Decolonising Education through Thang‑Ta: Reconstructing Precolonial Pedagogy in Manipur

Abstract

The study of martial arts, viewed through the prism of pedagogy, offers significant insights into the moral, social, and intellectual foundations of a society. Pre-modern communities did not merely practise martial systems of combat; they embedded them in education, administration,
and identity. The martial traditions of Northeast India, especially Manipur, remain under-researched in South and Southeast Asian studies. This paper examines Thang-Ta, the native martial tradition of Manipur, as a coherent pedagogical system integrated into the traditional education of early Meitei society. Drawing on historical sources, the study argues that Thang-Ta constituted a holistic pedagogical formation combining physical discipline, moral formation, socio-political conditioning, and cultural continuity. It situates Thang-Ta within an epistemological paradigm that contests Eurocentric, text-centred theories of education by
privileging experiential, ritual-centred, and community-based learning. The paper concludes that Thang-Ta is not only a martial practice but a living pedagogical system central to identity formation, moral growth, and social integration in Manipuri society.