Who are Thadou people?

Aug. 5, 2024

A section of the Thadou tribes represented by the Manipur-based Thadou Students' Association (TSA) has formed a global platform to look into critical issues facing the community, particularly in Manipur.

About Thadou people:

  • The Thadou are an indigenous people who live in the hill country adjacent to the Imphal Valley in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur.
  • They are the second largest in terms of population in Manipur, next to Meitei,according to the Manipur Census 2011. 
  • They are also found in Assam, Nagaland, and Mizoram in India, and in Chin State and Sagaing Division in Burma/Myanmar.
  • The Thadou language belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family of the Sino-Tibetan languages.
  • Thadou subsistence activities include animal, cultivation, hunting and fishingJhum (slash-and-burn) agriculture is predominant. 
  • Thadou settlements are located in forests. Sites on the tops of ridges or just below ridges are preferred. 
  • Villages are not arranged according to an established urban plan, and there is no marking of the perimeter of a village. 
  • Almost all Thadou claim to be followers of Christianity.