 | This article may require copy editing for capitalization, unnecessary linking, poor organization, etc..(March 2025) |
 Chiru written in Manipuri script (Meitei script) | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 8,599 approx, [1] Manipur | |
| Languages | |
| Chiru language (L1) Meitei language (L2) [2] | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Meitei people, Chin-Kuki-Mizo people, Hmars, Naga people |
The Chiru people are a Naga ethnic group, [3] inextricably belonging to a unique ancestral kindred of the REM NAGA family or kinship of five tribes (Aimol, Kharam, Purum, Chiru, Koren) in the context of the Kangleipak Kingdom (Manipur Hills).
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Despite the lack of linguistic, anthropological or scholarly details, it is pertinent to note that the larger Rem inclusivity is revered amongst the tribes of Ranglong, Hrangkhawl, /Rangkhol Sakisep(Sakachep), Chorai/Chorei and other Halam tribes of Tripura and Assam who rather share 70%-90% of communicable language structures till today.
The kindred term "Rem" never applied to any of the Thadou-Zo-Chin tribes in the overall course of history.
The term "LU-TU", or head severers/head hunters was completely denounced as a satanic/devilish culture/Tradition after the early 20th century evangelization and early Christian leaders succeeded in complete eradication of its usage.
Rongmei Naga evangelists from Senpang Naga Baptist Church in Tamenglong District, baptised the first Christian converts as early as 1936 from Lamdangmei Chiru village (now Noney District).
As of Manipur Hills, the five tribes of AIMOL NAGA, CHIRU NAGA, KHARAM NAGA,PURUM NAGA, KOIRENG NAGA remain distinctively a family under REM kinship and nomenclature and still share brotherly relations of yore despite distant settlements.
This Rem or varied kindred tribe's spellings of Reem/Hriem/Riem Kinship precedes any other identity until the Britishers brought in the 18th century "NAGA" terminology into mainstream usage. The Chiru Rem Naga tribe mostly reside in Manipur and some in Assam, India. (Refer bibliography below).
They are listed as a Scheduled Tribe, in accordance with the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Orders Act, 1950 Indian Constitution. [4] They also use Meitei language as their second language (L2) according to the Ethnologue. [5]
Their status quo as an indigenous Naga tribe of Manipur has been well recorded by the Royal Chronicles of Manipur or CHEITHAROL KUMPABA /Kumbaba as early as 11th Century AD. [Earliest official records of the Manipuri King Loiyamba (1074-1122AD)]
The existence of Chiru Naga villages like Uran Chiru (Near Irilbung), Waithou Chiru (Saman Sangba Chiru-Guards of the royal Saman tree, near Thoubal), Nungsai Chiru (Near Bishenpur), Kangchup Chiru( Near Phayeng) etc. (haphazardly under Kangpokpi or formerly under senapati district) have all been recorded well in the royal chronicles, adding undisputed clarity to their history and origins.
Ironically, while all Chiru Naga villages are distributed in all hill districts except Chandel & Ukhrul district, most scholars, writers and common citizens have confused Chirus to belong to Chandel district.
Linguistic affinities exist with all tribes who routed or traveled together through the migration period of Indo-Burma Kuki-Chin-Zo areas. The place "Ruong le vaiso or Lung leh vaiso" is considered as a brief resting place in the course of migration as per folk narratives of songs & chanteys. Scholars & writers have often described it arguably as their "Place of dispersal". However, in the context of REM chronicles, the clouds & morning fog over the place led the REM kindred to follow the clouds towards their present-day settlements and thus the term "REEM-MEEI zaap phungmiring hai" or cloud- dispersing tribes and gradual shortening into Reemphung-miring or Remphung to Reem/Rem solidified into common usage.
However, the linguistic affinities can only be found in basic TRADING-COMMERCE words and not even one full sentence is alike with Kuki-Chin- zo tribes apart from the tonal similarities in general.
The term CHIRU REM is the emphasis of the "Rem identity" as used by Chiru Rem Baptist Churches Association (CRBCA). Here, it does not include the other fellow Rem tribe's Churches.
All Chiru Naga customs, cultures, and traditions are in tandem with Naga tribes as a whole starting from the tradition of Male Youth Dormitory (SEER-INN) and SHORT HAIRCUT (Saamren) and ROKOR VIT.(Ear-piercing with increasing size of piercings until old age). The last of the elders with almost hanging earlobes with old metal coins, decorative smaller animal horns as earrings, were seen until the 1990s period (end of the 20th century).
The term "Saam-Seei in Chiru dialect" or long haired tribes refers to the other Thadou-Zo-Chin groups who preferred long hair.
No two Chiru villages or Rem villages neighbour each other. Yet, an intrinsic or rare trait of not being amalgamated or assimilated into larger tribes through language, customs, or culture remain with the Chiru Nagas, unlike other major tribes who tend to speak other dominant tribe's language in proximity.
The same Chiru Rem lingua franca, (Rem Chawng) customs & traditions (Thoina-keina) are shared even with the Chirus of Assam (Budon Chirupunjee) despite centuries of separation.
18-19th century western anthropologists, researchers, writers and their ilk had limited access to the Chiru Rem tribes because of the sheer minority population and non-contiguous settlements. However insufficient it may be, photographic & limited research by Ursula Graham Bower, J.P Hutton, T.C.Hudson, Ursula Graham Bower, J.P Hutton, T.C.Hudson, J. Shakespear, and so on, are the only pivotal & corroborative evidences of their ancient way of life and existence, social,cultural & traditional set-up.
Most recent research of 20th century by the Late Professor Gangmumei Kabui, a renowned Rongmei Naga historian & Scholar, even utilised academic liberty & research HYPOTHESIS identifying the Chiru Tribe as BUFFER tribes between the migratory history of the Nagas & Kukis, thereby substantiating the chronology of the term Old Kuki-Chin-Zo-Burmese linguistic belt.
In the course of history, ancestral folk & oral narratives still speak fondly of the Migration period that as certain tribes passed through the Hills of Manipur, they dispersed dense morning fog/clouds as they hurried towards their settlements.
The last known narrative from the Thadou-Zo-chin tribes is of the Gangte tribe who supposedly followed the group of different Rem tribes in dispersing the clouds and thus a term "Meei-Zaap" or "Reemeei Zaap"-(Cloud dispersers) remains an ancestral point of contact in the annals of historical evolution.
Two different routes of Trees known as MUK THINGKUNG & KAWKMA KUNG.. A locally found Shrub tree, and Varnish fruit tree were followed by the Rem Tribes which led to different settlement areas, as per unwavering oral narrative.
Despite such close contact & migratory closeness, (which led to certain linguistic affinity) the Chirus settled in proximity with SAAMREN (Short-hair) or Naga tribes & ROKORVIT- (pierced earlobes) tribes, always being fostered by Rongmei Naga ancestors.
Neither Chirus or Gangtes or other Thadou tribes stayed together in nearby areas as the Custom,culture and traditional traits were completely alien to one another apart from linguistic affinity of those migratory phase.
No Chiru tribe ever settled in the valley of Parbung/Phaibung/pharphong (Churachandpur) nor Kangpokpi, or any mainstream Thadou/Kuki area, but were customarily embraced majorly into Rongmei Naga areas which fortifies the anthropological, scholarly or historical identity.
Oral narratives emphasized on The Chiru Gate or Khoupum gate now as the final place of farewell to our fellow Rem kindred settled in the border areas of Tripura & Assam.
The only recorded and hypothetically possible point of reference to this oral narrative is during the reign of Maharaja Gharib Niwaz. After the 1735 incursion into Nungsai Chiru village or kingdom (all villages were under a king or kholakpa) by the Meitei King, some Chiru Rem brothers were rewarded by the king for their bravery as his Cavalrymen, soldiers and palanquin bearers en route to Tippra and Ahom. The younger adolescent Chiru Rem brothers followed their older siblings until Khoupum (through Old Cachar route) where the King's men rested for some days. There, the younger siblings were asked to finally bid farewell. Therefore, Khoupum gate or Chiru Gate is hypothetically closer to events and the topographic reality of today's map.
It is also a part of the larger Rem oral historical narrative that the fierce older Chiru Rem brothers were called "Ah-Raang" , which in Chiru dialect translates to "fierce/untamable/fearless" as in Rithi-Raang (fierce, untamable winds) This would later corroborate their RAANG usage in tribe's name- Raanglong, Raangkhol.In Manipur, a clan called RANGSONG still exists as a clan till today.(in Khoirok Chiru/Dollang Khunou) Many dispute the tribe CHORAI as a misspelling or a mispronunciation or gradual Assamese accent of the tribe CHIRU, as linguistic structures are still very close to each other.
Folk mythology & adages with references of mythical characters & traditional proverbs such as "Raangam-Raangsaai,( Tamer of the fierce /victorious in war and his pet tiger friend) Raangbomma-Soininga, (The fearsome but loving husband to Soininga), Araanglongpa,(The fierce hunter) Rangkholopa leh Zaamkholopa, (Parable of the fierce and slow calculative Chiefs) AhRangpa Chemsawng leh chemtaat relek, (The knife-handle and whetting by the fierce is always unique) AhRang pa Sathat molong baangboi etc."(The unending hunt of the fierce/Rather be fierce to hunt endlessly than to be timid) implicitly glorified the word "Raang or fierce" as qualities of warriors or the word "ARAA/RAA meaning "war/battles/skirmishes" as an indispensable era of the headhunting skirmishes.
Since the onset of the 21st century, the Chiru Union, North-East India (formerly Chiru Tribal Union) has largely begun to encourage credible research and scholarly incursion into the Chiru Rem moorings & bearings, with gradual accomplishments.
