Anal people
Encyclopedia
The Anal people are a scheduled tribe found in Manipur
, India
and in Burma. They speak their own language, Anal
. They are thought to be closely related to the Kuki people
. According to the 2001 census, there are 21,242 Anal in India. They are traditionally farmers, carpenters and weavers, although modernization has caused the traditional methods to be abandoned.
to the west, the Chin Hills
to the south and Kabaw valley
to the east. The area is very hilly, with thick jungles and many wild animals. According to the 2001 census, there are approximately 21,242 Anal in Manipur. In 1981 they were living in 45 villages.
. They lived in a cave guarded by a man-eating tiger
. Two Anals, Hanshu and Hanta, killed the tiger with the help of some birds. After the tiger's death, the tribes left the cave, travelling through China
, Tibet
, and numerous other areas before settling in Manipur. The Anal are divided into two groups based on who they believe they are descended from, Hanshu or Hanta.
The Anal, along with the Lamkang, Moyon, and Mongsong, are an offshoot of the Pakan tribe. They are thought to be descended from R.D. Anual, the founder of Anual Khullen village. They have also been linked to the Kuki people
.
The origin of the name Anal is not clear. One hypothesis is that the group name comes from the surname of R.D. Anual. Another suggested explanation is that the name derives from the Meitei word anan, which means "clean," suggesting that the group had a reputation for cleanliness. However, the Encyclopaedia of North-East India points out that the Myanma refer to them as Khon, which means "dirty people." The Anal generally describe themselves as the Pakan.
Anal men traditionally wear a lungi (similar to a dhoti
) and a simple shirt, called a Pakan lungum; they also strap on a basket for carrying dao and other tools. Women wear undergarments, a skirt, blouse, and shawl, which cover them from their heads to their knees; they also carry a basket. Both sexes can wear jewelry, including rings, necklaces, and bracelets, as well as special long earring
s made from insect wings. Traditionally clothing is made by the women.
Anal are traditionally monogamous, although cases of polygyny
have been reported. In order to marry, an Anal man must pay a bride price
; after marriage, the wife moves to the husband's home. Divorce is permitted among the Anal, although a fine may be incurred.
The Anal are traditionally polytheistic, believing in a supreme creator named Asapavan, as well as a secondary deity named Wangparel and numerous spirits. The largest Anal rite is called Akam, which is divided into six stages (Judong, Bhuthawsing, Hni, Sapia, Akapidam, and Dathu) and takes six years to complete. During the Akam, the Anal sacrifice mithan and pigs and offer a feast to the community. Some Anal have converted to Christianity
.
Traditionally, Anal men work as carpenters, particularly the manufacture of bamboo
furniture, and in basketry. Women traditionally specialized in weaving
and spinning cotton
, which is grown locally. Due to modernization
and competition from factory-produced goods, many traditional methods have been abandoned. They are also farmers, harvesting rice
, corn
, soybeans, pumpkin
s, tomato
es, and gourd
s.
The Anal have many traditional musical instruments, including the khuwang (drum
), sanamba (three-stringed fiddle
), dolkhuwang (gong
), pengkhul (trumpet
), tilli (flageolet
), rasem (a pipe instrument), and diengdong (xylophone
). The instruments are thought to have been influenced by the Kuki. They are good dancers and their traditional dances include the kamdam, which is performed by young people for the akam festival, and the ludam, which celebrated victorious headhunting
.
The Anal are omnivore
s, eating fish, eggs, beef, pork, and other kinds of meat as well as fruits and vegetables. Although traditionally they do not drink milk, some families now drink it with tea. A form of rice beer, known as zupar or zuhrin, is also drunk.
Manipur
Manipur is a state in northeastern India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. Manipur is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west; it also borders Burma to the east. It covers an area of...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and in Burma. They speak their own language, Anal
Anal language
Anal, also known as Namfau, is a Northern Kukish language, part of the Sino-Tibetan language family, spoken by a dwindling number of Anal people in India, Burma, and possibly Bangladesh. It had 14,000 speakers in India according to the 2001 census. UNESCO lists Anal as having 23,000 speakers in...
. They are thought to be closely related to the Kuki people
Kuki people
The Kukis are an ethnic group that spread throughout the Northeastern region of India, Northwest Burma and Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh. In Northeast India they are present in all the states except Arunachal Pradesh. This dispersal across international borders is mainly attributed to the...
. According to the 2001 census, there are 21,242 Anal in India. They are traditionally farmers, carpenters and weavers, although modernization has caused the traditional methods to be abandoned.
Demographics
The Anal live in the Manipur region of north-east India, which is surrounded by the Imphal valley to the north, ChurachandpurChurachandpur
Churachandpur is the largest district in the Indian state of Manipur.- Origin of Churachandpur on the bank of Khuga :Located southwest of Manipur, Churachandpur District covers an area of 4570 km² and is the largest district within the state of Manipur. The terrain of the district is mainly...
to the west, the Chin Hills
Chin Hills
The Chin Hills are a range of mountains in Chin State, northwestern Burma , that extends northward into India's Manipur state. They are part of the Arakan Mountain Range . The highest peak in the Chin Hills is Nat Ma Taung, or Khonumthung , in southern Chin State, which reaches 3,053 meters...
to the south and Kabaw valley
Kabaw Valley
The Kabaw Valley is a highland valley in northern Burma , western Sagaing division. It is drained by the Mu River. The valley is the home of a number of ethnic minorities including the Zo, the Mizo, the Kadu and the Kanan.-History:...
to the east. The area is very hilly, with thick jungles and many wild animals. According to the 2001 census, there are approximately 21,242 Anal in Manipur. In 1981 they were living in 45 villages.
Origin
Anal legend states that the Anal, together with the other Pakan tribes, originated in MongoliaMongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
. They lived in a cave guarded by a man-eating tiger
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
. Two Anals, Hanshu and Hanta, killed the tiger with the help of some birds. After the tiger's death, the tribes left the cave, travelling through China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
, and numerous other areas before settling in Manipur. The Anal are divided into two groups based on who they believe they are descended from, Hanshu or Hanta.
The Anal, along with the Lamkang, Moyon, and Mongsong, are an offshoot of the Pakan tribe. They are thought to be descended from R.D. Anual, the founder of Anual Khullen village. They have also been linked to the Kuki people
Kuki people
The Kukis are an ethnic group that spread throughout the Northeastern region of India, Northwest Burma and Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh. In Northeast India they are present in all the states except Arunachal Pradesh. This dispersal across international borders is mainly attributed to the...
.
The origin of the name Anal is not clear. One hypothesis is that the group name comes from the surname of R.D. Anual. Another suggested explanation is that the name derives from the Meitei word anan, which means "clean," suggesting that the group had a reputation for cleanliness. However, the Encyclopaedia of North-East India points out that the Myanma refer to them as Khon, which means "dirty people." The Anal generally describe themselves as the Pakan.
Lifestyle
The Anal traditionally live in windowless wooden houses with thatched roofs, erected above ground level. The houses have two doors of different sizes and two rooms, a bedroom and a storeroom .Anal men traditionally wear a lungi (similar to a dhoti
Dhoti
The dhoti or pancha is the traditional men's garment in the in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. A similar garment is worn in some rural areas of Punjab province in Pakistan, but the use is fast declining...
) and a simple shirt, called a Pakan lungum; they also strap on a basket for carrying dao and other tools. Women wear undergarments, a skirt, blouse, and shawl, which cover them from their heads to their knees; they also carry a basket. Both sexes can wear jewelry, including rings, necklaces, and bracelets, as well as special long earring
Earring
Common locations for piercings, other than the earlobe, include the rook, tragus, and across the helix . The simple term "ear piercing" usually refers to an earlobe piercing, whereas piercings in the upper part of the external ear are often referred to as "cartilage piercings"...
s made from insect wings. Traditionally clothing is made by the women.
Anal are traditionally monogamous, although cases of polygyny
Polygyny
Polygyny is a form of marriage in which a man has two or more wives at the same time. In countries where the practice is illegal, the man is referred to as a bigamist or a polygamist...
have been reported. In order to marry, an Anal man must pay a bride price
Bride price
Bride price, also known as bride wealth, is an amount of money or property or wealth paid by the groom or his family to the parents of a woman upon the marriage of their daughter to the groom...
; after marriage, the wife moves to the husband's home. Divorce is permitted among the Anal, although a fine may be incurred.
The Anal are traditionally polytheistic, believing in a supreme creator named Asapavan, as well as a secondary deity named Wangparel and numerous spirits. The largest Anal rite is called Akam, which is divided into six stages (Judong, Bhuthawsing, Hni, Sapia, Akapidam, and Dathu) and takes six years to complete. During the Akam, the Anal sacrifice mithan and pigs and offer a feast to the community. Some Anal have converted to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
.
Traditionally, Anal men work as carpenters, particularly the manufacture of bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
furniture, and in basketry. Women traditionally specialized in weaving
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
and spinning cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, which is grown locally. Due to modernization
Modernization
In the social sciences, modernization or modernisation refers to a model of an evolutionary transition from a 'pre-modern' or 'traditional' to a 'modern' society. The teleology of modernization is described in social evolutionism theories, existing as a template that has been generally followed by...
and competition from factory-produced goods, many traditional methods have been abandoned. They are also farmers, harvesting rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, corn
Corn
Corn is the name used in the United States, Canada, and Australia for the grain maize.In much of the English-speaking world, the term "corn" is a generic term for cereal crops, such as* Barley* Oats* Wheat* Rye- Places :...
, soybeans, pumpkin
Pumpkin
A pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae . It commonly refers to cultivars of any one of the species Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita mixta, Cucurbita maxima, and Cucurbita moschata, and is native to North America...
s, tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
es, and gourd
Gourd
A gourd is a plant of the family Cucurbitaceae. Gourd is occasionally used to describe crops like cucumbers, squash, luffas, and melons. The term 'gourd' however, can more specifically, refer to the plants of the two Cucurbitaceae genera Lagenaria and Cucurbita or also to their hollow dried out shell...
s.
The Anal have many traditional musical instruments, including the khuwang (drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
), sanamba (three-stringed fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
), dolkhuwang (gong
Gong
A gong is an East and South East Asian musical percussion instrument that takes the form of a flat metal disc which is hit with a mallet....
), pengkhul (trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
), tilli (flageolet
Flageolet
The flageolet is a woodwind musical instrument and a member of the fipple flute family. Its invention is ascribed to the 16th century Sieur Juvigny in 1581. There are two basic forms of the instrument: the French, having four finger holes on the front and two thumb holes on the back; and the...
), rasem (a pipe instrument), and diengdong (xylophone
Xylophone
The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
). The instruments are thought to have been influenced by the Kuki. They are good dancers and their traditional dances include the kamdam, which is performed by young people for the akam festival, and the ludam, which celebrated victorious headhunting
Headhunting
Headhunting is the practice of taking a person's head after killing them. Headhunting was practised in historic times in parts of China, India, Nigeria, Nuristan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Borneo, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, Micronesia, Melanesia, New Zealand, and the Amazon Basin, as...
.
The Anal are omnivore
Omnivore
Omnivores are species that eat both plants and animals as their primary food source...
s, eating fish, eggs, beef, pork, and other kinds of meat as well as fruits and vegetables. Although traditionally they do not drink milk, some families now drink it with tea. A form of rice beer, known as zupar or zuhrin, is also drunk.