Loi is the word in the
Meitei language
Meitei (; ) also known as Manipuri ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of northeast India. It is the official language and the lingua franca of Manipur and an additional official language in four districts of Assam. It is one of the scheduled ...
(Meiteilon) for the term "
scheduled caste". The term ''Loi'' is given to the indigenous and aboriginal people of
Manipur
Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...
in
northeast India
Northeast India, officially the North Eastern Region (NER), is the easternmost region of India representing both a geographic and political Administrative divisions of India, administrative division of the country. It comprises eight States and ...
who refused to adopt Hinduism or were semi-Hinduised when the newly converted Manipuri king ordered all his subjects to adopt the religion.
The Chakpa language 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
* outcast people from Meithei society who were banished to Loi villages
References
Meitei language
Indian words and phrases
Scheduled Castes
{{India-ethno-stub