu/ram thrai/lukbam thrai (god of the high places/sacred places); they also believed in the village deity (Kholamal-pu/pallshung thrai); and the ‘ancestral deity’ c
Disclaimer: Copyrighted material of http://www.maringnaga.com
MARING-ORIGIN & HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The term “Maring” is derived from the word “Meiring” or “Meiringba” where “Mei” stands for “fire” and “ring” stands for “alive” which means “the people who keep fires unquenched/alive”. The traditional oral history says that this people “Maring” or “Meiring” or “Meiringba” obtained fire from a traditional ways of making fire called “Meihongtang” using dry wood of a particular tree called Khongma-heeng with bamboo strips and dry bushes or grasses. The bamboo strips are rubbed with dry grasses/bushes against dry Khongma-heeng until fire produced due to friction. The fire thus produced is considered “sacred” (Meikhring) and were set up at sacred places like village altar called Malamun or Rlhamun, Village Gate called Palshung and Dormitories called Rkhang. The sacred fire is kept burning by feeding fire woods (Meirup heeng) and this practice of keeping fire alive/burning continued till the dawn of Christianity in Maring Land.
Today, the Marings are settled mostly in Chandel District in the South-Eastern part of the present State of Manipur (India) bordering Myanmar. Some of them are found scattered in places like Senapati, Ukhrul, Churachandpur, Tamenglong, Thoubal, Imphal East and West Districts of Manipur. But the oral legend of our forefathers that have been handing down from generation to generation says that the Marings were once living inside a cave called “Nungmuisho” in Kulvi-Shongshong under the rulership of Khopu-Rampu like 1) Charang: Purangmei (Rangmeithil) 2) Dangsha: Khalsherung 3) Makung: Kungkrung and 4) Tontang: Tangkirung (Phur’in-Phurkham/Tumpok-Khingmanchok) with full civilization. The legend further says that the life inside the cave or underneath the Earth was terribly difficult and hard. However they could not come out of the cave as there was a big stone gate called “Lungthung” sealing the gate of the cave. They tried to open the Lungthung (stone gate) using several means like pig, cow and buffalo but failed.
According to the legend, the flattened nose of pig and the crack marks on buffalo’s horns were received while trying to push open the Lungthung (Stone gate). After much consultation among themselves, Shirimpa Bungrang (a black male Mithun – white spotted) was sent and the Mithun opened the gate at last. Thus, the Marings who had been struggling to set free themselves from the terrible and hard life in Nungmuisho (Cave or underneath the Earth) at last could come out of the cave and thus the first settlement on earth begun there at Kulvi-Shongshong. It is also said that Mithun is therefore the only accepted animal for important rituals and ceremonies like naming of person (Minphuk-phalphuk), erection of monument stones (Thillai), ritual ceremony for erection of flower vats and poles (Paryao/halbu-bun), as Bride Price, etc.
From Kulvi-Shongshong, the Maring people gradually scattered to different directions and established many settlements into villages.
INDIGENOUS FAITH
The Indigenous faith/belief (Primal religion) of the Marings has been firmly based on traditional ways of invocations, worships, offerings, sacrifices, appeasement and healing. They believed in all these systems and practiced them for their sustenance.
The Marings believed that there is one God, called/known as Om (The Supreme Deity, whose natural benevolence is believed to be only one and is above all. He is the Creator (Seempi-Shapi Pu) of all things, including heavens (thangwan, nungthou, khiya ram) and human beings and things; the Sustainer (Dunpi-yukpi Pu), the God of Universe (Shimlei-Thangwan Pu). Besides this, they worshipped other lesser gods or gods of the lower realm called ‘Thrai’. They also worshipped the local deity called Rampu-tupu/ram thrai/lukbam thrai (god of the high places/sacred places); they also believed in the village deity (Kholamal-pu/pallshung thrai); and the ‘ancestral deity’ c
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