Zale'n-gam
The demand for a Kuki State has been spearheaded by the Kuki State Demand Committee in Manipur, India, since 2010.[1] Various names for the proposed state have been mentioned, such as Zale'n-gam (or Zalengam, the "land of freedom"),[2] Zogam ("Zo or Zomi homeland"), and Kukiland.[3][4]
Name
[edit]Zale'n-gam was first proposed by PS Haokip in his book by same name published in 1988.[citation needed] The book has caused discomfort and often increased the rivalry with other communities living in Manipur especially the Nagas with whom Kuki had contested territories and historical rivalry.[citation needed] In the wake of the 2023 Manipur violence between the Meiteis and the Kukis in Manipur, the book gain attention leading to NCSN-IM to issue statement against the claims mentioned in the book.[5]
Territory and people
[edit]The territorial claims of Zale'n-gam encompass a historical region consisting of the territories traditionally inhabited by the Kukis, but which never have had their own state,[6] including:
- In India: Parts of Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and the Karbi Anglong District of Assam.
- In Burma: The Kabaw Valley and parts of Sagaing Division and Chin State.
- In Bangladesh: The Chittagong Hill Tracts
There is also a proposal to create two subdivisions of the proposed state: 'Eastern Zalengam' and 'Western Zalengam', the former within Burma and the latter in India.[2]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Haokip, Autonomy Demands in the Hill Areas of Manipur (2016).
- ^ a b "Kuki National Army, Manipur". www.satp.org. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
- ^ Gorkhaland deal spurs self-rule demand in NE, The Hindustan Times, 21 June 2011. ProQuest 878537436
- ^ Das, Politics of 'Belonging' Among Zomi–Chin-Kuki People (2021), p. 234.
- ^ THE MYTH OF ZALENGAM (KUKILAND) IN NAGA ANCESTRAL LAND: NSCN-IM, Nagalim Voice, July–August 2023. via Mokokchung Times.
- ^ "The Kuki Zale'n-gam". Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2014-09-29.
Bibliography
[edit]- Arora, Vibha; Kipgen, Ngamjahao (2017), "Demand for Kukiland and Kuki ethnic nationalism", in Vibha Arora; N. Jayaram (eds.), Democratisation in the Himalayas: Interests, Conflicts, and Negotiations, Taylor & Francis, pp. 161–185, ISBN 9781351997997
- Das, N. K. (2021), "Indigeneity, Cultural Memory, and Hybrid Identity: Politics of 'Belonging' Among Zomi–Chin-Kuki People of India–Myanmar Borderlands", in A. K. Giri (ed.), Cross-Fertilizing Roots and Routes, Springer, pp. 217–242, doi:10.1007/978-981-15-7118-3_13
- Haokip, Seikhogin (2016), "Autonomy Demands in the Hill Areas of Manipur: Issues and Challenges" (PDF), Journal of North East India Studies, 6 (2): 28–50, ISSN 2277-6869
- Kipgen, Nehkholun (2012), "Why not Kukiland for Kukis", in Thongkholal Haokip (ed.), The Kukis of Northeast India: Politics and Culture, Bookwell, pp. 107–, ISBN 9789380574448