The Meitei folktales (Meitei: Meitei Phunga Wari), also sometimes referred to as the Manipuri folktales, are the large collections of folk stories developed from the Meitei culture since Ancient Kangleipak (early Manipur). Folktales are called "funga wari" ("phunga wari"), literally meaning "stories of kitchen furnace or stove" in Meitei language (officially called Manipuri language).[1][2] In early times, in the Meitei households, children must have gathered around the kitchen fire, listening to the stories narrated by the elders.[1] Generally, Meitei folktales were developed from the creativity of the old folks, especially the grandparents, who narrated the children the diverse sagas of varying genres.[1][3][4]
List of Tales
The Rain of Kabok (Meitei: ꯀꯕꯣꯛꯀꯤ ꯅꯣꯡ, romanized: Kabok ki Nong)[5]
The Female Mosquito's Plight (Meitei: ꯀꯥꯡ ꯑꯃꯣꯝꯒꯤ ꯇꯦꯡꯊꯥ, romanized: Kang Amomgi Tentha)[6]
The Clever Frog Defeats the Tiger and the Elephant (Meitei: ꯀꯩ ꯑꯃꯗꯤ ꯁꯃꯨꯕꯨ ꯍꯉꯣꯢꯅ ꯃꯥꯢꯊꯤꯕ ꯄꯤꯕ, romanized: Kei amadi Shamu bu Hangoi na Maithiba Piba)[7]
Water that Turns Everyone into Tigers (Meitei: ꯀꯩ ꯑꯣꯟꯕ ꯀꯣꯝꯒꯤ ꯏꯁꯤꯡ, romanized: Kei Onba Kom Gi Eshing)[8]
^Sharma, H. Surmangol (2006). "Learners' Manipuri-English dictionary". dsal.uchicago.edu (in Manipuri and English). University of Chicago. p. 125. Retrieved 2023-03-11. 1) ꯐꯨꯡꯒꯥ ꯋꯥꯔꯤ phunggā wāri (p. 125) phunggā wāri ꯐꯨꯡꯒꯥ ꯋꯥꯔꯤ /pʰuŋ.ga wa.ri/ n. folk tale. Morph: phunggā wā‑ri [a fire place in the kitchen ...; word‑a length of sth].
^Rajkumari, Yaisna (12 April 2021). "Manipuri Folktales". Indian Literature. 59 (1 (285)): 53–59. JSTOR44479262.
Sharma, B. Jayantakumar; Rajketan, Chirm (2014) [2011]. Folktales of Manipur. Translated by Kamaljit Chirom. Cultural Research Centre Manipur.
Further reading
Devi, Chungkham Supriya (2021). "Folk Tales and Ethnic Heritage: A Study among the Meitei Community of Manipur". In Sanjenbam Yaiphaba Meitei; Sarit K. Chaudhuri; M. C. Arunkumar (eds.). The Cultural Heritage of Manipur. Routledge. pp. 347–364. ISBN9780367677572.