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Thadou people, also called Thadou Kukis, are the
Thadou language Thadou, Kuki, or Thado Chin is a Sino-Tibetan language of the Northeastern sub-branch of Kuki-Chin. It is spoken by the Thadou people in Northeast India (specifically in Manipur and Assam). The speakers of this language use Meitei language ...
-speaking
Kuki people The Kuki people, or Kuki-Zo people,Rakhi BoseIn Tense Manipur, Sub-Categorisation And 'Creamy Layer' Could Open A Pandora's Box Outlook, 11 September 2024. uoting general secretary of the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU), Kangpokpi''At pr ...
inhabiting
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 ...
,
Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...
, and
Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
. "Thadou" is also the name of a particular clan among the Thadou Kukis. Other clans of Thadou Kukis include Haokip, Kipgen, Doungel, Hangshing, Mangvung etc.


Identity

The issues of identity with reference to "Thadou" are complex, since Thadou is the name of a clan (originating from an ancestor called Thadou), and also the name of a
language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...
spoken by other clans unrelated to Thadou and some clans "senior" to Thadou. There is a tendency to refer to all Thadou language-speakers as "Thadous", as if they form a tribe called "Thadou". But this is resented by some of the other clans. There is nothing to suggest that the entirety of Thadou language-speakers ever organised themselves as a tribe. The ''Gazeetteer of Manipur'' (1886) noted that the Kukis, in particular the Thadou Kukis, were organised in terms of clans rather than tribes. Prior to the arrival of the British, the Manipuris referred to the Thadou Kukis as "Khongjais". The British replaced this term with "Kukis", which was accepted by Thadou Kukis without reservation, even though the term applied equally to all
Kuki-Chin language The Kuki-Chin languages (also called Kukish or South-Central Tibeto-Burman languages) are a branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages, Sino-Tibetan language family spoken in northeastern India, western Myanmar and southeastern Bangladesh. Most not ...
-speaking people (now referred to as
Kuki-Zo people The Kuki people, or Kuki-Zo people,Rakhi BoseIn Tense Manipur, Sub-Categorisation And 'Creamy Layer' Could Open A Pandora's Box Outlook, 11 September 2024. uoting general secretary of the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU), Kangpokpi''At prese ...
). After the departure of the British, tribes such as the Paites and Zous as well as the "
Old Kukis The Kuki people, or Kuki-Zo people,Rakhi BoseIn Tense Manipur, Sub-Categorisation And 'Creamy Layer' Could Open A Pandora's Box Outlook, 11 September 2024. uoting general secretary of the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU), Kangpokpi''At prese ...
" disowned the "Kuki" label, calling it a "colonial imposition". As a result, Thadou Kukis remained the only people continuing the use of "Kuki", almost turning it into a tribe identity. This has been pointed out as a misappropriation of the term, since the "Kuki" label belongs to all the Kuki-Zo people, not only the Thadou Kukis. The
Kuki National Organisation The Kuki National Organisation (KNO) is a political organisation that currently serves as an umbrella organisation for about a dozen Kuki-Zo militant groups in Manipur, India. It was established in 1988, with the aim of representing the interest ...
leaders proposed "Khochungte" as an alternative label for the Thadou Kuki identity, which has however not come into common use. Many Thadou language-speakers simply refer to themselves as "Kukis". Some also refer to their language as "Kuki" instead of "Thadou". The correct terminology remains a matter of continuing debate.


Distribution

According to the 2011 census of India, there are 229,340 Thadou language-speakers in the country. The vast majority of them (97.6%) are in the state 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 ...
. Within Manipur, the Thadou Kukis make up the largest single tribal group, forming about 19% of all its Scheduled Tribes. There are also significant numbers of Thadou-speakers in
Meghalaya Meghalaya (; "the abode of clouds") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeast India. Its capital is Shillong. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the Assam: the United Khasi Hills an ...
and
Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...
. In addition, many Thadou language-speakers are also believed to list their language as "Kuki" in the census. The 2011 census lists 83,968 "Kuki" language-speakers, who are mostly distributed in the states of
Nagaland Nagaland () is a States and union territories of India, state in the northeast India, north-eastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south, and the Naga Sel ...
, Manipur and Assam.


Clans

The ''Gazetteer of Manipur'' (1886) listed the following clans of Kukis: * Thado hadou* Vungson * Changsen * Shingsol ingson* Mangvung * Khlangam * Chungloe hangloi* Changput * Haukib aokip* Simmte imte* Kamhau Of these, Simte is now recognised as a separate tribe, and Kamhau is recognised as a clan or sub-clan of
Tedim Chins The Tedim people, also called Tedim Chins and Tiddim (Hai-Dim) people, are a Zomi ethnic group, part of the Chin people, primarily inhabiting the Tedim Township in the Chin State of Myanmar. They speak the Tedim language The Tedim language ...
. The remaining clans are part of Thadou Kukis. William Shaw's ''Notes on Thadou Kukis'' (1929) lists these prominent clans: Shitlhous (Sitlhous) as being predominant in the northwest hills of Manipur (main base at Jampi), Dongngels (Doungels) predominant in the northeast hills, Haokips distributed on all sides of the Manipur hills but mostly on the northeast, Kipgens being mainly to the west of Imphal Valley, Shingsons (Singsons) being to the southwest of the Imphal Valley, and Chonglois, Hangshings and Phohils mixed in with other clans throughout the hills.


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * Lieut. R. Stewart in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (1857). entitled "A slight notice of the Grammar of Thadou or New Kookie language."


External links

* * * {{Authority control Kuki tribes Ethnic groups in India Ethnic groups in Myanmar Ethnic groups in Bangladesh Scheduled Tribes of Manipur Ethnic groups in Manipur Ethnic groups in Northeast India Scheduled Tribes of India