Manipuri woman collects relics, artifacts for 20 years, with a vision to preserve cultural heritage

A Manipuri woman from the Ukhrul district has collected relics and artifacts of the Tangkhul community, which are over 100 years old, with the sole objective of safeguarding this heritage as a valuable asset.

Realizing the significance of historical objects in understanding and promoting the diversity of human history and the culture of a particular community, Vasai Zimik Ringkhanring has been collecting artifacts, including relics of the Second World War, for the past 20 years.

Vasai, affectionately known as Akhan from Sirarakhong in Ukhrul district, about 80 kilometers from Imphal, has passionately collected around 1000 relics of various items. Nevertheless, she continues her work of artifact collection to date with the vision of developing a living museum. However, her weak financial condition has become one of the challenging factors in realizing her dream.

“My father was our village chief, and my mother was a renowned weaver of the Tangkhul community. So my family possessed all the objects that Tangkhul families have been using since the pre-Christian era. I feel all those items are valuable assets as the coming generation would hardly know and see them,” Akhan, a Tangkhul by origin, stated regarding the purpose of her endeavor to collect relics.

Akhan said that her collection began with family heirlooms and traditional clothes made from local cotton yarns and dyed with natural colors extracted from native plants. However, her quest for artifact collection increased over time. As such, anything she finds interesting and of historical significance is collected.

“I have collected antique tools, jewelry, architectural remnants, wartime relics, bamboo baskets, spinning wheels, giant wooden mortars, wooden sleeping beds, doors, windows, jewelry, earthen pots, musical instruments, etc.,” she informed while stating that it would be appreciated if people donated any unused old objects to her.

Akhan, who is a cultivator by profession, usually gives a return of either monetary or equivalent items to the people from whom she gets artifacts. By doing so, she has been investing a good amount of money for the past 20 years. However, she hasn’t benefited from it except for preserving her age-old heritage.

To let people know of her endeavor, she sometimes showcases her collected items during district-level festivals. She was amazed and fascinated by the response of her local community during such festivals.

As her collection is growing to around 1000 items, she is finding it difficult to maintain them. She just keeps the items in available spaces in her house, which has led to the start of their decay.

Akhan, who has been sincerely dedicating her life to the preservation and promotion of the rich Tangkhul community heritage, expects some government support.

“I wish the government would extend some financial support for the construction of houses where all my collected items can be kept safely,” she expressed.