Approximate extension of the area traditionally inhabited by the Kuki people.
Zale'n-gam or Zalengam (Thadou-Kuki) dialect for 'land of freedom'), also known as Kukiland is a proposed state by Kuki people, with the intention of uniting all the Kuki tribes under a single government. The proposed state's main proponents are the Kuki National Organisation and its armed wing, the Kuki National Army.[1]
Name
Zale'n-gam was first proposed by PS Haokip in his book by same name published in 1988.[citation needed] The book has caused discomfort and often increased the rivalry with other communities living in Manipur especially the Nagas with whom Kuki had contested territories and historical rivalry.[citation needed] In the wake of the 2023 Manipur violence between the Meiteis and the Kukis in Manipur, the book gain attention leading to NCSN-IM to issue statement against the claims mentioned in the book.[2]
Territory and people
The territorial claims of Zale'n-gam encompass a historical region consisting of the territories traditionally inhabited by the Kukis, but which never have had their own state,[3] including:
There is also a proposal to create two subdivisions of the proposed state: 'Eastern Zalengam' and 'Western Zalengam', the former within Burma and the latter in India.[1]
