Meitei Christians

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Meitei Christians are a movement of christianity in Manipur, formally the Meitei Baptist Association.

Contents 1 Advent of Apostle William Pettigrew 2 Christianity in Manipur 2.1 Who was the First Convert - Angom Porom Sing or Angom Ningol Kaboklei? 3 Present Meitei Christian movement in the state 4 References

[edit] Advent of Apostle William Pettigrew

The account of Christianity in Manipur is mostly referred back to the advent of William Pettigrew during the reign of Maharaja of Manipur, Surchandra Singh in 1890. William Pettigrew, the apostle of Christianity to Manipur, was born in Edinburgh on January 5, 1869. He was educated at Livingstone College in London. A member of the Anglican Church, he applied to work with the Arthington Aboriginals Mission in India. He arrived in Bengal late in 1890, and worked for two years in Dacca and Silchar.

In 1891 Pettigrew applied for permission to work in Manipur. William Pettigrew, the first American Baptist Missionary landed on the soil of Manipur on February 6, 1894 at Imphal. While his application was being considered, he began to prepare himself by making contact with some Cachari Manipuris and assiduously learning as much of the language as he could, while perfecting his Bengali.

Reasoning that the most direct way to witness Christianity was through the introduction of Western education, Pettigrew began by becoming the tutor to the children of government servants. The system of education in places like Johnston was practiced in Bengali. Pettigrew believed that teaching should be in the vernacular and received the Political Agent’s authority to open a Manipuri medium primary school. He himself wrote the primers for it in Meiteilon. The school by the river at Morangkhom still bears his name and seems to have been a success, for in the following year two others were opened at Tera-keithen and Thangmeiband.

Pettigrew’s attempts at evangelistic work among the Meiteis, however, began to cause difficulties within the delicate political climate in Manipur, and the more extreme Hindus complained that he was trying to impose Christianity upon the state. Consequently, when Maxwell resumed his position, he was compelled to request in September 1894 that Pettigrew quit preaching to the Meiteis. Thereafter, his mission was shifted toward the hill community of the state until the early 1960s, where the Christianity among the Meiteis of Manipur plain started witnessing from natives tribes of the Manipur.

[edit] Christianity in Manipur

Due to ignorance regarding the history of Christianity in Manipur, the majority of Meiteis believe Christianity belongs to the hill people of Manipur; therefore in almost all the atrocities committed against the Meitei Christian minorities by elements of the different Meitei communities have alleged the Meitei Christians as Meiteis becoming Haos (Tribal). The fact is that before any hill people of Manipur became Christian, it was Angom Porom Singh a Meitei convert who embraced Christianity first in all of Manipur.

Some historians and theological scholars have attempted to ignore Meiteis as the first to adopt Christianity in the state while some of the Tangakhul of the Ukhrul region have redrafted the history of Christianity in the state of Manipur. History is the fact very much base on writer of the story yet the reality of the content in the history can not be twisted.

[edit] Who was the First Convert - Angom Porom Sing or Angom Ningol Kaboklei?

While depending that the Meiteis adopted Christianity first in the state, who was the first Meitei convert to Christianity in Manipur is still uncertain. Traditionally believes that Porom Singh’s conversion took place in Manipur was the first convert in Manipur. Contrast to this, another tradition says that Kaboklei of Angom clan, a royal birth, professionally a dancer got married to Tripura Raja. Soon after her marriage husband died and went to Sylhet (presently in Bangladesh) and there she met Christian missionary and embraced Christianity at the age of 22 or 23 in the year around 1893. Dr. Saroj N. Arambam Parratt in her research says that Kaboklei was the first Christian in Manipur, “Kaboklei was at that time the only Christian in Manipur and severe attempts were made to get her to renounce her faith and return to the Hindu fold. She consequently later left the Valley and went to the Christian compound at Ukhrul.” Kaboklei along with Porom Singh and Maipak a Kabui convert petitioned Government to grand a land for Christians to live and an area at Thangmeiband was granted and live there until she went to be with the Lord.

Tradition that claims Angom Porom Singh was the first Christian might have ignore the other tradition claiming Kaboklei was the first convert in Manipur because she was converted out side of Manipur in Sylhet. Being converted outside of Manipur can not ignore the reality of first daughter of Manipur was the first Christian in both plain and hill Christianity.

Porom Singh was born around 1885 in the village of Phayeng of the Angom clan. His father, Thambou was a traditional doctor, and his mother, Tonu, died when he was still young. Tradition that believes Porom Singh was the first convert has its story to tell about Porom Singh’s father that God saw Thambou’s righteousness and spoke to him telling him to dedicate his son to the missionary in response to which he journeyed to Imphal and entrusted the young Porom to Pettigrew. Porom Singh stayed with the missionary in his house and attended the school.

We do know for certain either Porom Singh was the first convert or Kaboklei. However, much documentation is done on Angom Porom Singh by theological scholars. Traditional believes that Angom Porom Singh was baptized on the 3rd of January 1896 Pettigrew was in Imphal. On that date Pettigrew baptized his first Meitei convert at the watering Morangkhom Hiden Tapham. Porom Singh must have been only about eleven or twelve at the time and it is not surprising that this public act should have caused uproar. The news of the event spread like wild fire. Messages were sent throughout the country by means of flaming torches being carried from leikai to leikai, and village to village.

Following the disturbances surrounding his baptism, Porom Singh left Imphal with Pettigrew and functioned as Pettigrew’s right hand man during the early days at Ukhrul. In December 1912 Porom Singh Married a Tangkul girl, Kasuni, and taught in a school at Ukhrul along with the responsibility of preaching the gospel to native people a teacher and headmaster.

Porom Singh was one of only seven Christians who stood with the missionary. At the outbreak of the First World War he again came to Pettigrew’s support, this time in raising a labor corps. He was himself one of the corps leader and interpreters. He served in France receiving excellent testimonials and on his return was exempted from house tax. Shortly after this, in August 1919, his wife died of cholera in Imphal. He remarried a sixteen year old girl, Chinkhoning of Kangpokpi, the following year. Both marriages produced offspring.

Meanwhile the history of Christianity in south west of Manipur is bit different and unsung. John H. Pulamte in his research says that Watkins R. Robert was first Welsh Presbyterian Missionary came to southern part of Manipur to preach the gospel. "Ninety-two long years had passed since Watkins R. Roberts set his foot for the first time to preach the gospel of Christ to the tribal of Manipur south-west, or to the people of Churachandpur district." He was called by local people as "Pu Tlangval" (Sir Youngman), as he was only a young man of 24 years when he first came to Manipur.

Today Baptist denomination Christians, the fruits of William Pettigrew is found in North-West and North-East of Manipur while the majority of Presbyterian denominational Christians are found in South-West of Manipur as fruits of Watkins R. Roberts. What about a tiny Christian population of Meitei community in Manipur valley. Two major denomination of Meitei community are the Baptist Meitei Christians through the Baptist Churches in hill areas and the Presbyterian Meitei Christians through the Presbyterian churches in south-west of Manipur. There are also tiny other denominational Christians are found among Meitei community.

[edit] Present Meitei Christian movement in the state

Meitei Christians in the state of Manipur and other north eastern part of India are found under different denominational heads like Baptist, Presbyterian, Evangelical etc. yet all hold to one teaching of the Lord Jesus. Although the Christianity first adopted by Meiteis, the fact remained only in the history but the Christians among the Meitei community became visible only from 1960s. Approximate population of Meitei Christians in the state will be nearly 15000 Christians with nearly 1000 churches.

When Christianity adopted among the Meitei communities, the very Christianity adopted remained the same in belief system and theological teaching are the same base on the biblical teaching, yet the practice of the Christian faith is very different. Meitei Christians strongly believe that by race we are Meitei first and Christianity was left to the choice of the individuals. The culture and tradition of Meitei has been at all possible maintained by Meitei Christians. Having said thus far, Meitei Christians are as good as a good citizen of the state and country upholding the constructive of state and nation and community harmony and peace.

[edit] References

• 'A Brief Account of Meitei Christians, By Moirangthem Madhu Chandra