Meitei confederacy

Meitei confederacy, or Meitei confederation, is the union of the seven Meitei clans.
The seven clans of the Meitei confederacy are

Mangang or Ningthouja
Luwang
Khuman
Angom
Moilang or Moirang
Kha Nganpa
Chenglei, Sarang Leishangthem, or Salai Leishangthem

Prior to unification and formation of the "Meitei confederacy," these groups were independent kingdoms ruled by their own kings. The Mangang, defeated the other clans and the Ningthouja king became the supreme ruler. Initially, the name Meitei referred only to the Ningthouja, but by the 15th century, it had come to refer to all seven clans. Over time, the seven groups united to form one nation but remained separate social entities. Today, clans still play an important role in the social structure of Meitei civilisation, especially in determining marriage patterns, as Meitei people do not marry within the same clan.

Historical territories

Number of families

Romanisation	Number of families/surnames	Number of families/surnames	Number of families/surnames	Number of families/surnames	Number of families/surnames
Ningthouja	256	234	115	254	125
Luwang	105	93	56	106	58
Khuman	176	199	103	204	67
Angom	96	109	50	103	62
Moilang	100	110	66	99	67
Kha Nganpa	42	37	17	43	21
Chenglei	62	45	41	65	35

Traditional ancestors

Swords

Romanisation	Illustrations of the swords	Names of the swords	Romanisation	Maximum breadth	Maximum length	Note
Mangang			Chak Thaang	6.2	59.6
Luwang			Tondumba	5.7	58.7
Khuman			Tonkakpa	6.6	57.2
Angom			Pukak Thaang	6.3	50.1
Moilang			Yenbaa Matok Saaba/Matok Paanba	7.2	54.2
Kha Nganpa			Laithaang Chinaaiba	5.9	58.6
Chenglei			Khunthong Thaang/Khunthok Laaithaang	5.9	59.1

Classical elements

Totems

Sacred colors

Sacred colours	Associated Meitei clans	Romanisation	Note
Red		Ningthouja
Light blue/White		Luwang
Black		Khuman
White/Yellow		Angom
Yellow/Dark Red		Moirang
Green /Sweet potato colour		Kha Nganpa
Green/Sky colour		Sarang Leishangthem