Zeliangrong people are one of the major indigenous Naga communities living in the tri-junction of Assam, Manipur and Nagaland in India. The term "Zeliangrong" refers to the Zeme, Liangmai and Rongmei Naga tribes combined together.[1] Earlier, the term also covered the Inpui tribe.[2] The proper noun Zeliangrong does not denote a tribe but, rather, a union of tribes or, rather, the apex tribe of three aforementioned tribes (Zeme Naga, Liangmai Naga, Rongmei Naga). The descendants of Hoi of Makuilongdi (Makhel) were divided and were made peripheral appendages to three political entities - Manipur, Naga Hills (Nagaland) and the North Cachar District of Assam. The Zeliangrongs number around four hundred and fifty thousand according to the 2011 census, though their population may actually number around five hundred thousand in the three states of Assam, Manipur and Nagaland. The Zeliangrong may be classified as an ethno-cultural entity. The Zeliangrong belong to the larger Southern Mongoloid population and their language belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family of languages.[3]
The Zeliangrong have been living in the present location of their land since time immemorial, in a compact and contiguous geographical setting of approximately 12,000 km2 lying between 93 degrees E and 94 degree E longitude and 94.40 degrees and 24 degrees N latitude in N. C Hills of Assam; Peren district of Nagaland; Tamenglong district, Sardar hills of Senapati district, northern part Henglep subdivision of Churachanpur district, Jiribam subdivision of Imphal district, Imphal valley and Silchar Town along with various villages such as Binnakandi, Lakhipur, and its adjoining slopes in Manipur.