NE’s 1st Tribal Freedom Fighters’ Museum to come up in Manipur

Senapati: Manipur tribal affairs & hills and fisheries minister N Kayisii on Friday laid the foundation stone of the Tribal Freedom Fighters’ Museum, the first of its kind in the entire Northeast region, at Makhel village in Senapati district.

The state-of-the-art museum will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 15 crore, said an official.

The event was also attended by PHED minister Losii Dikho, additional chief secretary Letkhogin Haokip; director of tribal affairs and hills C Arthur Worchuiyo; Senapati deputy commissioner Somorjit Salam, among others.

Speaking at the event, Kayisii said the first-of-its-kind museum will attract tourists from other places. Seeking cooperation from the locals, the minister further said that the museum belongs to every tribal and the people of the state.

The minister also thanked the villagers for donating 23.6 acres of land for the project.

According to the officials, the project, once completed, will develop a museum of a resource centre for providing information on tribal culture and traditions. It is also to honour and commemorate the forgotten unsung heroes of Manipur who revolted against the British colonial rule.

While interacting with media persons on the sideline, TAH director Arthur disclosed that to come up with details of the project, a team of the expert committee, including four academicians from the Manipur University, have been constituted under additional chief secretary.

From September 14 onwards, the team will start visiting villages for findings and to collect information on tribal freedom fighters, especially in context of the British period, said Arthur.

Once the narrative of the museum gets approval from the authorities concerned, the project will take place, Arthur added.

Makhel, being one of the historic landmarks for the Nagas and considering all these historical facts, minister L Dikho, who represents the Mao constituency, said that the department concerned has chosen the place to strengthen the integrity and to bring the people of the state together.

Located at a distance of 104 km from Imphal and bordering Nagaland, Makhel village holds an important historical, ethnographic and cultural centre for the Mao community in particular and other Naga tribes in general.

Manipur was among the eight states of the country, including Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Telangana, which got approved by the National Level Committee (NLC) on February 12 this year under the ministry of tribal affairs.

The nearby splendid Dzukou Valley, scenic landscape and of course, the largest river in Manipur, Barak River, which flows through the area will be an add-on service to the visitors.

Meanwhile, during his visit to the hill district, minister Kayisii also inaugurated four community halls at Makhan Khuman village on the Imphal-Dimapur road.