Thadou Students' Association GHQ • Official Membership & Community Platform
The Thadou are an indigenous people of Manipur in Northeast India, with a long and continuous historical presence in the hill regions of the state. They possess a distinct ethnic identity characterized by their own language, customary laws, traditional institutions, and rich cultural heritage. The Thadou are particularly known for their vibrant traditions and handwoven textiles, especially the Saipikhup, which symbolizes Thadou identity and dignity.
Traditionally, the Thadou inhabit hilly and forested regions of Manipur, preferring settlements along ridge tops and hill slopes near the Imphal Valley. Their settlement patterns, village institutions, and land-use systems reflect an intimate and ancestral relationship with the land, reinforcing their status as an indigenous people of Manipur.
The Thadou constitute the largest single tribal population in Manipur and maintain a strong cultural, social, and political presence in regions such as Sadar Hills (Kangpokpi), Churachandpur, and other hill districts.
One of the original indigenous tribes of Manipur with ancestral roots, customary governance, and traditional land ownership systems.
Thadou (also known as Thadou-Pao), a Tibeto-Burman language native to Manipur and surrounding regions.
The largest single tribal group in Manipur, with additional populations in Assam, Nagaland and Myanmar due to historical migration and colonial-era boundary changes.
Permanent hill-based villages organized under a hereditary chieftainship system.
Rich oral traditions, clan-based social organization, distinctive marriage and inheritance customs, and a strong tradition of handwoven textiles.
Derived from "Tha" (to kill) and "Dou" (to resist), meaning "those who resist and defend themselves."
The Thadou are among the original indigenous inhabitants of Manipur, with a historical presence predating modern administrative boundaries. Their traditional villages, customary laws, and governance systems evolved independently within the geographical and cultural landscape of Manipur.
The recognition of the Thadou as a Scheduled Tribe under the 1956 Presidential Order affirms their indigenous status. Their indigeneity is further reinforced by oral histories tied to Manipur's geography, traditional festivals aligned with agricultural cycles, sacred landscapes and ancestral burial practices, and continuous residence and cultural transmission across generations.
The most widely accepted traditional narrative describes the Thadou emergence from Noimigam (the subterranean world) to Chunggam (the surface world) through a cave known as Khul.
According to tradition, the Thadous lived in Noimigam under Chief Noimangpa. A relative named Chongthu, while hunting a porcupine, followed his dog into a cavern and unexpectedly emerged into the surface world. Enchanted by the beauty of the land, he returned with a vision of establishing a new settlement.
During the Chon festival, Chongthu caused unrest by brandishing his sword. Chief Noimangpa ordered his execution, but Chongthu and his followers fled through the cavern into Chunggam. Their emergence was followed by seven days and nights of darkness, known as Thimjin.
Thadou tradition thus holds Noimigam as their place of origin, with Khul serving merely as a passageway into the present world.
The origin of the term Thadou is ancient and remains unclear, having been in use since time immemorial. The Thadou language, commonly known as Thadou-Pao, is unanimously recognized by the Thadou people and related linguistic communities.
Historically, Thadou served as a widely used medium of communication among neighboring hill communities, particularly during the British period (c. 1800–1947). Linguists trace the origins of the Thadou language to pre-Christian (B.C.) times.
Thadou belongs to the Tibeto-Burman language family and is spoken across Northeast India, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. In Manipur, it remains one of the most widely spoken indigenous tribal languages after Meiteilon (Manipuri).
The village is the foundation of Thadou social, economic, and political life. A typical Thadou village consists of the Hausa (chief), villagers, and officials such as the Thempu, Lhangsam, and Thihkheng.
The institution of chieftainship is hereditary, passing from father to eldest son. The chief holds executive authority over law, justice, and social customs and is responsible for the protection and welfare of his subjects.
A customary agricultural tax paid after harvest, usually two to five tins of rice (1 tin = 7–8 kg).
Hunters are required to offer a portion of hunted game to the chief.
Each household provides one day of unpaid labor annually for the chief's work.
The Thadous traditionally practiced jhum cultivation (slash-and-burn agriculture). Rice is the staple crop, along with maize, millet, vegetables, and legumes. Harvested paddy is stored in a field hut called loubuh. Household status is often measured by annual agricultural yield.
Thadou men and women are skilled artisans. Women weave traditional garments such as Saipikhup, Pondum, and Phoi, while men produce agricultural tools, weapons, fishing equipment, and brew rice beer (anthom). This craftsmanship supports a largely self-sufficient economy.
Domesticated animals include mithun, buffalo, cattle, pigs, dogs, cats, and poultry. These animals hold economic, social, and ritual significance.
The chief is the custodian of customary law and presides over the village court with the Semang-Pachong. Justice is delivered based on tradition and communal consensus.
Contestants submerge themselves; the guilty party emerges first.
Parties swear truth while biting a tiger's tooth.
Parties sip water from a gun barrel under oath.
Eating soil from a grave to affirm truthfulness.
Lawm is a vital youth institution with social, economic, and philanthropic roles. It is led by a Lawm-upa and assisted by Lawmtangva.
Lawm is categorized into four types: Lawmpi, Lawmlai, Lawmneo, and Lawm Chapang.
The annual Lawm-juneh festival, held after harvest, features feasting, sports, and the famous Siel-kal (mithun-jumping competition).
Sawm functions as a communal youth dormitory and training center. It instills discipline, ethics, warfare skills, folklore, and craftsmanship.
Sawm members also serve as village defenders. The practice of staying overnight at a maiden's house is known as Sawm leng.
Hun is the most important traditional cultural and religious festival of the Thadou people. It is an indigenous festival deeply connected to the agricultural cycle, spiritual beliefs, and communal life of the Thadou community.
• Ritual offerings and sacrifices conducted by the Thiempu (priest)
• Communal feasting and sharing of harvest produce
• Singing of traditional songs and performance of ceremonial dances
• Observance of customary taboos and rituals for prosperity and protection
The Thadous believe in Pathen, the supreme creator. They also believe in spirits (Thilha), which are appeased through sacrifices to avoid misfortune.
Various spirits are believed to inhabit forests, homes, water, rocks, and roads, such as Gamhoise, Joumi, Gamkao, and Kulsamnu. Ritual appeasement is conducted by the Thiempu (priest).
Indoi represents ancestral and household worship involving symbolic objects such as animal skulls, horns, weapons, and ritual items.
Indoi rituals are performed during:
After death, souls journey to Mithikho. Righteous living and ceremonial achievements ensure safe passage, while wrongdoing results in punishment. Festivals such as Chon, Sa-ai, and Chang-ai are essential markers of virtue.
The Thadou are a distinct, indigenous, and constitutionally recognized Scheduled Tribe of Manipur, India. Under the 1956 Presidential Order, Thadou were recognized as an independent tribe with their own name, identity, and clan system.
The Thadou have been consistently recorded as "Thadou" in census documents since the first Census of India in 1881. Throughout successive colonial-era censuses, they appeared as a separately identified indigenous tribe of Manipur, without prefix or suffix.
Following India's independence, the Thadou were officially recognized as a Scheduled Tribe under the Constitution of India through the 1956 Presidential Order. This reaffirmed their status as one of the original indigenous tribes of Manipur.
According to the 2011 Census of India, the Thadou population in Manipur stood at 215,913, making them the largest single tribal community in the state.
While indigenous to Manipur, historical movement and colonial-era boundary changes have resulted in Thadou populations residing in Assam, Nagaland, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. Manipur remains their ancestral homeland and cultural heartland.
The uninterrupted appearance of the Thadou in census records from 1881 to the present demonstrates continuous habitation, recognition as a distinct people across political eras, and remarkable cultural resilience.
Guwahati
"Unyielding Furtherance - Affirming Thadou Identity & Distinctiveness"
Friday, the 1st November, 2024
This historic declaration, in response to the long-standing profound need and popular demand of Thadou people across the globe and in fulfilment of the principles, vision, aim and object of our forefathers and of the Thadou Conclave Declaration - 2015 and Thadou Inpi Constitution, reaffirms our unwavering commitment to preserving and protecting Thadou heritage and unity.
Adopted by Thadou Convention 2024 on November 1, 2024 at Guwahati
Jointly organised by the Thadou Community International (TCI) & Thadou Students' Association (TSA)
Nehkholal Haokip
Chairman, TCGOC, 2024
Mangminlal Sitlhou
Secretary, TCGOC, 2024
Len Sitlhou
Moderator, TCGOC, 2024
Michael Lamjathang Haokip
President, TSA GHQ
Thangminlun Haokip
Secretary General, TSA GHQ
Mangchungnung Sitlhou
Recording Secy., TCGOC 2024
Kapchungnung Tado
Convenor, TCI
Chongboi Haokip
Convenor, TCI