A number of organisations of both the communities emerge within and without Manipur since the outbreak of violent conflict between the Kuki-Zomi militants and Meiteis on May 3, 2023 in Churachandpur and its adjoining areas of Bishnupur district. One such organisation is the emergence of Thadou Community International on August 3, 2024.
According to a media release on August 4, 2024 signed by Kapchungnung Tado and Chongboi Haokip, “Thadou Community International” was formed on August 3, 2023.
“Under the aegis of the Thadou Students’ Association (TSA-GHQ), a meeting was held between TSA-GHQ and a host of other Thadou champions from nine different countries around the world, including the USA, United Kingdom, Norway, Australia, India, Myanmar, Singapore, Macau, and Malaysia on August 3, 2024. During the over 8 hour-long marathon meeting, “Thadou Community International” (TCI) was formed, with Kapchungnung Tado and Chongboi Haokip unanimously elected as Convenors and 30 other participants of the meeting as executive members for a tenure of one year,” the release said.
Further the release said, “Several critical issues and the future of Thadou people were discussed as the Thadou champions share the same vision for Thadou resurgence and share concerns regarding the situation of Thadou people around the world, particularly in India’s Manipur, where Thadous are facing widespread persecution, brutality and violation of their civil and human rights from different quarters. TCI will endeavour to represent the voice of the suppressed and silenced Thadous.”
According to the release, the main objectives of the Thadou Community International are: 1. To safeguard and promote the civil and human rights of Thadou tribe, its distinct identity, heritage, history, culture and the overall Thadou interests; and to carry out awareness programmes accordingly. 2. To address serious concerns over widespread violation of civil and human rights of Thadou people by anti-Thadou elements, particularly Kuki supremacists; and to raise the issue with relevant authorities and organisations, including state actors and non-state actors. 3. To support Thadou organisations and leaders of Thadou organisations who bravely stand up and work tirelessly and selflessly for protection of Thadou people and Thadou interests. 4. To promote and strengthen Thadou communities across the globe and foster positive relationships with other kindred communities within the Chin/Zo people and beyond. 5. To promote upliftment of socio-economic, educational and the over-all development of Thadou people.
In the following development, the Thadou Community International in an open letter on August 8, 2024 has urged Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren and the people of Manipur including individuals, elected members, organisations, the media and the government to stop calling the Thadous by any other name (Kuki) but to refer to them only as Thadou.
“Similarly, other Zo/Mizo tribes should be called by their proper names individually, and Zo/Mizo collectively,” the TCI urged.
The Thadou Community International (TCI), in the earlier release on August 4, also said the Kuki community was created fraudulently and listed as a Scheduled Tribe of Manipur in 2003.
“Thadou is not Kuki but a distinct tribe. The fake Kuki tribe was fraudulently created and listed as a separate tribe in the list of scheduled tribes of Manipur in 2003 with a population of 28,342 as per the 2011 Manipur census under the name ‘Any Kuki Tribes’ for their own personal wealth creation and political control. We support the proposition that this AKT needs to be deleted before it is too late to secure the collective interests of all the Indigenous/native people of Manipur, including the original 29 scheduled tribes under the 1956 Orders,” the TCI said.
The TCI underlined that Manipur is a multiethnic society and home to various communities such as Meiteis, Pangals (Manipuri Muslims), and the original 29 linguistic and cultural tribes of Manipur.
The 29 tribes listed in the Scheduled Tribes Lists Modification Order, 1956 are Aimol, Anal, Angami, Chiru, Chothe, Gangte, Hmar, Kabui (Rongmei), Kacha Naga, Khoirao, Koireng, Kom, Lamgang, Any Mizo (Lushai), Maram, Maring, Mao, Monsang, Moyon, Paite, Purum, Ralte, Sema, Simte, Suhte, Tangkhul, Thadou, Vaiphei, and Zou.
Notably, the TCI also acknowledged that the commitment of Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren to Manipur’s multi-ethnic society is evident through the inclusion of these tribes as “indigenous people” under the ILP Rules, 2022 and the construction of tribal museums for each tribe and ethnic huts for each tribe at the Sangai Ethnic Park, Moirang in Bishnupur district.
Asserting the distinctness of Thadous, the TCI release on August 4 said, “Kuki is a colonial terminology, first used loosely by the British colonisers from what is believed to be a Bengali reference to the migratory ‘Cuckoo’/’Cucci’ bird or ‘Coolie’ (generally meaning slave/labourer/porter), originally to refer to some unspecified groups of primitive people, not necessarily of the same people, in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh.”
The Thadous are the largest among the recognised Scheduled Tribes of Manipur but are mistakenly identified as Kuki and the two communities are often perceived to be the same.
Significantly, the assertion of their non-Kuki identity appears to be in the line that of the six smaller tribes almost a year ago amidst violent conflict between the Kuki-Zomi militants and the Meiteis. The six minor/intermediary tribes that sought not to be clubbed as either Kuki or Naga are Aimol, Chiru, Chothe, Kharam, Koireng, and Kom.
“We begin by honouring the memory of all those who have fallen victim to the tragic violence in Manipur and extend our deepest empathy to the survivors and their families. Our fervent hope is for a future defined by peace, justice, non-violent resolutions, and respect for human rights,” the TCI said in the open letter to Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren and the people of Manipur.
The TCI further said, “Manipur is experiencing one of the darkest periods in its history due to the devastating violence that broke out on May 3, 2023, causing untold suffering, especially to the Thadous. While the situation has improved in recent months, much work remains for resettlement, healing, and ensuring long-lasting peace.”
“The Thadous have a rich heritage and history, always known as Thadou, with no prefix or suffix. Thadous are recorded as Thadou in all censuses of Manipur since 1881, with a population of 215,913 in the 2011 census, and they have always been the single-largest tribe in Manipur,” the TCI said.
“We are deeply passionate about our identity and name, which holds profound meaning for our past, present, and future. We insist on being called correctly as Thadou, not by any other name, which undermines our unique identity and indigeneity,” it said.
“We would like to state that the Thadou tribe is distinct and any confusion with other tribes surmounts to being racist, abusive, disrespectful, traumatising and it puts the Thadou tribe in poor light. It may be mentioned here that we are part and parcel of the larger family group called the Zo or Mizo conglomerate. Any name calling beside Zo or Mizo will not be tolerated and it will be perceived as a wilful and intentional insult to demean the Thadou tribe,” the TCI open letter said.
“At some point other people may have called Thadous with different names, such as Khongjai (not the same as Khongsai) by the Meiteis or Kuki by the media or some other people, however that does not change the fact that we are Thadou and we should be called Thadou respectfully,” the TCI release on August 4 asserted.
Senior Editor: Imphal Review of Arts and Politics
