ISO THE NON-LUSHEI CLANS CHAP.

their former homes in consequence of the forward movement
of the Lusheis. The remaining tribes all claim to have come
from various places to the south of Manipur—the Anal from
the Haubi peak, the Chiru from " the Hranglal hill far away
in the south," the Kom from the Sakripung hill in the Chin
Hills; the other clans can give no nearer definition of the
home of their forefathers than far away to the south. Like
the Lushais, they all assert that they are descended from couples
who issued out of the earth, the Chhinglung of the Lushais
being replaced by " Khurpui"—i.e., the great hole.

The Anal assert that two brothers came out of a cave on
the Haubi peak, and that the elder was the ancestor of the
Anals, while the younger went to the valley of Manipur and
became king of the valley. Another tradition says that the
Manipuris, Anals, and Thados are the descendants of three
men, whose father was the son of Pakhangba, the mythical
snake-man ancestor of the Manipuri royal family, who, taking
the form of an attractive youth, overcame the scruples of a
maiden engaged in weeding her jhum (compare Hodson's
" Meitheis," page 12). These legends were probably invented
after the clans had come in contact in order to account for the
resemblances between them. The Chiru claim to be descended
from Rezar, the son of Chongthu, the ancestor of the clan of
that name still found in the Lushai Hills, whose name also
appears in the Thado pedigree. The Lamgang tell the
following tale:—On the Kangmang hill, away to the south,
there is a cave. Out of this came a man and a woman, and
were eaten up by a tiger which was watching. A god who
had two horns, seeing this horrible sight, came out and drove
away the tiger, and so the next couple to emerge escaped and
became the ancestors of the Lamgang. The Purum claim to
be descended from Tonring and Tonshu, who issued from the
earth. It is said that "Pu rum>J means " hide from tiger," which
connects them closely with the Lamgang legend. The Kolhen's
ancestors were a man and woman who sprang out of Khurpui
provided with a basket and a spear, and lived at Talching, and
had a son and daughter called Naming and Shaithatpal, the
direct descendants of whom are said still to be found among
the Kolhen.