No harm in seeking previous status of hill tribe : Researcher
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 05 2023:
Saying that the Meeteis/Meiteis were referred to as hill tribe in the British India census reports of 1881 to 1931, an independent researcher has asserted that there is no harm in demanding the previous status of hill tribe apart from seeking enlistment in the ST category of the Indian Constitution.
Speaking to The Sangai Express at Keishampat Leimajam Leikai this afternoon, independent resear- cher and author Mahesh-sana Rajkumar said that Sir Athelstane Baines' report 'Ethnography (Castes and Tribes)' published in 1912 called the Meitei (written as Meithei) of Manipur as a hill tribe.
As such, there is no harm in Meiteis demanding the previous status instead of seeking categorisation as a Scheduled Tribe under the Indian Constitution, he said.
On the other hand, many research papers, journals and reports on the Tai community mentioned the close relationship shared between the Tais and the Meiteis, he said.
The total population of the Tai community is around 9.30 crore and they are spread in six countries, Maheshsana said.
Tais are spread in China's Yunan, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and Mani- pur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh of India, he said.
A book written in new Shan script by Mahanmung (Muse) in 2005 says that the Meitei is one of the 83 sub-tribes of Tai.
The same book referred to Meiteis as Tai Moy or Kassay, Maheshsana said.
A research journal authored by Myanmar Historical Commission, Yangon vice-chairman Sai Aung Tun titled 'The Tai Ethnic Migration and Settlement in Myanmar' gave an account of Tai's migration to Manipur and Assam in 600 AD, he said.
Further, a Facebook group named Tai Peoples listed Meitei as one of the 83 sub-tribes of the Tai community, said Mahesh-sana Rajkumar who once worked on a hydro project at Monywa, Myanmar.