Lamkang tribe is one of the oldest tribes of Manipur. It is one of the nineteen Naga tribes living in Manipur. The members of this tribe are presently found in Manipur, Myanmar, Nagaland, Meghalaya and other parts of Indian city; but mostly, they are concentrated in the southern part of Manipur in the district of Chandel which is their original ancestral hometown. They are recognized as a scheduled tribe by the constitution of India since 1951. They speak Lamkang dialect which belongs to the Tibeto-Burman group of language while communicating within the tribe; and other languages such as Manipuri, Nagamese, English and Hindi to interact with people outside their tribe.
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| Lamkang Naga couple in traditional attires |
It is believed that Lamkangs must have migrated from diizowl (literally translated: where the water stopped flowing. It could mean any river which finally merged with the ocean or sea to the south-east) into the present territory. While it is difficult to conclusively state the exact routes the Lamkangs must have undertaken enroute to their present settlement (in the pre-christian era) areas, it is fairly clear that they had lived close to the sea/ocean long enough to include the artefacts that are found only in seas and oceans in the world, in their culture.
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| Lamkang Naga couple |
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| Lamkang Naga grandmothers |
The Lamkang people are beautiful, peace loving, friendly, hospitable and believers in Christ. They have their own distinct culture both material and non-material; some of which are beautifully exhibited in their traditional attires. They are lovers of meat and fish and equally of leafy vegetables found in the beautiful hills surrounding their settlements. Modern Lamkangs are quite educated and are on the brink of a major transformation.
Source of these images: Facebook page of Lamkang Naga
