KUKIS

Oct. 19, 2019

Two groups of the Kuki militants: the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People’s Front (UPF) have sought the intervention of PM Modi to subdue the rising tension between the Kukis and the Nagas in Manipur.

Kukis:

  • The Kukis constitute one of several hill tribes within India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. In Northeast India, they are present in all states except Arunachal Pradesh.

  • Some fifty tribes of Kuki peoples in India are recognised as scheduled tribes.

  • The first resistance to British hegemony by the Kuki people was the Kuki Rebellion of 1917-19 after which their territory was subjugated by the British and divided between the administrations of British India and British Burma. Up until their defeat in 1919, the Kukis had been an independent people ruled by their chieftains.

  • The majority of Kukis are Christians. Traditionally, the Kukis were animists.