Meitei people

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Meitei people


Total population	1,648,000^[1]
Regions with significant populations	Manipur
Language	Meitei (Manipuri)
Religion	Hinduism

The Meiteis are the majority ethnic race of valley of Manipur, and because of this are sometimes referred to as Manipuris. Generally speaking, Meitei is an endonym and Manipuri is a xenonym. The Meitei people are made up of seven clans, which trace their history back to 33 A.D (Written Record).

1 Society
2 Religion
3 Language
4 Food
5 External links
6 References

[edit] Society

Meitei women have always enjoyed equal status with men, and today they work in nearly every social and economic sphere of society; in particular, they control the Meitei markets and the trade in vegetables and traditional clothing. 'Nupi Keithel' is a market run by meitei women only. The traditional dress of the women folk is a sarong called "phanek". It is worn at the waist down to the ankles, or under the arms, covering the breasts and down to mid-calf. Traditionally women do not wear a blouse when the phanek is worn in the higher position. This is complemented by a blouse and a wrap. Men wear a "khudei" which is similar to the Thai and Khmer men's garment which is a knee-length cloth wrapped in folds at the waist. In recent years, men's formal wear is a longer and ankle-length version called a "pheijom" which is similar to the Indian "dhoti".

The Meitei people are well-known for their sporting prowess, hockey and polo are traditional and the Meitei form of martial art, thang ta, has recently been recognised as one of the official forms of international martial arts. 'Polo' which has well known place in international sports is known to be originated from Manipur which original name is 'Sagol Kangjei' a royal game used to be played by kings and royal persons of Manipur.

[edit] Religion

The major population is concentrated in the Imphal valley of Manipur, Cachar valley of Assam, Tripura, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Majority of the Meiteis are followers of Vaishnavite Hinduism mixed with traditional beliefs. A section of the Meiteis follows ancient Meitei religion called Sanamahi laining. Meitei Pangal, a section of the larger Meitei ethnic group follows Islam. There are some individuals who follow religions like Christianity and the Bahá'í Faith.

[edit] Language

The language used is called Meiteilon. It belongs to the Tibeto-burman family of languages. Literally it means the "language of the Meiteis". But for some time now, it has been known as Manipuri. Since 1992, the language is in the 8th schedule of the Indian Constitution. Commonly the text is written in the Bengali Script. The original script, called Meitei Mayek, has been out of use for a long time but revived recently.

[edit] Food

The favoured food among the Meiteis is rice, fish and a lot of vegetables. Footstuffs include "ngari", meaning "preserved fish" in the native tongue. As the imphal valley has a lot rainfall in the monsoons, a lot of fish is caught which is dried in the sun and preserved in earthen pots. Due to the fermentation involved , ngari has a distinct smell and taste. It is found in low quantities in many meetei dishes. Abother dish contains "Hawaizar", meaning "preserved beans". Soyabean is boiled on low heat for a time, washed, packed in leaves and let to cool down for several days where it ferments. It is wrapped in banana leaves and distributed. Both the food forms are a cottage industry in Manipur.