Loi is the word in the
Meitei language
Meitei (), also known as Manipuri (, ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of north-eastern India. It is spoken by around 1.8 million people, predominantly in the state of Manipur, but also by smaller communities in the rest of the country and in p ...
(Meiteilon) for the term "
scheduled caste". The term ''Loi'' is given to the indigenous and aboriginal people of
Manipur
Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of ...
in
northeast India
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who refused to adopt
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
or were semi-Hinduised when the newly converted Manipuri king ordered all his subjects to adopt the religion.
The
Chakpa language
Chakpa ( Meitei exonym: Loi) is an extinct Sino-Tibetan language that was spoken in the Imphal valley of Manipur, India. It belonged to the Luish branch of the Sino-Tibetan family. Chakpa speakers have been shifted to that of Meitei language. V ...
is also known as Loi. Although Chakpa people are usually considered to be Loi, not all Loi are Chakpa.
There are two kinds of Loi according to Parratt (1998):
[Parratt, John ed. (1998). ''Notes on Meithei (Manipuri) beliefs and customs''. Manipur: Iboyaima Printers.]
* tributary tribes conquered by the Meitheis
* outcasted people from Meithei society who were banished to Loi villages
References
Meitei people
{{India-ethno-stub