Ukhrul: After more than seven decades, the Hungshi clan of Hungpung village in Ukhrul district, Manipur, has made a remarkable discovery by tracing the footprints of the clan’s great warrior AS Lungshi at Khongdei Khuman village in Senapati district.
On Wednesday, residents of Khongdei and members of the Hungshi clan came together to officially unveil a pair of AS Lungshi’s footprints carved in a stone slab dating back to 1958.
The unveiling of the stone monument, kept at the residence of Khongdei Khuman headman, also commemorated the bond between three blood brothers – Khongreihung/Riso, Hungpunghung/Hiipam, and Meiteihung/Mahza.
Located at the bordering areas of Senapati and Ukhrul districts, around 120 km from Imphal, Khongdei Khuman village under Purul sub-division is inhabited by the Poumai Naga community.
According to NK Ninghor, headman of Khongdei Khuman, the stone slab has been preserved since ancient times, signifying its significance. Although people were not allowed to either stand or sit on it, the village’s forefathers allowed AS Lungshi to carve his footprints on the stone, as a symbol to mark being “blood brothers”.
He further said that likewise, the villagers approved the people of Hungpung to engrave words on the stone monument as they shared the bloodline of AS Lungshi.
The unveiling of the footprints not only reaffirmed the bond between the three clans but also aimed to strengthen their relationships. In observance of the occasion, locals refrained from engaging in agricultural and labor work, while women abstained from loin loom activities.
Residents from Khongdei Shimphung and Khongdei Ngawar, also attended the ceremony.
Boniface Hungshi, chairman of the Hungshi Shangva clan, highlighted the significance of the footprints’ discovery, which was made during a mission to trace the lineage of the three clans in 2018.
According to him, AS Lungshi, his grandfather, was nicknamed as Lungshi meaning ‘hot tempered’ by his parents although his real name was Khanot.
Recalling his grandfather’s life story, Boniface said that Lungshi was renowned for his wit and righteousness across Tangkhul areas and beyond.
Apart from the footprints, Khongdei village holds historical significance as the dispersed place of the three brothers.
According to K Khovi, an 80-year-old resident of Khongdei Khuman, recounted the departure of the brothers from the village and the significance of the hearth where they shared their last meal together before parting ways.
After the departing meal, he recounted how the elder brother stayed back but the two younger brothers left Khongrei/Khongdei in search of new settlements.
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Themreichan, secretary, Khongdei Khuman village, informed that the ancient routes and migration trails of their ancestors from Makhel, the Naga dispersal site, still remained intact in the village though many sites were damaged due to climate change.
“We were told that after our forefathers dispersed from Makhel, they took several routes and finally came at Khongdei. Despite various challenges, we are trying our best to preserve the ancient road,” he said.
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