Vol. II Issue-VI June 2012 Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences & Humanities ISSN 2250-1665 The Socio-Genetics Of Marriage Of The Meiteis Of Manipur, India Haobijam Vokendro Asst. Prof. in Anthropology AITS, Rajiv Gandhi University, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, India ABSTRACT The Meiteis of Manipur have different rules of mate choice. The rules are based on kinship structure of different categories based on lineage, clan and above all, biological degree of marriage matrimony. The use of different terminologies of such rules and the latent meaning attached to these terminologies are self-evident and self-explained. These rules viz., yek tinnaba, shairuk tinnaba, pee tinnaba, pen tinnaba, leinung pen tinnaba, mungnaba and ee-omnaba are neither haphazardly named nor disorderly structured but named meaningfully and are arrayed in a sequential structure. Despite of the influence of hindunization in which many of them are converted into vaisnavism, the people still observe the ancient rules of marriage based on these seven above mentioned rules. Key words. Shagei, Shalai, Tinnaba, pa, pee, marriage, inbreeding. 1. INTRODUCTION Gotras of the Hindus and its nearest meaning is clan in Manipur which lies in the easternmost part of India bordering English. However, majority of the Meiteis after embracing to Myanmar, was an independent sovereign country. She was Hinduism in the 17th century used Gotras instead of Yek- occupied by the British Empire in 1891. She became a Shalai. The seven yeks are: dominion part of India in 1949. According to the census 1. Wangam/Poirei/Meitei/Ningthouja report of 2001 (Govt. of Manipur, India), her total population 2. Nungban/Luwang is 23,88,634 of which approximately 50.64% are Meiteis. 3. Nongban/Selloi-Langmai/Angom Historical period of Manipur with written documents have 4. Nongyai/Khuman started very late. However, through oral tradition, it is known 5. Ewang/Moirang that from 34 A.D. different communities have been living in 6. Thangyi/Chenglei/Sharang-Leishangthem this land as an independent kingdom (Ebungohal, 7. Khaba-Nganba Lairenmayum and Nithoukhongjam Khelchandra. 1967). From the remote past, the Meiteis of Manipur have been From early period up to 1435 A.D., there were ten observing the rules of marriage. The present paper attempts principalities who ruled the ten principalities of Manipur. In to portray the rules of avoidance of consanguineous marriage course of time these principalities were merged into one of the people and the possible reasons thereof. group, ‘Meitei’. The ten principalities are- 1. Angom 2. THE YEK AND YUMNAK OF THE MEITEIS OF 2. Ningthouja MANIPUR 3. Khuman The yek and shallai/shalai are the words that connote the 4. Luwang entire rules of marriage alliance and kinship ties. The word, 5. Moirang ‘yek’ is derived from the Meiteilon/Manipuri language, ‘yekpa’ 6. Sarang-Leishangthem which means ‘to paint’ and hence connotes ‘colour’. There are 7. Khaba-Nganba seven yeks among the Meiteis of Manipur. The seven yeks of 8. Haorok-Konthou people of the Meiteis have different seven colours of cloth to 9. Phantek be worn or associated with every yek of the people. The word 10. Heirem-Khunja ‘shalai’ might be derived from ‘Shandokpa Lai’, meaning ‘the God of Expansion (of population)’ which connotes the first At first, in a yek, there was only one father. Through ancestor from which descendants are descended. The two patrilineal system, his sons set up different families under the words are combined and formed a compound word ‘yek- same lineage. The families sub-divided under a yek is known shalai’. The ‘yek-shalai’ of the Meiteis is similar with the as ‘shakay/shakai/shagei’(sha means ‘body’, kayba means ‘to - 1 - Vol. II Issue-VI June 2012 Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences & Humanities ISSN 2250-1665 break down’). In course of time as population grew up, are proscribed for marriage while those group of people who different families who professed different professions or who are not under the same yek and who do not have blood ties executed outstanding activities or after the peculiar activities are prescribed for marriage. This is because of the belief that carried out by the head of the families or the position he hold children born to the marriage of same yeks are short lived in the administration etc.were duly acknowledged and and tend to suffer from diseases and deformities (Rajendra, relevant title of shagei/yumnak (yum means ‘home’ i.e. B. 1993). Perhaps the people might have known it through lineage given to every household) was assigned to him. Each time tested experiences. yumnak is sub-divided into ‘yum/mayum’ meaning, ‘home/family’. Each family comprises of phunga(s). A phunga Shairuk/Shairup Tinnaba (which means ‘hearth’) is a unit consisting of a couple. If The descendants from a common ancestor who have been there are two or more phungas formed by the son and separated into different phurup by merging into different yeks daughter-in-law (with or without grandchildren) of the are known as shairuk/shairup tinnaba meaning ‘united couple, then the phunga is called yum/mayum. There cannot through (the fold of) shairup. The word shairup is derived be two same yumnaks within a yek. However, within a same from shai and lup or rup which are the abbreviated form of yumnak there can be families of phu kaynaba which are of shalai and phurup respectively. Shairup tinnaba is of two more distant ancestors or phu kaynadaba which are more types, viz., shairuk achouba and shairuk macha. Descendants near ancestors. Some yeks have more than hundred of children of the parents born to different mothers of a yumnaks, some others above fifty yumnaks, and some others single father are classified under shairuk achouba. The below fifty. However, there are some yumnaks that have no different mothers, one’s own and step mothers may or may yeks. not have same yek, shagei, yumnak or phunga. Descendants who are fall under such a shairuk achouba are prohibited for 3. THE MATRIX OF MARRIAGE OF THE MEITEIS matrimonial alliance. This is so prohibited so as to check the The rules of marriage among the Meiteis is traced back to the hereditary line coming from a single ‘pater’. Biologically, this founder of Kangleipak/Manipur, ‘Pakhangba’ who is believed may be because of the high probability of surfacing to reign from 34-154 A.D. (Kanglei Shanglen Puba Puya, MS). homozygous lethal genes if married among such descendants The rule of marital alliance is so instituted through omission thereby causing harmful effects to the offspring. and commission of events and experience of the past kings Shairup macha tinnaba are those descendants who have who reigned the kingdom. The strict rules of matrimonial been descended through mother’s line. This is known as ‘pee’ alliance obeyed by the people before hindunization are taken tinnaba and ‘pen tinnaba’, which shall be discussed later. into account. Still the rules are followed by the people though The four shairuk tinnaba groups which are prohibited for the grip of cord of the rules is not as stronger as before. The matrimonial alliances among the Meiteis are, viz., moirang rules of avoidance of matrimonial alliance of the people are anouba and angom yek, khuman and luwang, khaba-nganba considered under the headings: and chenglei yek, and moirang ariba and nganba yek. 1. Yek Tinnaba 2. Shairuk/Shairup (Shallai Lup) Tinnaba Pee Tinnaba and Pen Tinnaba 3. Pee Tinnaba The word “pee” is derived from ‘mapee’ meaning ‘mother’ 4. Pen Tinnaba and hence ‘pee tinnaba’ means having united through the 5. Leinung Pen Tinnaba same mater. The word ‘pen’ is derived from ‘mapen/maben’ 6. Mungnaba meaning ‘grandmother’. Hence pen tinnaba means 7. Ee-Omnaba descendants having same grandmother. Children born to 8. Ngaknaba ego’s father’s sister’s children and ego’s father’s brother’s children are pee or pen tinnaba groups. Matrimonial alliances Yek Tinnaba counting from ego’s generation are not allowed up to the The descendants who are transcending from the same third generation. It can be said that if one examines common ancestor are known as Yek Tinnaba descendants minutely, pee tinnaba and pen tinnaba are forms of shairuk who are in the same phurups, shagei and yumnaks. They are tinnaba. under the same paint of colour (‘yekpa’ means ‘to paint’ in Meiteilon) and united through the colour symbol (‘tinnaba’ Leinung Pen Tinnaba means ‘to unite’). As per marriage rules of the Meiteis, those The descendants descending from the distant mapen who are in the yek tinnaba phurups, shageis and yumnaks (grandmother) but not from the direct mapen are called - 2 - Vol. II Issue-VI June 2012 Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences & Humanities ISSN 2250-1665 leinung pen tinnaba group. A woman if married to a man of a Two yumnaks who are not related through kinship, though yek/shagei/yumnak or different yumnaks of the same yek or can marry, do not marry by keeping words by considering different yumnak/shagei of a different yek, then her son’s themselves as having near kinship ties. For instance, descendants are leinung pen tinnaba group. For instance, in teknonymous relationship maintains ngaknaba relationship. history, Pureiromba Angou’s sister, Pureilemnusu first married to a man and she gave birth to Khamchingkon Haiheiba Summary, Discussion and Conclusion (Panditraj Atombapu Bidyaratna. 1965). Pureilmnusu again The Meiteis of Manipur have different rules of mate choice. remarried to Khaba Yupuroi of Khaba phurup and she gave The rules are based on kinship structure of different birth to Krumkoiba. Khamchingkon and his descendants categories based on lineage, clan and above all, biological became nganba yek shalai and Krumkoiba’s descendants degree of marriage matrimony.