The Kom are one of Kuki tribes mainly found in Manipur, North-East India of Northeast India

^[1] They are scattered over all the districts of Manipur. Even though they are referred as "Kom", among them they refer to themselves as Kakom. Koms are found in the Northeastern states of Manipur and Tripura. The majority of the Kom population reside in Manipur. They are found in all the districts of Manipur and concentrated mainly in the districts of Churachandpur, Bishenpur and Senapati.

According to 2001 Census of India, the population of Kom is 14,602.^[2]

Origins

Their origin is unclear as they were nomadic people till they entered Manipur. The location of the cave is believed to be somewhere in the borders of China.shongthu, Saiche, Misai and Mirem were the names of the leaders who came out of the cave. The names of these leaders became the Clan names of the Kom people. Even though Telien and Hmangte did not take part in the cave incident, they later came to be established as clan names. These people are referred as Kom by the British Raj. The present Kom people are just a small percentage of the descendants of Shongthu, Saiche, Misai, Mirem, Telien and Hmangte.{{cn|date=March 2019}}

Clan names

The present clan names and their original clan name are as follows:{{cn|date=March 2019}}

Even though the clan names have changed through generations, the elders of each of the main original clans are still among the Kom people. The majority of this community are Christian. Their stories-folklore and legends- are passed down through generations by oral/verbal forms or word of mouth.{{Citation needed|date=July 2016}}

Hair Styles (Traditional)

References