science

Meitei traditional fishing

Meitei traditional fishing is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Meitei traditional fishing rather than just read about it. In short: Fishing (Meitei: nga phaba) is one of the Meitei intangible cultural heritage of Manipur and other Meitei populated areas of Assam, Tripura as well as of Bangladesh and Myanmar. Meitei people (also known as Manipuris) fish in lakes, rivers, swamps, and marshy areas.

Key takeaways

Meitei traditional fishing belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Meitei traditional fishing to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Meitei traditional fishing from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Fishing (Meitei: nga phaba) is one of the Meitei intangible cultural heritage of Manipur and other Meitei populated areas of Assam, Tripura as well as of Bangladesh and Myanmar. Meitei people (also known as Manipuris) fish in lakes, rivers, swamps, and marshy areas. Fishing is an important part of their daily life. They use many traditional fishing methods that develop over time.

History The Ancient Meitei language text Panthoipi Khongkul describes fishing activities in Manipur before the reign of Nongda Lairel Pakhangba (c. 33 CE). It mentions women catching fish using Nupee-Il and Long at a place called Turel Langmeipung. One day, Panthoibi, a girl from the Mangang clan, used Nupee-Il to fish. She also used a tool called Tunggol to store the fish she caught. Another old text, Moirang Shai-On Taret, talks about fishing in those times. It tells of a feast organized with permission from the King of Moirang. This feast followed a traditional game played between maidens led by Yaithing Konu, a noble’s daughter, and married women led by Nganbi. For the feast, women caught fish in Loktak Lake using their tools. Some women fished in shallow waters with Long, while others fished from boats using Nupee-Il. Operating Nupee-Il while standing on boats is a special skill of valley women in Manipur and is still practiced today. In early times, people also fished by building fishing weirs and using traps. Old texts mention that kings constructed royal fishing weirs and appointed fishery officers to manage fishing grounds. Nongban Kadem, from the Angom clan, served King Ura Konthouba (c. 568 CE) and built fishing weirs and traps. In ancient Manipur, different groups of people lived in various areas. Each group tried to control important fishing places, which often led to conflicts over fishing rights in rivers and streams.

Meitei Kings and Fishing In the past, Meitei kings collected fish as taxes from lakes and fishing areas they owned. Fish was an important food for Meitei people. The kings likely built fishing areas, canals, and cleaned swamps to catch more fish. Organizing fishing was important to keep the Kingdom’s economy strong.

Fishing during Luwang Chief Shapaiba's time During Luwang Chief Shapaiba's rule, Lamphel Shoy Weir was built to catch fish and trap animals. He also created two areas to farm Ngaroi fish (Crossocheilus burmanicus hora). Mkubi Shoy was made for fishing under the guidance of Luwang Salai Hanba. Nambul Shoy was given as a gift to Yumburembi of Kanglei when she married Thangyi Ningthouba of Luwang. Their oldest son, Pathang Ahanba, managed it.

Aka Shoy was fishing in the rainy season when many fish were caught. Akum Shoy was fishing in the dry season, catching special fish like Ngashep (Mysrus bleekeri). Later, the youngest son, Naoremton, managed Nambul Shoy because his mother wanted him to. The weir had many names like Lumpu Shoy, Hekap Shoy, Hesgotpan Ngashep Leikang-Ee, Akum Lairak-Ee, and Lanloi Chingareng Khamla Loukhnong Shoy.

Fishing and canals in the past At Kanglei Wakhei Kon near Heipok River, there was a weir (Shoy) owned by Theba Nahakpa. The Kanglei chief controlled this weir and allowed women from the Heirem-Khunjam clan to fish in the river. A person named Heirem Khunchem built a dike (Pn) across a canal leading to a lake called Konte Pat. He made a fishing weir using bamboo pieces (Kharai). Another weir made of metal was owned by a young man named Thingkonpa from Heirem. The chief of Heirem built the Heirem Nongyai Khong canal, also known as Ngakha Khong (Puntius puntio), mainly for fishing. This canal was specially designed so fish could grow well. It was not very deep—when cows, pigs, or dogs crossed it, their bodies barely touched the water. During Chief Puriklai's rule, a fishing weir was built at Ungamel, where the Khuga and Manipur Rivers meet. It was made to catch many fish. Chief Puriklai also created Moirang Nongkangkhong at Khoiritak to trap animals and built the Laphu Khumtam Shoy canal for fishing. Chief Yoirel Tompokpa created Khuyon Penba Shoy to catch Pengba Fish (Osteobrama belangeri) and also for water transport. Sanathoibi Shoy was located between the Khuman and Heirem Khuncham clan areas and owned by Kege Moirang Leima Angom Ningol Sanathoibi. Queen Meitei Leima Koubaron Taipongambi worked with her husband, King Khagemba, to make fishing easier. She built a fishing canal called Leima Taipombi Lemlei Ngayok Khong to catch fish like Penba and Ngawa whenever needed.

Fishing terms in Meitei language

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Meitei traditional fishing

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Meitei traditional fishing claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Meitei traditional fishing before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Meitei traditional fishing ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Meitei traditional fishing

In research: Meitei traditional fishing appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Meitei traditional fishing in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Meitei traditional fishing is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Culture of Assam, Culture of Bangladesh, Culture of Manipur, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Meitei traditional fishing outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Meitei traditional fishing in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Meitei traditional fishing means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Meitei traditional fishing out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Meitei traditional fishing in simple terms?

Why does Meitei traditional fishing matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Meitei traditional fishing?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Meitei traditional fishing.