Anāl people
The Anāl is a Naga tribe native to Manipur state in North-East India and part of Myanmar. They are listed as a Scheduled Tribe, in accordance with The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Orders (Amendment) Act, 1976 Indian Constitution. The Anāl tribe is one of the 'sixty six Naga tribes' of the Naga ancestral homeland. The members of this tribe are found both in India and Myanmar. In India, they are situated in the States of Manipur and Nagaland but mostly concentrated in the former. In the State of Manipur, the Anāl Naga population concentrated in Chandel and a few Anāl villages are located in its neighbouring districts, Churachandpur district has about three villages and Thoubal district has one or two.
The Anal people are a scheduled tribe found in Manipur, India and in few parts of Myanmar, and come under the list of Naga people. They speak their own language, Anal. According to the 2001 census, there are 21,242 Anal in India. Ancestral books of Anal Tribe indicate they are a peace loving, close knitted and family oriented community. They are traditionally farmers, carpenters and weavers, although modernization have caused the practices to decline, many of the Anāl people still use these methods as a form of livelihood. | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 27,000 approx | |
| Languages | |
| Anal Language (Tibeto-Burman languages) | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Lamkang Naga, Monsang Naga, Moyon Naga, Other Naga people |
The Anāls in Myanmar live in the Sagaing sub-division. The Anāl population in this part has been dwindling. At present, there are three Anāl villages, 'Nga Kala, Napalun and Haika'. Formerly the Anāls had no problem to move or visit Anāl areas now in Myanmar and vice versa. However, with the demarcation of boundaries, they came under two distinct units and the consequent restriction imposed on the movement of the people of both sides, the Anāls had to stop such free movement between them. Consequently, there has not been any interaction between the members of the same tribe now existing under two different countries. The Anāl community is one of the oldest inhabitants of the hill areas in Manipur state. The archaeological findings at Chakpikarong also point it. Despite this, the numbers of Anāls remain small. According to Census of India, the Anāl population was 21,242 and 1991 census placed as 10,642.
The Anāl Naga is recognized as a tribe in Manipur since 1951. This recognition of Anāl tribe was done by Rochunga Pudaite who met the Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in Delhi in 1951 and requested him to give Scheduled Tribe recognition to the Hmar tribe of Northeast India by wearing a traditional Hmar attire. The PM then asked him if he knew of the existence other tribes which had not been included in the list. Rochunga then added the tribes of Anāl, Kom, Paite, Vaiphei, Ralte, Chothe and others, thus paving way for their recognition. However, it was only after the Scheduled Tribes Reorganisation in 1956 that all the aforementioned tribes were recognised by the Manipur government. Therefore, Anāl Naga is one of 33 tribes in Manipur. Referred to them as one of the Naga tribes of Manipur and recognised as part of the List of Naga tribes by the state government of Manipur.