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The Maram habitat falls under the Senapati district of
Manipur. The
Main Maram area falls under Tadubi Sub-division and
the rest under
Kangpokpi.
According to 1981 census, the total Maram
population was 5972. But the census of the Maram
tribe, carried out by the Tribal Development Staff
In 1988 for all 28 (twenty eight) villages reported
10,911 Marams distributed through 1846 households.
The average height of Men is about 165.25 cm while
female statute is
About 153.75 cm.
Even though they belong to the
Mongoloids, remarkable strains of Caucasoid are also
observed. Wet cultivation is adopted by the
Marams whose main stay is rice and whose main
occupation is cultivation. It
Has been noticed among the Marams that women folk do
most of the chores.
Thus fetching water and firewood, cooking and looking
after children are responsibilities of women. The men
folk cut trees for firewood and indulge in the
harvesting and cultivation. But womenfolk also help in
digging the field for sowing and harvesting.
The Marams of Senapati villages do not speak the same
dialect. Though understandable, the totality and mode
of expression are quite different. They are
constructing a common language based on the spoken
language of Maram Khullel.
However, their folkloristic
traditions are similar. In their cosmogony, God
(Paramhaba) created heaven and earth joined together
at the horizon, He created creatures one after one
naming them tiger, bear and so on.
The exhausted God
went to a place and stood by catching hold of a tree
and bending over it. He thought for a while and spat
in his right fingers with a murmur and pick up an
Nchet (a stem borer insect) out of the tree (mandung
bang) and threw it on the ground.
A man in his
likeness stood up. The God was overjoyed and named him
Madiingkasii. After a while he spat with murmur in his
fingers fetching water from the pond and he created
sam ongpui. Again he murmured and threw it down over
ground and there stood up a women. He gave her the
name of Samotingdungpui.
By the union of these first
Man and woman, they begot three sons Karambungsa, the
eldest, Makikangba and Kela Sanglang, the
youngest. The three brothers depart from Meikhel. The
eldest brother is considered progenitor of the Marams
and his four sons became 4 clans of Maram Khullel.
The descend and inheritance of Marams follow
Patrilineal ways. Their village is divided into
'Sadung' or 'Khel'.
Each Khel draws its own name from
a common ancestor for instance, Rangnamei means
descendants of Rang. In other word, Khel is based on
consanguine relatives.
The Maram Society is divided into 3 exogamous social
groups, which are again subdivided into lineages and
sub-divided into lineages and sub lineages. The
three groups (Clans) according to Maram Khullen
dialect are
1. Ng'kukui (makha or lower section)
2. DikaKuina (Khullakpa or chief's group) and
3. Rangbung raiyinamai (mathak or upper section).
Each lineages in Maram Khullen has its own sagong but
they are subject to the sagong of Lamkhana (or
Dikakhuina/khullakpa Sagei) in matter of cult and
morals and referred to as the Great Cheif.
Sagong was the de-facto and de-jure head of the village. Every
Khels have their own gates and dormitories. Boy's
dormitory is called Rehangki whereas that of the
girl's is Rulaki.
According to Maram custom, when a child is born for
ten days' regulation of genna the child remains inside
the house. But naming ceremony is done after five days
or a week by turning the child towards the sun.
The child is blessed by the father of the family after
searching a crab within ten days by the father of the
child. To be a full fledged member of the society, a
rite of Purification is also carried out. Engagement
is the ideal form of marriage.
The Maram man wears a black cotton kilt embellished by
three or four rows of
white cowries which at present are replaced by
buttons.
The ladies wear an inner loin cloth usually
just like the Kilt of men without cowries. They also
use a white rug like cloth. Now-a-days this piece of
cloth is replaced by shawls which is a mixture of
black and white colour.
These people are pantheon
worshippers. Their deities are Akrkot (House deity),
Sara Kachinu (to witness oath its name is mentioned)
and powmungba (wind deity) and Paranhaba is the
supreme god.
Relating to their social and religious life, they
construct houses
- Sbaki (Simplest form without ritual)
- Ratsangki (roofing with thatch reaches the ground)
- Karatki
- Akikah
- Kinaboi (adorn with horns)
- Ziileki (several gennas are associated to construct it)
- Rafiiki (roof with plank) and
- Pungtaki (highest form of house).
Their houses also determine the social status of a
person. This group of people refrains from taking the
pork. They perform three main festivals
1) Ponghi,
2) Kanghi and
3) Rakakkou.
During festivals, they dance with no segregation of
sexes. But their songs are sung by one person or two
or group as their norm indicates.
Manindra Konsam from Sanathong wrote this article.
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