Any Kuki Tribes

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Any Kuki Tribes
Kuki Manipur.jpg
A Kuki woman
Total population
151,503 [1]
Regions with significant populations
India Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura
Languages
Thadou and other Kuki-Chin languages
Religion
Predominantly Protestantism (Baptist) and Catholicism; very small minority Judaism (Bnei Menashe)
Related ethnic groups
Zo people  · Chin  · Mara  · Bnei Menashe, Ranglong  · Mizo

Any Kuki Tribes is a category of Scheduled Tribes (ST) in India, recognised in several Northeastern states: Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura. In all states except Manipur, the category encompasses all Kuki people (also called Kuki-Zo people).

Contents

In Manipur, Kuki and Naga people have been recognised under individual tribe names since 1956. So 'Any Kuki Tribes' and 'Any Naga Tribes' were removed from the list of Scheduled Tribes in that year. In 2003, 'Any Kuki Tribes' was added again, in order to cover people that do not fall under the listed tribes. In particular, Thadou language-speaking Kukis who do not regard themselves as "Thadous" have been using the 'Any Kuki Tribes' category.

History

In the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, the Government of India, listed the categories "Any Kuki Tribes", "Any Mizo (Lushai) Tribes", and "Any Naga Tribes", among others, as Scheduled Tribes (ST) in the state of Assam. [2] These categories covered Kuki people, Mizo people and Naga people respectively. The very same categories were also listed for what were then 'Part C' states (Chief Commissioner's Provinces) of Manipur and Tripura (with some simplifications in the latter). [3] These original categories continue in Assam, and they have also been inherited by the new states formed out of Assam, such as Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland. [4] In Manipur, however, special circumstances arose.

Manipur

When the Backward Classes Commission reviewed the social classes in Manipur in 1953, there were concerted attempts by the Kuki groups to list language or dialect-based identities as separate tribal categories. Their demands were accepted by the commission, and in the 1956 modification order, the 'Any Kuki Tribes' and 'Any Naga Tribes' categories were replaced by 28 tribes in Manipur (making a total of 29 along with 'Any Mizo Tribes'). [5]

A problem arose in Manipur's classification with regard to 'Thadou', which was listed as one of the 29 "tribes". According to scholars, Thadou is really a clan rather than a tribe. [6] [7] Clans are named after their founders, and the tribal custom dictates that the founder of a clan cannot usurp the legacy of his ancestors or elders. So, the Thadou identity is rejected by clans senior to Thadou (including Lenthang, Lunkim, Changsan, Thangeo, Doungel and others). The 1956 order compelled them to identify as "Thadous" in order to obtain a Scheduled Tribe certificate, which they found objectionable. [8] [9] [10]

After several representations, in 2003, 'Any Kuki Tribes' was reinserted into the ST list of Manipur in order to enable such Thadou language-speaking clans from availing the ST status without having to identify as "Thadou". [a] Scholar H. Kham Khan Suan opined that it would have been far better to merge 'Thadou' and 'Kuki' under one common label, 'Thadou-Kuki'. [4] Even though people from any tribe under the traditional Kuki umbrella could theoretically identify as 'Any Kuki Tribes', in practice, it is only the Thadou-speaking Kukis that did so. According to the Kuki Tribes Council, [b] clans such as Doungel, Khongsai, Haokip, Touthang, Baite, Chonghang, Hangmi and Lhungdim adopted the 'Any Kuki Tribes' identity. [13] [14] [c] In the 2011 census, roughly 28,000 people identified under 'Any Kuki Tribes' compared to 216,000 people that identified as 'Thadou'. [1]

Distribution

People of 'Any Kuki Tribes' are present in all the states of Northeast India except Arunachal Pradesh. As per 2011 census, their distribution is as follows: [1]

StatePopulation
Assam33,399
Meghalaya14,275
Nagaland18,768
Mizoram45,774
Tripura10,965
Manipur28,342

In the case of Manipur, this number is in addition to other Kuki tribes that are individually categorised as ST. All the Kuki tribes together, also called "Kuki-Zo tribes", total 419,855 people in Manipur. [16]

Disputes

The recognition of 'Any Kuki Tribes' as a Scheduled Tribe category in Manipur caused increased competition between the 'Thadou' and 'Kuki' identities. Both the groups have apex organisations called "Thadou Inpi" [d] and "Kuki Inpi" respectively, as well as separate student bodies, called "Thadou Students Association" and "Kuki Students' Organisation". In 2015, Thadou Inpi alleged that the Kuki Inpi was propagating a "unitary concept" of 'Any Kuki Tribes', which it labelled as detrimental to the unity of the Kuki community. [17] It criticised the addition of 'Any Kuki Tribes' to the ST list. [18] Subsequently in 2021, it called for its deletion from the ST list, on the grounds that Kuki is not a "tribe" but rather a generic term for a number of tribes. It also claimed that the addition of 'Any Kuki Tribes' in the ST list violates Article 342 of the Constitution (as interpreted by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes), which allegedly requires "distinct culture, dialect and economic pursuit" for tribe recognition. [19] By 2023, it appeared to moderate its stance, labelling Kuki Inpi Manipur as the apex body responsible for 'Any Kuki Tribes'. [20] However, a rival organisation called "Thadou Inpi Manipur" was created in November 2024, [e] which took to campaigning against 'Any Kuki Tribes' much more vociferously. [24] [25]

Meanwhile, the Manipur state cabinet under the leadership of chief minister N. Biren Singh, is said to have taken a decision in October 2018 to recommend the deletion of 'Any Kuki Tribes' from the ST list of Manipur. This only came to light three years later, with the Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO) objecting to the move. [26] KSO also conducted a bandh (shutdown) on 26–27 March 2021 to protest this decision. [27] There is no information about any action taken on the 2018 decision, but the next cabinet of Biren Singh made the same decision again in 2023 and wrote to the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry asking for deletion of 'Any Kuki Tribes'. [f] The Tribal Affairs Ministry responded with some queries and a request for a full proposal along with an ethnographic study. [28] The 2023 Manipur violence erupted a few months later, pitting the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities against each other. In the course of the violence, the Biren Singh government as well as the Meitei community at large accused the Kuki-Zo people of harbouring "illegal immigrants" from Myanmar, among other allegations. [29] The issue of 'Any Kuki Tribes' was also mixed into these allegations. [30] [31]

In July 2024, the state government responded to the queries from the Tribal Affairs Ministry: [28]

The state government also stated that it saw no need for an ethnographic study since it was not adding a new community to the ST list. only asking for "removing redundant nomenclature". Once again it asked for an exemption from ethnographic study. [28] The government explained its reasons for asking for the deletion with the claim that 'Any Kuki Tribes' in the ST list had enabled "illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries" to enlist under this category. It saw this as an issue of "national security". [28]

The Union Tribal Affairs University appears to have kept the matter "on hold" due to the "sensitive nature of the prevailing situation" in the state, referring to the ongoing ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities. [28]

Notes

  1. ↑ There are also objections to the language being named 'Thadou' citing the reason that it was already being spoken prior to the advent of the founder. [11]
  2. ↑ Later known as 'Any Kuki Tribes Council'. [12]
  3. ↑ Not all Haokips are expected to have adopted 'Any Kuki Tribes' identity. According to Seilen Haokip, roughly half the Haokips regard themselves as 'Thadou' and the other half do not. [15]
  4. ↑ Later called "Thadou Inpi GHQ (General Headquarters)".
  5. ↑ Thadou Inpi Manipur was formed in November 2024 in the midst of the Manipur conflict, defying the Thadou Inpi GHQ. [21] Despite its name, most of its constituent units are from outside Manipur. [22] It is championed by Michael J. Lamthang, a former leader of the Thadou Students Association and present spokenperson of Manipur's ruling party unit. Its ideology is reflected by the slogan, "Thadou is not Kuki, or underneath Kuki, or part of Kuki". [23]
  6. ↑ In addition to the deletion of 'Any Kuki Tribes', the state government also requested the replacement of 'Any Mizo Tribes' with 'Mizo' (which was labelled a "correction").
  7. ↑ This appears to take no cognisance of the difficulties with the 'Thadou' identity described by scholars.
  8. ↑ This may not be strictly true, because five more tribes were added since 1956, taking the current list of Scheduled Tribes to 34; in addition to 'Any Kuki Tribes', they include Poumai, Tarao, Kharam and Mate. [32]

References

  1. 1 2 3 A-11: State primary census abstract (PCA) for individual scheduled tribes, Census of India, 2011. (Tables for Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura) In Nagaland, the listing is for "Kuki", and in other states, it is for "Any Kuki Tribes".
  2. ↑ THE CONSTITUTION (SCHEDULED TRIBES) ORDER, 1950, anagrasarkalyan.gov.in, Government of India, 2017, p. 172.
  3. ↑ THE CONSTITUTION (SCHEDULED TRIBES) (PART C STATES) ORDER, 1951, The Gazette of India, 20 September 1951
  4. 1 2 Suan, Rethinking 'tribe' identities (2011), p. 164.
  5. ↑ Suan, Rethinking 'tribe' identities (2011), p. 163.
  6. ↑ Seilen Haokip, Identity, Conflict and Nationalism (2001), p. 204: "Thadou is one of the Kuki clans recognised as a tribe under the tribe modification order of 1956.".
  7. ↑ Touthang, Ethnicity and identity crisis (2022), p. 141: "However, the term Thadou as the name of a tribe is problematic since Thadou is believed to be a person whose name later on becomes the name of a clan, and hence many other Thadou-Kuki clans do not trace their genealogy to it.".
  8. ↑ Seilen Haokip, Identity, Conflict and Nationalism (2001), p. 204.
  9. ↑ Seilen Haokip, What Price, Twenty Years of Peace (2012), pp. 92–93.
  10. ↑ Seikhogin Haokip, Genesis of Kuki Autonomy Movement (2012), pp. 57–58.
  11. ↑ Haokip, Thongkholal (2011), "Language and Nomenclature Imbroglio among the Kukis", Language in India, 11
  12. ↑ Any Kuki Tribes Council (AKTC) Hetsahna, Khalvontawi, 10 February 2025.
  13. ↑ Touthang, Ethnicity and identity crisis (2022), p. 146, note 10.
  14. ↑ Kuki Tribe Council Meeting Kouna, Khalvontawi, 18 June 2022.
  15. ↑ Seilen Haokip, Identity, Conflict and Nationalism (2001), pp. 220–221.
  16. ↑ A-11 Appendix: District wise scheduled tribe population (Appendix), Manipur - 2011, Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, Government of India, 2011, retrieved 22 September 2023
  17. ↑ Thadou Inpi reacts against Kuki Inpi Manipur claim, Imphal Free Press, 3 October 2015. ProQuest   1718532388
  18. ↑ Thadou Inpi clarifies on KTC and TKSU, Imphal Free Press, 20 August 2018. ProQuest   2089747880
  19. ↑ Thadou Inpi against ST tag to 'Kuki', The Sangai Express (via e-pao.net), 30 July 2021.
  20. ↑ 'Thadou Inpi not part of KIM', Imphal Free Press, 13 March 2023. ProQuest   2786226256
  21. ↑ Debanish Achom, Ratnadip Choudhury, 'Thadou Inpi GHQ' Says Won't Recognise New Body; 'Thadou Inpi Manipur' Pushes Ahead, NDTV News, 5 November 2024.
  22. ↑ Thadou Inpi Manipur formed at Thadou Convention, Imphal Free Press, 6 November 2024. ProQuest   3124285082
  23. ↑ Sukrita Baruah, ‘Not Kuki, or underneath Kuki, or part of Kuki’: A tribal meeting adds another layer to Manipur conflict, The Indian Express, 8 March 2024. ProQuest   3125998053
  24. ↑ Thadous reject being part of Kuki group, The Times of India, 3 November 2024. ProQuest   3123432856
  25. ↑ 'Remove Any Kuki Tribes From ST List, Help Organise Peace Talks': Thadou Body Meets Manipur Governor, NDTV News, 10 February 2025.
  26. ↑ Kuki student bodies appeal to halt deletion of 'Any Kuki Tribes', The Sangai Express, 19 March 2021.
  27. ↑ KSO calls for total statewide shutdown on March 26-27 in Manipur, Imphal Free Press, 23 March 2021. ProQuest   2503594764
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 Debanish Achom, Manipur Proposed To Remove 'Any Kuki Tribes' From ST List. Tribal Affairs Ministry Says..., NDTV News, 24 November 2025.
  29. ↑ Ritika Chopra, ‘Morning, night, 12, 1... I am in touch with Amit Shahji... He backs balance, Meiteis, Kukis ko same tarah se deal karna hai’: Manipur CM N Biren Singh, The Indian Express, 10 October 2023.
  30. ↑ Abhinay Lakshman, Centre asks to study delisting Kukis, Zomis from ST list, The Hindu, 8 January 2024. 10:56 pm
  31. ↑ Rokibuz Zaman, Explained: The demand to strip the Kuki-Zo communities of Scheduled Tribe status in Manipur, Scroll.in, 21 January 2024.
  32. ↑ List of Tribes in Manipur, Manipur State Commission for the Scheduled Tribe, retrieved 24 November 2025.

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