The Purums are an indigenous tribe of
Manipur. They are (or were) notable because their marriage system is the subject of ongoing statistical and ethnographical analysis; Buchler states that "they are perhaps the most over-analyzed society in anthropology".
Purums marry only in selected
sibs
''Sibs'' is an American sitcom broadcast by ABC from September 17, 1991 until April 29, 1992. The series chronicled the relationship of three sisters, and the support the youngest two especially needed from their eldest married sister. ''Sibs'' w ...
; the allowed sibs are fixed by traditional customs.
The Purums are divided into five sibs, namely, Marrim, Makan, Kheyang, Thao and Parpa.
There is no indigenous centralized government.
According to the 1931
Census of India
The decennial Census of India has been conducted 16 times, as of 2021. While it has been undertaken every 10 years, beginning in 1872 under British Viceroy Lord Mayo, the first complete census was taken in 1881. Post 1949, it has been conducted by ...
, the Purums numbered 145 men and 158 women, all practising their ancestral tribal religion; in 1936 they numbered 303 individuals but in the 1951 census they numbered only 43 individuals.
Purum family
The Lupho, Lupheng, Misao and Neitham clans belong to the above Marrim and Makan family. These clans were absorbed into other tribes of Manipur over time, and are recognised as Kuki Tribes in Manipur, Mizoram, Assam and Meghalaya. Among the Thadou Kuki they are known as Milhiem or Meriem, which has the same meaning as Marrim. Some of them are also found in the Kom tribe (Komrem) of Manipur. The Purum are very close to the Aimol, Chiru, Koireng, Kom Kharam and Chothe tribes. Their customs, culture and language are similar, being said to all come from the cave Khurpui.
Settlements
They currently reside in
Purum Likli, Saikul subdivision of Kangpokpi district.
References
External links
* http://cec.nic.in/wpresources/module/Anthropology/PaperVIII/10/content/downloads/file1.pdf
* http://oldror.lbp.world/UploadedData/6938.pdf
Ethnic groups in Manipur
Kuki tribes
Scheduled Tribes of Manipur
{{India-ethno-stub