Manipur’s non-Naga Thadou community lends support to NRC

Manipur’s non-Naga Thadou community lends support to NRC

Sub : Geo

Sec: Human Geo

Context:

• Thadou community of Manipur has expressed support for the National Register of Citizens (NRC) initiative. The declaration was made during a convention held in Guwahati.
• During the convention, they also adopted a resolution to back the Manipur government’s war on drugs.

About Thadou community:

• The Thadou community is an indigenous ethnic group primarily found in the northeastern state of Manipur, as well as in parts of Nagaland, Assam, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
• The Thadous, also called Thadou Kukis, are one of the oldest and largest non-Naga tribes in Manipur.
• They belong to the broader Kuki-Zo ethnic group, but have a distinct cultural and historical identity.
• The Thadous speak the Thadou language, which is a member of the Kuki-Chin-Mizo group within the Tibeto-Burman language family.
• Christianity is the dominant religion among Thadous.
• Since May 2023, the Thadous have been caught in the ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities.

Tribes of Manipur

1) Aimol: Aimol is listed under the Kuki tribes found living both in Assam and Manipur. They speak Aimol language, classified under Kuki-Chin-Mizo language. They are based in parts of Chandel district, Senapati district and around Loktak Lake in Bishnupur district. They practice slash and burn agriculture and are primarily Christians.

2) Anal: The Anal tribe is one of the oldest dwellers in the Southern hills of Tengnoupal district. They were recognized as a tribe in 1951. Earlier they were recognized as one of the oldest Kuki tribes but nowadays they identify themselves as a Naga tribe.

3) Chiru: Chirus are one of the earliest inhabitants of Manipur and Assam. It was recognized as a Scheduled Tribe in 1956. They are found in four districts of the state, in Tamenglong, Kangpokpi, Churachandpur and Thoubal district. They speak Chiru dialect, one of Kuki-Chin-Naga languages.

4) Chothe: They are settled in Chandel and Bishnupur districts and speak a Kuki-Chin dialect. Their main occupations are cultivation, livestock rearing, blacksmith and weaving. They are divided into seven clans.

5) Gangte: They are one of the major Kuki-Chin tribes dwelling in Churachandpur, Tamenglong and Senapati districts; Christianity being their apex religion. They have quite a strong population with around 40,000 worldwide, as of 2018. The Gangtes are also one of the educated and a developed lot with 99% literacy rate.

6) Hmar: They belong to Kuki-Chin-Mizo group concentrated mainly in Churachandpur district. Agriculture and weaving are their main occupations. They adopted Christianity from 1910. Hmar have their village administration consisting of Lal (Chief), Khawnbawlupa (chief minister), Khonbols (ministers).

7) Kharam: They are settled in 7 villages in Senapati district, of which KharamPallen village is their main biggest settlement. They were recognized as a scheduled tribe in 2003. Most of them follow Christianity.

8) Khoibu: Khoibu is one of the Naga tribes of Manipur. They speak Khoibu dialect and call themselves ‘Uipo’. KhoibuKhullen is the oldest and the first Khoibu settlement village in Chandel district. They are recognized as a Scheduled Tribe of Manipur in 1949.

9) Koirao: Also called themselves ‘Thangals’, are settled mostly in Senapati district. They are close-knit and live in hill villages mostly located along the National Highway No. 2. Thangals generally dress in bright and colorful attires.

10) Kom: Koms are settled in Churachandpur, Tengnoupal and Senapati districts. They speak language similar to that of Koireng, Aimol and Chiru and closely related to the Hmar. Christianity is its main religion. Some major festivals of Koms are Seling, Hlungphun, Belam and Lamkut.

11) Inpui: Inpui is one of the Naga tribes of Manipur. They initially settled in Haochong sub-division of Tamenglong, and Senapati districts. They speak the Inpui also known as the Puiron language. Many of the Inpuis have also settled in Imphal valley. They are the lovers of festivals and they observe several festivals throughout the year. Some of their major festivals include Karing-Ngei, Tataaknu, Nabitnu, Ba-Ngeipui, Muiliangnu, etc. The festivals are celebrated to showcase the culture, tradition and strength of the Inpuis.

12) Lamkang: The Lamkang tribe is one of the Naga tribes that mostly settled in Manipur and Myanmar. They share close cultural and language similarity with the Anal tribe. They speak the Lamkang dialect which originally belongs to the Tibeto-Burman group of language.

13) Liangmai: They settle in Tamenglong, Kangpokpi and Senapati districts of Manipur. The Liangmais in Manipur follow Christianity while there are some non- Christians in Nagaland. They speak the Liangmai language, a Tibeto-Burman language. Chaga- Ngee is the biggest festival of the Liangmai community which is celebrated in the month of October. This festival showcases their rich culture and tradition.

14) Mao: The Mao tribe is one of the major tribes constituting the Nagas. They mainly settled in Senapati district of Manipur. Agriculture is their main occupation while many have started to adopt other business activities. Christianity is their main religion. Chiithuni and Saleni are their major festivals.

15) Maram: The Maram tribe is one of the tribes that form the Naga tribes of Manipur. They mainly settled in Senapati and Kangpokpi districts of Manipur and speak the Maram language. Agriculture is the main occupation of the people- both men and women. The most important festival for the Marams is the Ponghi festival. This is a pre-harvest festival which is celebrated for 7 days in the month of July. The Kanghi festival is another major festival celebrated in the month of December.

16) Maring: The Marings are settled mostly in Chandel District of Manipur. Some of them also settle in places like Senapati, Ukhrul, Churachandpur, Tamenglong and Thoubal. There are also few Maring villages in Andro and Waithou. They speak the Maring language. Agriculture is the main occupation of the people. They follow Christianity however there are one or two non- Christian practitioner in every village. The Hnungkaap is their biggest festival which is celebrated after every five years in the month of May.

17) Mate: The Mate tribe belongs to the Kuki tribes of Manipur. They speak the “Mate Pao” language which is similar to the language of the Thadou tribe. Earlier, they settled in the hills of Myanmar but now with the growth of their population they have started to settle in various parts of Manipur.

18) Monsang: The Monsang tribe mostly settled in Chandel district of Manipur. They have their own distinct culture and tradition. They speak the Monsang language which is a Sino-Tibetan language of Northeast India.

19) Moyon: They mainly settled in Chandel district of Manipur. They are involved in consuming rice beer, which they make locally and in a traditional way with the help of fermented rice. They have unique designs of traditional dress which is related to their history and culture. Women are involved in designing and weaving the attire by themselves. The Moyon tribe preserves their tradition and culture by passing from generation to generation through folk tales and folk dances. Moyons also have their own music and musical instruments which are used in festivals and different dances.

20) Paite: The Paites are dominant in Churachandpur district of Manipur. Jhum cultivation is the main occupation of the people in the villages. The tradition of folksongs and folktales and culture of the people have been passed through generations. They speak the Paite language and follow Christianity.

21) Poumai: The Poumais mostly settled in Senapati district of Manipur. They speak their own language called the Poula and are generally Christians. Thounii is one of their major festival. This festival is translated as “New year festival or the festival of dawn”. On festivals and occasions, men wear Roh-lai (a type of crown), Vee-hoxzu (a colourful bird’s feather), Phao-hah, paongi (bangles), etc. Women wear Lakiteisha (a black shawl with red and green stripes), Poupumu (a white-skirt with black and green stripes), bangles and necklaces.

National Register of Citizens (NRC):

• The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a register that contains the names of all legal Indian citizens.
• The only time a nation-wide NRC was created was in 1951 after the Census of 1951.
• At present, only Assam has such a National Register of Citizens, mandated and monitored by the Supreme Court in 2014.