The Essence of Folklore in Fostering the Identity of the Rongmei Community

Folklore occupies a central and inseparable place in the cultural identity, social structure, historical consciousness, and spiritual worldview of the Rongmei Nagas. Among the Rongmei people, folklore is not merely a collection of old stories or songs preserved for entertainment; rather, it is a living archive of ancestral memory, moral teaching, social philosophy, religious belief, ecological knowledge, and communal identity. Through folktales, folk songs, dances, rituals, myths, proverbs, festivals, and oral recitations, the Rongmei community has historically transmitted its collective wisdom from generation to generation. In many ways, folklore has functioned as the educational institution, historical record, ethical guide, and cultural constitution of the community.¹

The study “The Essence of Folklore to Foster Identity of Rongmei Community” by Meisuangdai Gonmei, Dr. Elizabeth Gangmei, and Smita Borgogoi emphasizes that Rongmei folklore continues to play a vital role in preserving the identity of the community despite rapid modernization and globalization. The article argues that folklore is deeply connected with identity formation at the personal, family, and communal levels and remains one of the most important foundations of Rongmei cultural continuity.

Folklore as the Repository of Rongmei Culture

The Rongmei Nagas, one of the major indigenous Naga communities of Northeast India, inhabit present-day Manipur, Nagaland, and Assam. Traditionally, Rongmei society functioned through oral transmission rather than written documentation. Customs, rituals, migration history, myths, songs, social laws, and religious practices were preserved through memory and storytelling.²

According to the source study, Rongmei culture revolves around traditional institutions such as Khangchu (male dormitory), Luchu (female dormitory), Pei (village council), Gaanchang Kaibang, and other community-based systems. These institutions served as important centers for transmitting folklore, discipline, social norms, and communal values.

Folklore among the Rongmei includes:

• Folktales (Bangkhun Pari)
• Folksongs
• Folk dances
• Ritual chants
• Proverbs
• Totemism
• Omen beliefs
• Festivals
• Oral history
• Traditional music
• Mythology
• Indigenous religious beliefs

The study found that folktales remain the most prevalent form of folklore within Rongmei society, with approximately 66.68% of respondents identifying folktales as central to community life. Folksongs, dances, and beliefs regarding afterlife and ritual practices also continue to hold cultural significance.

Oral Tradition and Identity Formation

One of the most important functions of Rongmei folklore is identity formation. Folklore teaches individuals who they are, where they come from, and how they should live within society. The study emphasizes that folklore develops identity at three levels: personal identity, family identity, and community identity.

At the personal level, folktales and songs teach moral discipline, courage, honesty, respect for elders, and social responsibility. Stories such as Langsai and Langam Pari, Asa le Mhikcharung Pari, and Alunanakai Pari inspire individuals to cultivate friendship, loyalty, bravery, and emotional maturity.

At the family level, folklore reinforces kinship structures, clan relationships, and marriage regulations. Rongmei society traditionally follows clan exogamy, meaning marriage within the same clan is forbidden. Such customary laws are preserved and legitimized through folklore and oral tradition.

At the community level, folklore strengthens collective identity and social cohesion. Festivals, dances, and songs foster unity, hospitality, cooperation, and communal solidarity. The study notes that even political aspirations for Zeliangrong unity are partly rooted in shared folklore and common ancestral narratives.

As Gangmumei Kamei observes, the oral traditions of the Zeliangrong people are not merely artistic expressions but repositories of historical consciousness and social philosophy.³

The Role of Folktales in Rongmei Society

Rongmei folktales occupy a highly important place in cultural transmission. These stories are not fictional entertainment alone; they contain encoded moral lessons, historical memories, cosmological ideas, and practical wisdom.

The study records several important folktales such as:

• Thangang Pari (Dragon story)
• Langsai and Langam
• Ganglenlu
• Meijipu
• Amangh
• Jangjipu-Pan

The story of Meijipu, for example, narrates a journey to Taruaihram (paradise or netherworld), reflecting Rongmei beliefs regarding afterlife and spiritual existence. The tale of Amangh describes the construction of the first painted house of merit and the teaching of civilized living to humanity. These stories preserve theological, social, and philosophical concepts within oral narrative form.

Similarly, the story of Liangdaiguantatmei Kaipari explains how seven brothers transformed into hornbills, leading to the use of hornbill feathers in Rongmei ceremonial attire. This myth connects folklore directly with dress, ritual symbolism, and visual identity.

According to William Bascom, folklore often serves four important functions: entertainment, validation of culture, education, and maintenance of social conformity.⁴ Rongmei folktales clearly fulfill all these functions.

Folksongs and the Preservation of Emotion and History

Rongmei society is especially renowned for its rich musical heritage. Folk songs preserve historical memory, emotional life, agricultural practices, romance, warfare, and spiritual beliefs.

The source identifies numerous categories of Rongmei folk songs, including:

• Laophun Lu (seed sowing song)
• Mazaa Lu (harvest song)
• Luruang (song glorifying dignity and hard work)
• Kailuangruan Lu (caroling or guard song)
• Rigan Lu (village guarding song)
• Ramluan Lu (love song)
• Magen Lu (obituary song)
• Rah Lu (divine song)
• Pantang Lu (song of pounding rice)

These songs function as oral archives. Agricultural songs preserve traditional farming knowledge, while war songs preserve memories of bravery and conflict. Love songs express emotional sensitivity, and divine songs preserve spiritual consciousness.

Beeju Kamei notes that Zeliangrong folk music reflects “the rhythm of communal life, agricultural cycles, and spiritual imagination.”⁵ Through music, the Rongmei transmit emotional memory across generations.

Folk Dances and Cultural Symbolism

Rongmei folk dances are among the most visually striking cultural expressions in Northeast India. The dances are deeply connected with festivals, warfare, agriculture, courtship, and ritual ceremonies.

Some major dances include:

• Rih Lam (war dance)
• Banjai (ring dance of unity)
• Khoigu Lam (bee dance)
• Hanseng Lam (bamboo dance)
• Pantang Lam (pounding paddy dance)
• Kaibuan Lam
• Tareng Lam

The dances symbolize courage, harmony, cooperation, and closeness to nature. The circular movement of dances such as Banjai symbolizes unity and social cohesion. Traditional attires adorned with hornbill feathers, beads, and shawls visually express Rongmei identity.

Anthropologist Verrier Elwin argued that tribal dance in Northeast India is “not a performance separated from life, but life itself expressed rhythmically.”⁶ This observation accurately reflects the Rongmei context.

Festivals as Cultural Institutions

Festivals serve as living museums of Rongmei folklore. Through festivals, oral traditions become visible through songs, dances, rituals, sacrifices, food, and communal participation.

The most important Rongmei festival is Gaan-Ngai, often described as the winter or post-harvest festival of the Zeliangrong people.⁷ The festival involves ancestral invocation, drum beating, folk performances, feasting, and ritual ceremonies.

Other important festivals include:

• Nanu-Ngai
• Napkaodai-Ngai
• Gudui-Ngai
• Tun-Ngai
• Ten-Ngai
• Puakphat-Ngai
• Rih-Ngai

These festivals reinforce collective identity and intergenerational continuity. Younger generations learn folklore not through formal classrooms but through active participation in community rituals.

The study specifically notes that learning folklore traditionally takes place at home, elders’ residences, Khangchu, Luchu, paddy fields, journeys, festivals, and village gatherings. Storytelling remains the most common medium of learning folklore.

Folklore and Indigenous Religion

Traditional Rongmei religion centered around Tingkao Ragwang, the Supreme God and creator of the universe. Many folk narratives preserve cosmological beliefs regarding creation, spirits, morality, death, and afterlife.

Stories relating to Tienglham, Meijipu, and Amangh preserve indigenous theological concepts. Before the spread of Christianity, folklore functioned as a sacred vehicle for transmitting religious teachings and ritual knowledge.

Even after the spread of Christianity, many elements of traditional folklore survived culturally through festivals, songs, and oral memory.

Folklore and Historical Knowledge

Folklore also functions as historical memory. Since many indigenous communities lacked written chronicles, oral narratives became the principal source of historical consciousness.

The source emphasizes that folklore enriches historical knowledge by preserving migration narratives, social organization, warfare traditions, and memories of ancestors. Historical figures such as Ahmang, Meijipu, Tienglham, and Tukduk remain culturally influential through oral traditions.

As M. Deka notes, folklore in Northeast India is crucial for understanding indigenous history and protecting minority cultures.⁸ In the context of growing ethnic identity movements, folklore increasingly serves as a source of historical legitimacy.

Modern Challenges to Rongmei Folklore

Despite its importance, Rongmei folklore faces serious challenges today. Modernization, urbanization, English-medium education, migration, and digital culture have weakened oral transmission systems.

The study notes that many young people show limited interest in learning traditional folklore. Traditional dormitories such as Khangchu and Luchu have largely declined, reducing spaces where oral education once flourished.

The dominance of modern entertainment media has also marginalized traditional storytelling and folk performances. As oral elders pass away, many stories and songs risk disappearing permanently.

Nevertheless, there are increasing efforts among scholars, churches, cultural organizations, and digital platforms to preserve Rongmei oral traditions through documentation, recording, translation, and publication.

Websites such as the Rongmei Encyclopedia have become important digital archives for preserving Rongmei culture and folklore.⁹

Conclusion

The folklore of the Rongmei community represents far more than artistic expression or entertainment. It is the soul of Rongmei identity itself. Through folktales, songs, dances, myths, rituals, festivals, and oral narratives, the Rongmei people preserve their historical memory, moral philosophy, social structure, spiritual worldview, and communal identity.

Folklore teaches individuals how to live, how to relate to family and society, how to honor ancestors, and how to understand the world. It strengthens solidarity, preserves indigenous knowledge, and fosters cultural continuity across generations.

In an age of rapid globalization and cultural homogenization, the preservation of Rongmei folklore has become increasingly urgent. Documenting, studying, and revitalizing folklore is not merely an academic task but an act of cultural survival. The future identity of the Rongmei community depends greatly upon whether its younger generations continue to value and inherit the oral wisdom left behind by their ancestors.

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Footnotes

1. Meisuangdai Gonmei, Elizabeth Gangmei, and Smita Borgogoi, “The Essence of Folklore to Foster Identity of Rongmei Community,” Global Media Journal–Indian Edition 13, no. 1 (2021): 1–16.
2. Ibid.
3. Gangmumei Kamei, The History of the Zeliangrong Nagas: From Makhel to Rani Gaidinliu (New Delhi: Spectrum Publications, 2004).
4. William Bascom, “The Forms of Folklore: Prose Narratives,” The Journal of American Folklore 78, no. 307 (1965): 3–20.
5. Beeju Kamei, “A Way of Life of the Zeliangrong Nagas in Manipur with Special Reference to Rongmei (Kabui) Tribe,” International Journal of Social Science and Humanity 4, no. 2 (2014): 125–129.
6. Verrier Elwin, The Nagas in the Nineteenth Century (Bombay: Oxford University Press, 1969).
7. Jenpuiru Kamei, Gaan-Ngai: Festival of the Zeliangrong Nagas (New Delhi: Ministry of Culture, Government of India, 2012).
8. Maneswar Deka, “Folklore and Northeast Indian History,” Sociology Mind 1, no. 4 (2011): 190–194.
9. “Rongmei Encyclopedia,” accessed May 6, 2026, https://rongmeiencyclopedia.wordpress.com/.
10. P. Goswami, “Folk Dance Performance of Ethnic Community: A Case Study of Moran Community in Assam,” International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Research 4, no. 11 (2017).
11. R. Gangmei, Common Folk Songs of the Rongmei (Kabui) (Imphal: R.G. Centre for Arts and Culture, 1994).
12. Deborah Levenson, “Lessons in Living: Incorporating Folklore into Young Children’s Lives,” Childhood Education 68, no. 6 (1992): 350–353.
13. Stuart Blackburn and Alan Dundes, Folklore and Folklife: An Introduction (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1999).
14. “Folklore,” Encyclopaedia Britannica, accessed May 6, 2026, https://www.britannica.com/art/folklore.
15. “Rongmei Naga,” Wikipedia, accessed May 6, 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rongmei_Naga.

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Bibliography

Bascom, William. “The Forms of Folklore: Prose Narratives.” The Journal of American Folklore 78, no. 307 (1965): 3–20.

Blackburn, Stuart, and Alan Dundes. Folklore and Folklife: An Introduction. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1999.

Deka, Maneswar. “Folklore and Northeast Indian History.” Sociology Mind 1, no. 4 (2011): 190–194.

Elwin, Verrier. The Nagas in the Nineteenth Century. Bombay: Oxford University Press, 1969.

Gangmei, Meisuangdai, Elizabeth Gangmei, and Smita Borgogoi. “The Essence of Folklore to Foster Identity of Rongmei Community.” Global Media Journal–Indian Edition 13, no. 1 (2021).

Gangmei, R. Common Folk Songs of the Rongmei (Kabui). Imphal: R.G. Centre for Arts and Culture, 1994.

Kamei, Beeju. “A Way of Life of the Zeliangrong Nagas in Manipur with Special Reference to Rongmei (Kabui) Tribe.” International Journal of Social Science and Humanity 4, no. 2 (2014): 125–129.

Kamei, Jenpuiru. Gaan-Ngai: Festival of the Zeliangrong Nagas. New Delhi: Ministry of Culture, Government of India, 2012.

“Rongmei Encyclopedia.” Accessed May 6, 2026. https://rongmeiencyclopedia.wordpress.com/

“Rongmei Naga.” Wikipedia. Accessed May 6, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rongmei_Naga.

The Migration History and Creation Myth of the Rongmei Nagas

The Rongmei Nagas, one of the major communities within the Zeliangrong cultural family, possess a rich and complex body of oral traditions concerning their migration, origin, cosmology, and spiritual worldview. Like many Indigenous communities of Northeast India, the Rongmei preserved their history not through written chronicles but through oral narratives, folk songs, ritual chants, ceremonial recitations, clan memories, and festivals. These oral traditions continue to shape Rongmei identity today, especially in discussions surrounding migration history, ancestral origins, religion, and cultural heritage.

The history of the Rongmei people is deeply intertwined with the broader history of the Zeliangrong communities—namely the Zeme, Liangmei, and Rongmei peoples—who share common cultural roots, linguistic affinities, and migration memories. According to many oral traditions, the ancestors of the Zeliangrong people once lived together before dispersing into their present regions across Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, and parts of Myanmar.¹

Oral Tradition and Historical Consciousness

Unlike societies that preserved their histories in manuscripts and royal chronicles, the Rongmei transmitted knowledge orally from generation to generation. Elders, priests, storytellers, and village custodians played crucial roles in preserving migration narratives, myths, genealogies, and ritual knowledge. Gangmumei Kamei observes that the ancient history of the Zeliangrong Nagas is “surrounded in mystery and myth” and survives mainly through oral traditions handed down across generations.²

According to the migration account documented by Niamthaipou Gangmei, the Rongmei ancestors originated from a place known as Mahow or Minhow Tauhbhei, identified in the narrative with ancient Fuzhou in southeastern China. The word Tauhbhei refers to a stone cave or temporary cave-like shelter, suggesting that the ancestors once inhabited cave settlements.

The oral tradition associates Mahow with maritime culture, cyclonic storms, fine shawls, and extensive migration movements. Folk songs remembered among the Rongmei still contain references to “the cyclonic storm of Mahow,” indicating how natural disasters became embedded within collective memory.

The migration tradition further narrates that the Rongmei moved gradually from southeastern China through Thailand and Myanmar before entering Northeast India. During this long migration, they settled temporarily in many places, naming villages and landscapes in Rongmei dialects. The source specifically mentions migration routes through Chiangmai, Shan State, Sagaing Division, Kachin State, and the Nampuk and Namyung valleys of Myanmar.

Many modern scholars regard such migration traditions as symbolic memories rather than precise historical records. Nevertheless, these narratives remain extremely important because they preserve the self-understanding and historical consciousness of the community. As one scholarly study notes, “the origin and migration of the Zeliangrong Nagas is based on traditional legends, folk-tales and folk-songs.”³

Makhel: The Sacred Point of Dispersal

One of the most sacred places in Zeliangrong migration history is Makhel or Makuilongdi. Several Naga tribes—including the Zeliangrong, Mao, Poumai, Maram, Rengma, and Tangkhul—regard Makhel as an ancestral place of dispersal.⁴ According to oral traditions, the Rongmei ancestors eventually settled around Makhel after long migrations and later dispersed into different directions.

The historical importance of Makhel is symbolized by the famous megalithic stone known as Tamraratu, believed to mark the dispersal point of many Naga tribes.⁵ The memory of Makhel continues to occupy an important place in Naga identity and migration narratives.

The source also mentions Makuilongdi as a major settlement from which the Rongmei spread into their present habitats. In many oral traditions, Makuilongdi is remembered as a prosperous settlement associated with ceremonial feasts, agricultural life, and communal celebrations.

The Meaning of “Naga”

The Rongmei oral tradition also provides an indigenous explanation for the word “Naga.” While colonial historians and anthropologists proposed several theories regarding the term, Niamthaipou Gangmei argues that the word derives from two Rongmei words: Nah meaning “elder” and Ga meaning “ultimate” or “topmost.”

According to this explanation, the Rongmei customarily sent the eldest sons as advance parties during migration or warfare. These leading groups identified themselves as Nah-Ga, meaning “eldest sons.” Over time, neighboring communities and colonial administrators generalized the term to refer to the hill tribes collectively.

Although modern linguists debate this interpretation, the narrative is culturally meaningful because it reflects how the Rongmei themselves interpret the origin of the term “Naga.”

The Creation Myth of the Rongmei Nagas

Beyond migration traditions, the Rongmei preserve a profound cosmological tradition centered upon the Supreme Being known as Tingkao Ragwang (also called Tingwang or Tingpou Ragwang). The Rongmei traditional religion teaches that before the existence of the world there was only Tingkao Ragwang, the eternal and all-powerful creator.⁶

According to Rongmei mythology, Tingkao Ragwang willed the universe into existence and created the heavens, the earth, celestial bodies, water, fire, plants, animals, and human beings.⁷ The universe was not regarded as accidental but as part of a sacred cosmic order established by the Supreme God.

One tradition states that Tingkao Ragwang first created two primal deities, Didimpu and Didimpui, who were entrusted with the creation of natural elements such as the sun, moon, stars, earth, water, and wind.⁸ Thereafter, two additional deities named Dampapu and Dampapui were tasked with creating human beings.

The myths narrate that the first human forms were made from clay or earth but remained lifeless until Tingkao Ragwang breathed Bu (soul) into them.⁹ Thus, according to Rongmei belief, human life originates from divine breath. The soul was considered sacred and immortal, continuing beyond physical death.

The cosmology further describes multiple layers of heaven, earth, and the underworld. Gangmumei Kamei notes that Rongmei beliefs describe seven heavenly realms, including the twilight zone, cloud realm, moon realm, sun realm, star realm, and the abode of the Supreme God.¹⁰ Beneath the earth existed spiritual regions associated with the dead and supernatural beings.

The natural world itself was viewed as spiritually alive. Forests, rivers, caves, mountains, and stones possessed sacred significance. Animals such as the hornbill, tiger, mithun, and python often appeared in myths, rituals, and ceremonial symbolism.

Gaan-Ngai and Sacred Memory

The annual Gaan-Ngai festival remains one of the most important institutions preserving Rongmei cosmology and ancestral memory. Traditionally celebrated after the harvest season, Gaan-Ngai involves ritual prayers, songs, dances, feasting, and invocation of Tingkao Ragwang.¹¹

The source mentions that certain clans still symbolically remember Mahow Tauhbhei during Gaan-Ngai ceremonies by sacrificing a red cock and invoking ancestral blessings. This demonstrates how migration history continues to survive within ritual performance and sacred festivals.

The festival also commemorates the gift of fire and the continuity of community life. Songs performed during Gaan-Ngai often preserve memories of migration, warfare, agricultural struggles, and ancestral settlements.

Southeast Asian Connections

An especially fascinating aspect of Rongmei migration tradition concerns its perceived connection with Southeast Asia. The source cites travel writers Hugh and Colleen Gantzer, who observed cultural similarities between Naga communities and the Torajan peoples of Sulawesi near Borneo.

Practices such as buffalo sacrifice, memorial stones, bamboo vessels, terrace cultivation, and ceremonial feasts appeared strikingly similar. Archaeological evidence of megalithic burials in Nagaland has also been compared with burial traditions in Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan, and Southeast Asia.¹²

Though historians and anthropologists continue debating these migration theories, such narratives reveal how the Rongmei imagine themselves as part of a larger Asian cultural and migratory landscape.

Christianity and the Transformation of Traditional Belief

The arrival of Christianity in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries transformed many aspects of Rongmei cosmology and ritual life. Traditional sacrifices, spirit worship, and ritual priesthood gradually declined as Baptist Christianity spread throughout Zeliangrong areas.

Nevertheless, many traditional concepts survived within cultural memory. Tingkao Ragwang continues to remain an important symbol of indigenous spirituality and identity. Some revivalist religious movements such as Heraka and Tingkao Ragwang Chapriak attempted to reform and preserve aspects of traditional Zeliangrong religion.¹³

Today, many scholars and cultural organizations are actively documenting Rongmei myths, migration traditions, and oral literature before they disappear due to modernization, urbanization, and language shift.

Conclusion

The migration history and creation myths of the Rongmei Nagas form an essential part of their cultural identity and spiritual worldview. Through oral traditions, sacred songs, migration legends, and festivals, the Rongmei preserve memories of Mahow, Makhel, ancestral dispersal, and the creation of the universe by Tingkao Ragwang.

Whether interpreted historically, symbolically, or spiritually, these narratives remain deeply meaningful because they express how the Rongmei understand themselves, their ancestors, and their relationship with the cosmos. The myths embody themes of migration, endurance, sacred geography, divine creation, and communal unity.

In the present age of globalization and cultural change, preserving Rongmei oral traditions has become increasingly important. These stories are not merely relics of the past; they continue to shape Rongmei identity, spirituality, and historical consciousness today.

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Footnotes

1. “Zeliangrong,” Wikipedia, accessed May 6, 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeliangrong.
2. Gangmumei Kamei, The History of the Zeliangrong Nagas: From Makhel to Rani Gaidinliu (Spectrum Publications, 2004), cited in “The Evolution of Zeliangrong Nagas in Manipur.”
3. “A Study on the Origin and Migration of the Rongmei,” NAIR Journal.
4. “Origin and Migration of Zeliangrong,” Rongmei Encyclopedia, accessed May 6, 2026, https://rongmeiencyclopedia.wordpress.com/2018/05/05/original-and-migration-of-zeliangrong/.
5. Ibid.
6. “Tingkao Ragwang,” Wikipedia, accessed May 6, 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tingkao_Ragwang.
7. “Creation and Origin Myths and Legends of the Rongmei,” Artha Journal of Social Sciences.
8. “Tingkao Ragwang Chapriak,” Rongmei Encyclopedia, accessed May 6, 2026, https://rongmeiencyclopedia.wordpress.com/2018/04/04/tingkao-ragwang-chapriak/.
9. P. Peter Singh, “Change in Traditional Religion among the Rongmei,” Antrocom Online Journal.
10. “Creation and Origin Myths and Legends of the Rongmei.”
11. Jenpuiru Kamei, Gaan Ngai: A Festival of the Zeliangrong Nagas of North East India (Ministry of Culture, Government of India, 2012), cited in “Tingkao Ragwang.”
12. “Burial site found in Nagaland,” The Telegraph, May 24, 2000, referenced in the migration narrative.
13. “Tingkao Ragwang Chapriak Part 1,” E-pao, accessed May 6, 2026, https://e-pao.net/epSubPageExtractor.asp?src=manipur.Manipur_and_Religion.Tingkao_Ragwang_Chapriak_Part_1.