Meitei confederacy

**Meitei confederacy**, also known as **Meitei confederation**, refers to a union of seven groups or clans () of the Meitei ethnicity.
The 7 components of Meitei confederacy are Ningthouja (also known as Mangang), Luwang, Khuman, Angom, Moirang (Moilang), Khaba-Nganba (Kha-Nganba) and Chenglei (also known as Sarang/Salang/Salai Leisangthem).

Prior to unification and formation of the "Meitei confederacy," these groups were independent kingdoms ruled by their own kings. The Mangang, also called the Ningthouja group, defeated the other groups and the Ningthouja king became the supreme ruler. Initially, the name "Meitei" referred only to the Ningthouja group, but by the 15th century, it came to refer to all the groups. Over time, the seven groups united to form one nation but remained separate entities. Today, these 7 groups still play an important role in the social structure of Meitei society, especially in determining marriage patterns. The Meiteis do not marry within the same group or yek salai.

## Historical territories

|States|Romanisation|rowspan="2"|Associated Meitei clans|rowspan="2"|Romanisation|rowspan="2"|Note(s)|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
||Imphal Kangla||Ningthouja (Mangang)|rowspan="7"||||
||Luwangsangbam Kangla||Luwang|||||
||Mayang Imphal||Khuman|||||
||Kongba||Angom|||||
||Moirang Kangla||Moirang (Moilang)|||||
||Wangching Sanggai Kangla||Kha Nganpa|||||
||Wangoi Kangla||Chenglei / Sarang Leishangthem (Salang / Salai Leishangthem)|||||

## Number of families

|Meitei sub-groups|Romanisation|Number of families/surnames (according to  N. Monihar)|Number of families/surnames (according to Khomdon Lisam)|Number of families/surnames (according to T.C. Hodson)|Number of families/surnames (according to Manipur Mirror)|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
||Ningthouja (Mangang)|256|234|115|254|
||Luwang|105|93|56|106|
||Khuman|176|199|103|204|
||Angom|96|109|50|103|
||Moirang (Moilang)|100|110|66|99|
||Kha Nganpa|42|37|17|43|
||Sarang Leishangthem (Salang / Salai Leishangthem)|62|45|41|65|

## Traditional ancestors

|colspan="2"|Generic term(s)|colspan="2"|According to Neelbir Sairem|colspan="2"|According to Lairenlakpam Bino Devi & N. Tarunkumar Singh|rowspan="2"|Associated Meitei clans|rowspan="2"|Romanisation|rowspan="2"|Note(s)|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
||Mangang Pokpa/Mangang Apokpa||Pakhangba||Pakhangba||Ningthouja (Mangang)|rowspan="7"||||
||Luwang Pokpa/Luwang Apokpa|rowspan="2"||rowspan="2"|Poireiton||Poireiton||Luwang|||
||Khuman Pokpa/Khuman Apokpa||Thongalen (Thongaren)||Khuman|||||||
||Angom Pokpa/Angom Apokpa||Pureiromba||Pureiromba||Angom|||||
||Moirang Pokpa/Moirang Apokpa||Nganghunthok & Ngangningsing||Ngangningsing||Moirang (Moilang)|||||
||Kha Nganpa Pokpa/Kha Nganpa Apokpa||Khamchingkon|—|Khamdingou||Kha Nganpa|||||
||Chenglei Pokpa/Chenglei Apokpa||Nung-ngou Yumthangba||Nungngou Yumthangba||Chenglei / Sarang Leishangthem (Salang / Salai Leishangthem)|||||

## Swords

|Illustrations of the swords|Names of the swords|Romanisation|Associated Meitei clans|Romanisation|Maximum breadth (cm)|Maximum length (cm)|Note(s)||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|||Chak Thaang||Ningthouja (Mangang)|6.2|59.6|rowspan="7"||
|||Tondumba||Luwang|5.7|58.7|||
|||Tonkakpa||Khuman|6.6|57.2|||
|||Pukak Thaang||Angom|6.3|50.1|||
|||Yenbaa Matok Saaba/Matok Paanba||Moirang (Moilang)|7.2|54.2|||
|||Laithaang Chinaaiba||Kha Nganpa|5.9|58.6|||
|||Khunthong Thaang/Khunthok Laaithaang||Sarang Leishangthem (Salang / Salai Leishangthem)|5.9|59.1|||

## Classical elements

|Sacred water|Sacred fire|Associated Meitei clans|Romanisation|colspan="2"|Note(s)||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|Water of Nungseng (Nungjeng)|7 flames of Meiyei Meithang||Ningthouja (Mangang)||rowspan="7"||
|Water of Lamphel|Flame of Khoiju||Luwang||||
|Water of Pumlen|Flame of Meithang||Khuman||||
|Water of Kongba Meironbi|Flame of Meiba Chingba Mei||Angom||||
|Water of Loktak|3 flames of Meithang||Moirang (Moilang)||||
|Water of Leitang/Takna Kha Puruk shoubi|Flame of Leikham Waimei||Kha Nganpa||||
|Water of Takna/Takyel|5 flames of Leikham Waimeithang||Sarang Leishangthem (Salang / Salai Leishangthem)||||

## Totems

|Sacred mythical creatures|Sacred plants|Sacred fishes|Sacred leaves|Sacred fruits|Sacred flowers|Sacred woods/timbers|Associated Meitei clans|Romanisation|colspan="2"|Note(s)||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
||Urum|Saareng Angaangba/Ngaahei|Thamlaa/Changbilaa|Thamchet/Heijang/Heibi|Thambaal Angaangba|Sayi/Uyung||Ningthouja (Mangang)||rowspan="7"||
||Khok U|Saareng Luwaoba/Ngaamu|Laayaai|Kihom/Heiba|Mellei|Heiku/Upal||Luwang||||
||Pungphai|Saareng Mureinaba/Ngaatin|Changbilaa/Kwaaklaa/Khaanglaa|Heibung/Heiku/Heibong|Leisang/Kwaaklei/Leikhaam|Chaokhong/Sayi/Waa||Khuman||||
||Tairel|Saareng Angouba/Ngaraa|Laarong/Leihoulaa|Heibong/Heiba|Tharo/Thambaal (Angouba)|Upal/Sayi||Angom||||
||Nauhing|Saareng Naapu|Khaanglaa|Heiyit|Yerum Lei/Laangthrei|Kuhi/Khanglaa/Tou||Moirang (Moilang)||||
||Napu Nasen|Saareng Ngaangna Laangba|Leihoulaa/Laaronglaa|Heiba/Heibung|Haorei/Yerumlei/Mellei/Leisang|Ching Yensin||Kha Nganpa||||
||Naapi Singbi|Saareng Sangbaannana Laangba/Ngaaren|Changbilaa/Thamlaa|Heijang/Heibung/Heitup|Leisang/Leikham/Sangbrei|Nongleisang||Sarang Leishangthem (Salang / Salai Leishangthem)||||

## Sacred colors

|Sacred colours|Associated Meitei clans|Romanisation|Note(s)||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|Red||Ningthouja (Mangang)|rowspan="7"||
|Light blue/White||Luwang|||
|Black||Khuman|||
|White/Yellow||Angom|||
|Yellow/Dark Red||Moirang (Moilang)|||
|Green (striped)/Sweet potato colour||Kha Nganpa|||
|Green/Sky colour||Sarang Leishangthem (Salang / Salai Leishangthem)|||

## Related pages

- Mangang Luwang Khuman
- Apokpa
- Apokpa Marup
- Sanamahism