Cheibi Gad-Ga
Manipuri fight with a leather-covered stick and a leather shield, which according to ANI replaced the older sword and shield fight. Whoever scores more points wins.
Quick Facts
IndiaCharacter & Origin
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
About Cheibi Gad-Ga
According to the agency ANI, cheibi is an old martial art of Manipur. It was once fought with a sword and shield, now replaced by a stick wrapped in soft leather and a leather shield. Opponents fight and the one who scores the most points wins. Wikipedia states that cheibi is also called cheibi gad-ga and that cheibi is the name of the stick. We have not found a founder or a year of origin, and Green does not mention cheibi in Martial Arts of the World. According to ANI, the founding of the All Manipur Cheibi Association in 1998 helped the popularity of cheibi. The association holds state championships, the ninth in 2008, and competitions for children and youth, from the youngest pupils to categories up to twelve and up to fourteen years, divided by weight. In Tripura, the Cheibi Association of Tripura was founded in January 2023. The stick fight with the cheibee stick and chungoi shield is also known to the Thang-Ta Federation of India, which holds it as its phunaba competition. However, at the first meeting of indigenous martial arts in 2020, the Manipur government held cheibi competitions separately alongside the thang-ta disciplines and decided the championship would be held every year.
History
According to the ANI agency in 2008, cheibi is an old Manipuri martial art. It was once practised with a sword and shield, today replaced by a stick wrapped in soft leather and a leather shield. Wikipedia describes cheibi, also called cheibi gad-ga, as a classical Meitei martial art from old Kangleipak, present-day Manipur, and states that cheibi is the name of the stick. The Manipuri portal E-Pao writes that the word arose from combining chei and mapi, but does not give their meaning. According to ANI, the founding of the All Manipur Cheibi Association in 1998 boosted the popularity of cheibi. Green does not mention cheibi or gad-ga in Martial Arts of the World, and we have not found a founder or year of origin.
How it differs
The Thang-Ta Federation of India also holds cheibee stick and chungoi shield bouts as the phunaba competition, and according to its president the stick replaces the sword. At the Khelo India games, per the federation president quoted by EastMojo, competitors use the cheibee stick, also called phunachei, instead of swords. The Manipur government, by contrast, ran cheibi competitions in 2020 separately alongside thang-ta disciplines. Wikipedia lists cheibi alongside mukna, huiyen lallong, sarit sarak and thang-ta.
Technique
According to ANI, today's bouts use a stick wrapped in soft leather and a leather shield, and the winner is whoever collects the most points. H. Premkumar Singh, president of the Thang-Ta Federation of India, describes the cheibee stick, also called phunachei, as a cane covered in soft leather, held in the right hand, with the leather shield chungoi in the left. The portal Traditional Sports states the stick is about two and a half feet long and the shield about three feet wide, and that the winner scores the most points with skilful hits.
Competition
According to ANI, the All Manipur Cheibi Association held the ninth state championship in Imphal in 2008 and planned the first national competition, and we have not found whether it took place. According to The Assam Tribune, in 2010 it held the first state tournament for juniors. The Sangai Express described in 2021 the ninth state championship Kangleipak Cheibi Yendamnaba for the youngest pupils in weight categories from 20 to 25 kilograms up to 55 kilograms, and in 2022 a competition for categories under twelve and under fourteen years. At the first Indigenous Martial Arts meet of the Manipur chief minister in 2020, twenty-four of the 159 medals, according to the Manipur government, went to cheibi events. The portal Traditional Sports states that bouts are fought on a circular area about 21 feet wide with two lines.
Today
Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh opened the first Indigenous Martial Arts meet of Thang-Ta and Cheibi in Imphal in January 2020, according to the Manipur government. Competitions were held in thang-ta disciplines and separately in cheibi, and the government decided to hold the championship yearly. The All Manipur Cheibi Association still holds competitions for children and youth in Imphal, and in January 2023 the Cheibi Association of Tripura was founded in West Tripura. We have not found cheibi in press releases of the PIB government service or in the Khelo India programme.
Did you know
Some cheibi competitions have yendamnaba in their name, and we have not found its meaning in the sources. According to the portal E-Pao, the tenth state championship in 2010 was a memorial to Mangsatabam Iboyaima and Arambam Punabati. In 2022 the association announced a Yaoshang holiday competition.
Frequently asked questions
What is used to fight in cheibi?
According to the agency ANI, a stick wrapped in soft leather and a leather shield. Earlier, according to it, a sword and shield were used.
How do you win in cheibi?
According to the agency ANI, the opponent who scores the most points wins. Competitions are held in age and weight categories.
Is cheibi the same as thang-ta?
Not entirely. The thang-ta federation holds the stick fight with the cheibee stick and chungoi shield as its phunaba competition, but in 2020 the Manipur government ran cheibi as a separate discipline alongside thang-ta.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.