By – Addie Chiphang
Ukhrul, June 19:
In a landmark revelation that seeks to clarify and preserve historical lineage and clan identity, the Hungpung Hungshi Shangva (Royal Council of Hungpung) has firmly declared that there is no Zimik Shang (clan) in the Hungpung Ahungshi (King’s Clan), reinforcing that the royal bloodline of Hungpung belongs solely to the Mangang Salai, also known in Tangkhul dialect as Hungshi.
The announcement was made during a high-profile press conference organized at Tangkhul Express TV Studio, Phungreitang, Ukhrul, on Wednesday. Present at the briefing were several prominent figures of the royal lineage, including Ino. Felix Ningkhanpam Hungshi, Chairman of the Hungpung Hungshi Shangva; Boniface Hungshi, Chairman of Tangkhul Hungshi Shangva; AS Innocent Hungshi, AS Ringhuimi Hungshi, TS Elvis Hungshi (Secretary, Hungpung Hungshi Shangva), and other esteemed members of the royal household.
The panel recounted the ancient oral and written narratives tracing the origin of the Hungshi from Central Asia to Makhel, where history speaks of a triune birth to the royal daughter — three brothers who became progenitors of different lineages: Riso (Khongreihung), the eldest; Hiipam (Hungpunghung), the second; and Mahzâ (Meiteihung), the youngest. Together, they migrated and eventually parted ways at Khongrei (also referred to as Khongdei), where they placed three symbolic stones to mark their separation.
Hiipam, the second brother, settled at Hamleikhong in Hungpung village, which later became the seat of the Hungpung kings. Mahzâ, the youngest, journeyed further to the valley and settled in Imphal, founding the Meitei kingdom. Oral traditions and physical relics such as the Meitei Rakhong (springwell), the Mafarung (royal elephant stable), and the footprints of Meitei Maharajas on stone slabs in Hungpung further authenticate this ancient bond between the Tangkhuls and Meiteis through their shared Mangang ancestry.
It was pointed out that the Hungpung royal lineage — formerly simply known as Ahungshi (the King’s clan) — conducted an extensive investigation to trace its original Salai (clan), ultimately confirming it as Mangang Ningthouja, a significant royal bloodline among the Meiteis. The term Hungshi is the Tangkhul adaptation of the Mangang title.
Crucially, the speakers asserted with historical and administrative backing that the Zimik title has never been part of Hungpung royal genealogy. “There has never been any king’s family or clan’s name as ‘Zimik’ in the history of Hungpung or even in the Meitei Puya (ancient records),” they stated.
To support this claim, they cited multiple recent events and resolutions. On March 16, 2025, A.S. Wungayung Peter, the present headman of Hungpung village, formally wrote to the Tangkhul Zimik Shang, urging them to remove his name from their official headman list and photo gallery. He explicitly clarified that he holds no affiliation or blood relation with the Zimik clan.
Subsequently, Ningkhan Zimik, General Secretary of Tangkhul Zimik Shang, issued a corrigendum through The Sangai Express on March 20, 2025, stating that the inclusion of Peter’s name was a misprint in the clan’s Platinum Jubilee Souvenir. He humbly apologized for the error and urged all Zimik clan members to correct the mistake.
Further cementing the royal council’s stand, the Hungpung Ahungshi Organisation (HAO), in its annual general assembly held on March 22, 2025, unanimously passed Resolution No. 3, which declared:
“Within HAO, there is no Zimik Shang.”
This resolution, along with corroborative documentary evidence and oral testimonies, was presented at the press meet as irrefutable proof.
The Hungpung Hungshi Shangva, while reiterating that they uphold inter-clan harmony and mutual respect among the Tangkhul community, also emphasized the importance of preserving the truth of ancestral heritage and royal lineage. They warned that misrepresentation or fabrication of historical facts not only distorts identity but risks causing long-term disunity among kindred clans.
The press meet concluded with a solemn appeal to all clans, institutions, and record-keeping bodies to respect and maintain the sanctity of the Hungshi Mangang Salai lineage, and refrain from linking the Hungpung royal house with any unrelated clan or title — particularly the Zimik Shang, which the Hungpung royal family has categorically disowned as part of its heritage.
This declaration is expected to reverberate across Tangkhul society and open conversations on historical accuracy, clan identity, and the need for preserving ancestral truths in a fast-changing world.