Maring

The Maring are one of the oldest tribe and ethnic group inhabiting Manipur State in North-East India. It is the tribe that is called as keeper of Frontier or Eastern gate of India as can be witnessed in their War dance called Lhousa. Their name is derived from mei meaning fire and ring meaning to start or produce. The people of Maring tribe are called Maringa. A mainly Christian people, they live chiefly in Tengnoupal district, Chandel and some places like Imphal, Senapati and so on.
The term “Maring” is derived from the word “Meiring” where “Mei” stands for “fire” and “ring” stands for “alive” which means “the people who keep fires un-quenched/alive”.
The traditional oral history says that “Maring” or “Meiring” or “Meiringba” obtained fire from a traditional ways of making fire called “Meihongtang” using dry wood of a particular tree called Khongma-heeng with bamboo strips and dry bushes or grasses. The bamboo strips are rubbed with dry grasses/bushes against dry Khongma-heeng until fire produced due to friction.
The fire thus produced is considered “sacred” (Meikhring) and were set up at sacred places like village altar called Malamun or Rlhamun, Village Gate called Palshung and Dormitories called Rkhang. The sacred fire is kept burning by feeding fire woods (Meirupheeng) and this practice of keeping fire alive/burning continued till the dawn of Christianity in Maring Land.
Today, the Marings are settled mostly in Tengnoupal District in the South-Eastern part of the present State of Manipur (India) bordering Myanmar. Some of them are found scattered in places like Senapati, Ukhrul, Churachandpur, Tamenglong, Thoubal, Imphal East and West Districts of Manipur.