The Kharam Tribe: An Enduring Ethnographic Profile Amidst Transformation The Kharam, an indigenous Tibeto-Burman tribal community, are a vital thread in the diverse cultural fabric of Manipur, Northeast India. Primarily residing in the Kangpokpi District, they are officially recognized as a Scheduled Tribe under India's constitutional framework, a status formalized by The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Orders (Amendment) Act of 1976 .¹ Despite their relatively small population, estimated at just 588 individuals as per the 2011 Census, the Kharam maintain a distinct cultural identity while navigating significant socio-cultural and religious transformations.² Their story is one of resilience, adaptation, and the ongoing negotiation between ancestral traditions and modern influences. Historical Context and Ethnogenesis The precise origins of the Kharam people are largely preserved through rich oral traditions, often intertwined with local legends and migratory accounts. The e...
The origin of the Nagas is not know, believed to be from China that migrated south of the Himalayas. The first record of China people in India is from around the 10th century B.C. Based on linguistic evidence, it is believed that the Nagas and other Indians of Chinese descent originated in a region between the Yellow and Yangtze rivers in northwestern China and arrived in India in several waves of migrations that took place over several centuries after Aryans arrived.