Indigenous Pillar is about cultural unity, says TSA
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 13 2025: The Thadou Students' Association (TSA) has stated that the Indigenous Pillar erected by Federation of Haomee (FoH) at at Sawombung Kabui Khunjao, Imphal East should not be seen as an exclusionary act against any tribe but as a specific cultural commemoration by certain groups or an NGO.

TSA, in a statement issued by its spokesperson Vicky Thadou, said that the State Government officially recognizes three categories of indigenous persons -Meitei or Meetei, Meitei-Pangal (Manipuri Muslims), and the recognized Scheduled Tribes, comprising 33 tribes as per the Manipur Inner Line Permit (ILP) (Amendment) Rules, 2022 under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR), 1873, extended to Manipur in 2019.All these groups, including the Thadou community, are legally recognized as indigenous persons of Manipur, provided they resided in the State on or before December 31, 1961, TSA said.

Saying that it acknowledges the FoH's intent to preserve the Yek Salai system and promote cultural unity, TSA, however, clarified that the list of25 communities engraved on the Indigenous Pillar and their seven Salais representation is not a Govemment-authorized or legally defined classification of indigenous persons in Manipur.

Of these, 24 communities are already notified as Scheduled Tribe category, all identifying with the broader Naga ethnic family, it said and added that the Meitei community, represented by FoH president Sapamcha Jadumani and others, may express its cultural solidarity through such initiatives, but it does not represent all Meiteis or the full indigenous diversity of Manipur.

The TSA also emphasized that the eleven non-Naga Scheduled Tribes, including Thadou, Hmar, Mizo, Zomi, and others, though not represented in the Yek Salai system or seven-coloured flag, are equally recognized by the Government as indigenous persons.

Their exclusion from the FoH's pillar should not be viewed as marginalization but as a cultural expression limited to certain communities alone, it said.

Moreover, TSA said that FoH should refrain from promoting the notion that only the 25 listed communities constitute the indigenous peoples of Manipur.

FoH is not a Meitei exclusive civil society organization, TSA said and advised that any statements or interpretations that could provoke tension or create misunderstanding among indigenous groups should be avoided in the interest of unity and mutual respect.

Reaffirming its stand for peace and unity, the TSA recalled the community understanding reached on August 6, 2025, between the Thadou community and major Manipur civil society organizations such as COCOMI, AMUCO, FOCS, and AT, pledging to protect Manipur's territorial integrity and promote peacefol coexistence among all communities.

This collective effort represents a broader and more inclusive mandate than any single organizational initiative like FoH, it added and urged all Thadou individuals and the public not to be misled by misinformation that seeks to create divisions.

This Indigenous Pillar erected by FoH should not be seen as an exclusionary act against any tribe but as a specific cultural commemoration by certain groups or an NGO, it said and called upon all indigenous communities to continue working together for peace, development, mutual respect, and harmonious coexistence in Manipur.

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