The Arrival of Christianity
among the Kukis
When the fullness of the time came, the gospel of
Christ reached and pierced the hearts of the Kuki people. Indeed, the coming of
Christianity among the Kukis is now already one hundred year, and today the
Kuki churches are flourishing and have a Christian population of approximately
98 percent. The coming of Christianity brought a life of spiritual salvation
and also an end to the old ways of living.
The Northern Missionary, William Pettigrew
The missionary who is the father of the
Kuki churches of northern Manipur is William Pettigrew. He was an Englishman
born in Edinburg, Scotland on January 5, 1859 and was educated in Livingstone
College, London. He was at first a member of the Anglican Church working as a
Missionary under the Arlington Aborigines Mission. However, he joined the
American Baptist Church at Sibsagar in 1896 (Johan M. Solo and K. Mahangthei, “Forty Years in Manipur
Assam, An account of the work of Rev. and Mrs. William Pettigrew, pp. vii-viii, 1986).
When the British polity was set up in
the soil of Manipur, he was given an opportunity to enter and work among the
people. He landed at Imphal on the 6th February, 1894, which proved
later to be Red-letter day in the history of Manipur as far as the history of
Christianity is concerned, and he became the first missionary who ever landed
in Manipur (Champhang Jajo, Rev. William Pettigrew’s Mission
Reports and Letters 1891- 1932, p. 1). He started a school among the Manipuris, mainly the Hindus, and
could work only six months due to opposition (Frederick S Downs, The
Mighty Works of God, 1971,p 76 ).
The then Political Agent, Major Maxwell, advised
Pettigrew to leave Imphal and work among the Hill People, the Kukis and the
Nagas. This compelled him to move to the Tangkhul areas in Ukhrul district in
the northern Manipur. He started a school at Ukhrul and began his ministry
which he longed for a long time. He later worked with the Kukis.
The Beginning of Mission Work
among the Kukis in Northern Manipur
The establishment of Kuki church in the
northern area can be traced back to the first two converts of Kuki Baptists.
The first convert among the Kuki Baptists was Nehseh Chongloi, from Makui who
had accepted Christ with the help of Angami (Naga) Christians while in
Nagaland, followed by Ngulhao Thomsong who was also from Nagaland. Both came to
Manipur in 1910 to assist the mission work at Ukhrul centre. The next converts were the ones who
attended Pettigrew’s school at Ukhrul. They were, Teba Kilong, Longkhobel
Kilong, Seilut Singson, Jamkithang Sitlhou, Tongngul Gangte followed by
Helkhup, Pakho Sitlhou ( K.B.C. Thusim Bu,1958-1993, p3).
The mission expanded to the Kuki areas
and Tujangwaichong became the first Christian village among the Kuki Baptists
in 1914 largely through the work of Ngulhao Thomsong. The first baptisms were
conducted by U.M. Fox in December, 1914, while on his way from Imphal to Kohima for
furlough. Altogether 26 people were baptized at that time. Rev. U.M. Fox also
pronounced the establishment of the Church among the Kuki Baptists on the 12th
December 1914. The Church was formally organized by Pettigrew in 1916 to become
the third Baptist church in Manipur after Ukhrul and Keishamthong village
churches near Imphal and the first Baptist church among the Kukis followed by
Tongkoi and Chaljang in 1919, Karakhun, Songphel Khulen, Gelnel, Kachai Kuki
all in 1920, and Lhongchin in 1922 (Thongkhosei Haokip, Towards
overcoming Church division in Manipur: A perspective drawn from the Kuki
people’s experiences,www.kukiforum.com).
The Growth of Mission Work among
the Kukis in Northern Manipur
The growth of the mission is
characterized by the responses of the people. After the war (Kuki
Rebellion, 1917-1919), evangelization among the Kukis became effective. A
report of William Pettigrew in 1917 reveals that in the north, most at
Tujangwaichong, there were 86 members of the church which was established
through Ngulhao. In Lankhong village (50 miles due west of Imphal), Longkhobel,
the evangelist cared for his community in a small group and had at least 32
members. In Shenbang-yang, a village south-west of the capital about 30 miles,
there were 21 adult baptized members (Elungkiebe Zeliang, History of Christianity
in Manipur, 2005,p.55,56)The opening of Mission
Headquarters at Kangpokpi (Northern Manipur) in 1919 also saw a great growth
every year in the number of converts from the villages. In 1940-41 there were
at least 660 baptized members of the Kuki churches. The great growth of the
Kuki church actually began late in the 1940s and by 1945 there were 3,000
baptized believers (Prime Vaiphei, Church Growth among the Hill
Tribes in Manipur, 1981, p 56).
The Southern Missionary, Watkin
R. Roberts
Thirteen years after Pettigrew landed
in Manipur, Mr. Roberts left England and sailed to India on October 14, 1908.
He was physically born in Carneervon Village in Wales and spiritually born
again through the reading of RR Torrey’s sermon on September 21, 1889. He
joined Keswick convention in England in 1907. Through this convention he had a
mind to step out for India (Thangkholal Singson, Houbung Kalsoun, 2000,p
6) Along with Dr. Peter Fraser of the Welsh Mission he reached
Aizawl, the then British outpost towards the end of the same year. Dr Fraser,
who came as a Welsh missionary took charge of the Medical Clinic and Mr.
Roberts acted as a dispenser of medicine and a private helper of Dr. Fraser. It
was from Aizawl that Roberts heard about the area and explored the place for
evangelization (T.S Gangte,The Kukis of
Manipur, a Historical Analysis, 1993, p. 38).
Roberts was a young man of only 24
years when he first came to Manipur. On the other hand, for others he was just
a self-appointed, unpaid, unordained and untrained missionary who came to
north-east India (John H Pulamte,Christianity in Manipur South
West A Problem of Dating http://www.scribd.com) Through him the Kukis in the
south heard the gospel and he became the second missionary who entered in
Manipur. He was the founder of Thadou Kuki Pioneer Mission (TKPM).
The Beginning of Mission Work
among the Kukis in Southern Manipur
In the south, while Roberts was
assisting Dr. Fraser in the clinic and engaging in evangelistic works, some
young men with a slightly different outlook came to the clinic. They were Hmar
Kuki from Senvon in Tipaimukh, Manipur.. Robert’s heart was greatly touched and
gave them a copy of St. John’s gospel. One copy was sent through some students
to the chief of Senvon, Mr. Kamkholun.
Upon the request of Kamkholun which
Roberts took as a ‘Macedonian call,’ he (Roberts) set off for Manipur with his
two Vaiphei students, viz. Thangkai and Lungpao, as his porters. They
arrived at Senvon on 5th February, 1910. Right away he reached out; he preached
the Gospel to them and visited the neighboring villages preaching the good
news. Six of them, including the chief were converted to Christianity on that
day. Thus, the church was established at Senvon in 1910, which was the first
Kuki Christian village in Manipur followed by Leisen, Khopibung, Malte,
Bualtong and Chawngkhozo (Thongkhosei Haokip).
The Growth of Mission Work among
the Kukis in Southern Manipur
Since the formation of TKPM by Roberts,
the church in the south grew rapidly. The first conference of TKPM was held at
Senvon, on December 26, 1914, and it was attended by nearly a hundred people.
Another conference was held at Zekra-dawr, on the bank of the Tuilang River on
January 12, 1922. Altogether, four hundred delegates attended the conference.
It was also reported that in 1923, there were already two thousand eight
hundred forty Christians in southern Manipur (Paokhohao Haokip, Re-Discovery of Traditional
Institutions of the Kukis in Manipur with special Reference to Lawm and Sawm, 2006, p. 45).
The name TKPM was later changed to North East India
General Mission (NEIGM) for a wider mission field. The General Secretary, H.H
Coleman and the missionary Paul Rostad adopted more vigorous efforts towards
consolidation to improve the Bible school with better curriculum and discipline
and it paved the way for the growth of the church to a certain extent.
When Dr. Crozier joined NEIGM he contributed medical assistance to the people.
Thus the combination of education and medical work of the missionaries fostered
the growth of the church. According to the statistic of 1940, the Christian population
totaled to 30,000 consisting of 357 churches (Ibid, 46).
The Mission Work of the Kukis
within Manipur
Pu Ngulhao Thomsong was the backbone of
the establishment of the first Kuki Baptist Church at Tujangwaichong in 1914.
He also served as a voluntary evangelist among the Anal Kuki and converted 334
during his three years of service (Downs, 170). Pu Teba and Longkhobel
worked among their own tribe, the Kom Kuki. In 1923, they both witnessed the
gospel to their hometown, and within a short period, they had gathered 200
believers. (Elungkiebe Zeliang, p.126). Both of them were also sent to
the Anal Kuki group for evangelism, and within a short period of time they
brought some 800 souls to the Lord (Ibid, p. 127-9). According to Downs
(Mighty Work of God, 170) Pu Pakho Sitlhou gave most of his life to serving the
Rongmei Nagas. He mastered their language and had translated many hymns and
songs from Thadou Kuki into Rongmei. He also assisted in translating of the
scriptures.
In the south, the Kuki people worked
effectively under the Thadou Kuki Pioneer Mission till 1925. The evangelistic
work was done through a total number of 22 workers. These workers were known as
Teacher Evangelists with a payment of Rs 6 per month. In this way, the work was
done and progress was made especially to the Gangte Kuki, Hmar Kuki, Paite
Kuki, Thadou Kuki, Simte Kuki, Vaiphei Kuki, and Zou Kuki inhabited areas.
The Mission Work of the Kukis in
North East India
In the course of time, the mission
field was so vast that the name Thadou Kuki Pioneer Mission was thought too
small in scope. So it was changed into North East India General Mission (NEIGM)
in 1925 (EBC Secretariat, Evangelical
Baptist Convention Tangthu, 1998, p. 7). They started
working in different states in the northeast like, Tripura, Assam, etc. Pastor
N. Luaia was sent to Tripura, Pastor Laibat and Thanghrim to Darlong, Pastor
Khuma to Lakhipur (Evangelical Convention Church, Tangthupha gen
Mite Kalsuan, 1974, p.5-6).
The Mission Work of the Kuki to
Foreign Land
The Kuki people not only witnessed for
the Lord in India but also to foreign lands like Myanmar in their post
Christian dispensation, 1940s to 1980s. Tongkam Singsit was the first foreign
missionary among the Kukis and he was a missionary to Burma in response to the
request of the Haokip Kukis in the Joujang area in 1932 (Downs, p.
170-1).During his three years of service, he baptized some 60 persons. Letjavum
Sitlhou replaced him in 1935. The churches were later organized into two
associations-the Upper Chindwin Kuki Baptist Association with more than 3,500
members and the Kabo Valley Thadou Baptist Convention with more than 1,000
members, both of which are affiliated with the Burma Baptist Convention (Prime
Vaiphei, p.56,57).
Tamu Area, upper Chindwin Kabaw valley
of Burma, is also said to be one of the mission fields of NEIGM during
1925-1930. Seven tribes within some 38 villages with some 8,000 population
inhabited the area. NEIGM sent Aikil as an Evangelist to this place and he
baptized 13 people. After him Rev. Raltawn was sent, who worked some eight
years and returned back to Manipur due to some inconveniences which occurred in
the land (Thangkholal Singson, p. 17-18).
