The origin of the Kom is unclear as they were nomadic people until they entered Manipur. They entered Manipur through Tripura. Their clan names came into existence only when they came out of a cave whose location is believed to be somewhere near the border with China.

The Kom are a community of people mainly found in Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram and Northeast India. They are scattered over all the districts of Manipur. They have very close cultural similarities with non-Naga tribes of Manipur, native tribes of Tripura and the Mizos (which can be broadly described as Chin-Kuki-Mizo).

They live mainly on hunting and terrain cultivation.

Their forefathers worshipped gods and godesses and followed practices of sorcery. But with the coming of Christianity nearly all of them had converted to Christianity.

The main need is to uplift and bring them into the mainstream of society and development.