Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Kautilya3 (talk | contribs) at 20:33, 3 December 2023 (Minor edits). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Kuki people

A Kuki woman
Regions with significant populations
India	Not stated
Myanmar	Not stated
Bangladesh	Not stated
Languages
Kuki-Chin languages
Religion
Predominantly Christianity (Baptist); historically Animism with sizeable minorities following Animism, Judaism (Bnei Menashe) and Islam
Related ethnic groups
Chins  · Halams  · Mizos  · Zomis  · Others (Karbis, Nagas, Meiteis, Kachins)

The Kuki people are an ethnic group in the Northeastern Indian states of Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram, as well as the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh and Myanmar. The Kuki constitute one of several hill tribes within India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. In Northeast India, they are present in all states except Arunachal Pradesh.

Some fifty tribes of Kuki peoples in India are recognised as scheduled tribes, based on the dialect spoken by that particular Kuki community as well as their region of origin.

The Chin people of Myanmar and the Mizo people of Mizoram are kindred tribes of the Kukis. Collectively, they are termed the Zo people.

Name

The term "Kuki" is an exonym: it was used by Bengalis to refer to the tribes inhabiting Patkai–Arakan Yomas, the eastern extension of the Himalayas running north–south between India and Myanmar. The term came into British usage in 1777, when the chief of Chittagong appealed to the British governor general Warren Hastings for help against Kuki raids from the hills.

The same collection of tribes were called "Chins" by the Burmese (spelt "Khyangs" in the original Burmese spelling). The British also used the term "Lushais" to refer to the tribes inhabiting the Lushai Hills region to the south and southwest of Manipur (modern Mizoram as well as Chin State).

Over time, the British came to distinguish the tribes currently called "Kukis" from the remaining "Lushais". An Intelligence Branch report from 1907 listed Ralte, Paite, Thadou, Lakher, Hmar and Poi tribes among Kukis. It stated that each of these tribes had its own language, and these languages were unintelligible to the "Lushais".

The Manipuris used the term "Khongjai" to refer to the tribes to the south and southwest of the Imphal Valley, a usage witnessed from 1508. This appears to have been a geographical term. The "Old Kuki" tribes in Manipur were referred to by their individual names, which were also partly of geographical origin.

Some Kuki and Chin tribes reject both of these terms as being of foreign origin, and use the self-designation "Zo", which is a generic term that has variants in most Kuki-Chin dialects. "Zomi" (meaning "Zo people") is also used.

In 2023, a consensus seems to have developed among the Kuki tribes of Manipur to use the compound term Kuki-Zo to refer to themselves.

History

Early history

Ethnologist C. A. Soppitt argued that the Kuki tribes must have settled in region west of Irrawaddy river from at least the 11th century, based on the fact that they had no traces of Buddhism, which was already prevalent in Burma by that time. He grouped the Kuki tribes into two broad classes: Hrangkhol along with the co-tribe Biate, and Changsan along with the co-tribe Thadou, each of them grouped with several subtribes. Soppitt suggested that, by the 16th century, the Hrangkhols and Biate inhabited the Lushai Hills region (currently divided between Mizoram and Chin State). They are said to have been pushed out by Changsan, who moved in from the east along with Thadou, forcing them to move to the North Cachar Hills, Manipur and Tripura. The Changsan–Thadou combine was, in turn forced out by newer tribes in the 19th century, and followed the same routes as the earlier tribes according to this theory. The first two groups were referred to as Old Kukis and New Kukis by the British administrators, which did not receive endorsement from Soppit. Modern scholars also disapprove the terminoloty of "Old Kukis" and "New Kukis", but it does appear that the two groups followed different migration routes and thus developed significant cultural differences.

Per the 1881 census, the Kukis are estimated to have numbered 20,000 in the North Cachar Hills (present-day Assam), 15,000 in the Naga Hills (present-day Nagaland), 30,000–40,000 in Manipur and 6,000 in Tipperah (Tripura). In addition, the plains of Cachar had 6,000 people. The Gazetteer of Manipur (1886), based on the same census, noted that there were approximately 8,000 "Old Kukis" and about 17,000 "New Kukis". Borders of Manipur were expanded after this date to include the southern parts of the present Churachandpur and Chandel districts. During the Kuki Rebellion of 1917–1919, the Kukis in Manipur were estimated to number 40,000.

Tripura

On 31 January 1860, Kuki Riang led the Kukis of Hill Tippera in raiding the Chhagalnaiya plains (then under the administration of the Twipra Kingdom) which was inhabited by ethnic Bengalis and British officers. The Kukis looted the area of Bakhshganj and murdered Kamal Poddar of Basantpur. They then proceeded to molest Poddar's women until Guna Ghazi and Jakimal waged war against them in the village of Kulapara. Whilst the Kukis abducted 700 women, Munshi Abdul Ali informed the British authorities of the atrocities. 185 Britons were assassinated, 100 of them were kidnapped and the Kukis remained in the plains for one or two days. British troops and policemen were finally despatched from Noakhali, Tipperah (Comilla) and Chittagong to suppress them but the Kukis had already fled to the jungles of the princely state and they never returned to Chhagalnaiya ever again.

Manipur

British administrators believed that "New Kukis" migrated to the Manipur area during the first half of the 19th century. But scholars point out that these groups were known to Manipuris earlier by other names such as "Takhens", "Khongjais" and "Saitons". These names appear to be geographically based rather than tribe names. The "Old Kuki" tribes were, on the other hand, identified by their tribe names.

The Administration Report for 1877–88 reported around 2000 Sukte tribesmen were settled near Moirang, South west of Manipur Valley by the then Maharajah of Manipur and political agent, Colonel Johnstone.

Long ignored by Europe, an important landmark in the history of the Kuki people was the arrival of missionaries and the spread of Christianity among them. Missionary activity had considerable social, cultural and political ramifications while the acceptance of Christianity marked a departure from the tradition religion of the Kuki peoples as well as both the Kuki peoples' ancestral customs and traditions. The spread of English education introduced the Kuki people to the "modern era". William Pettigrew, the first foreign missionary, came to Manipur on 6 February 1894 and was sponsored by the American Baptist Mission Union. He, together with Dr. Crozier, worked together in the North and the Northeast of Manipur. In the south, Watkins Robert of the Welsh Presbytery mission organised the Indo-Burma Thadou-Kuki Pioneer Mission in 1913. To have a broader scope, the mission's name was changed to North East India General Mission (NEIGM).

The first resistance to British hegemony by the Kuki people was the Kuki Rebellion of 1917–19, also known as the Anglo-Kuki War, after which their territory was subjugated by the British. Up until their defeat in 1919, the Kukis had been an independent people ruled by their chieftains. The Dobashi, Lengjang Kuki was credited as responsible for preventing the Kukis of the Naga Hills from joining the Kuki Rebellion of Manipur.

During World War II, seeing an opportunity to regain independence, the Kuki fought with the Imperial Japanese Army and the Indian National Army led by Subhas Chandra Bose but the success of the Allied forces over the Axis group dashed their hopes.

Post-colonial history

The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) (Part C States) Order, 1951 included "any Kuki tribe", "any Lushai tribe" and "any Naga tribe" (as umbrella terms) among the scheduled tribes in Manipur. In 1956, the umbrella terms were deleted and 29 tribes were listed individually. This revision completely left out other unlisted tribes from scheduled tribes. In 2003, the term "any Kuki tribes" was re-added to the list.

Cultures and traditions

The land of the Kukis has a number of customs and traditions.

Sawm

Sawm, a community centre for boys – was the centre of learning in which the Sawm-upa (an elder) did the teaching, while Sawm-nu took care of chores, such as combing of the boy's hair, washing of the garments and making the beds. The best students were recommended to the King's or the Chief's service, and eventually would achieve the office of Semang and Pachong (ministers) in their courts, or gal –lamkai (leaders, warriors) in the army.

Lawm

Lawm (a traditional type of youth club) was an institution in which boys and girls engaged in social activities for the benefit of the individual and the community. It was also another learning institution. Every Lawm has a Lawm-upa (a senior member), a To’llai-pao (an overseer or superintendent) and a Lawm-tangvo (assistant superintendent). Besides being a source of traditional learning, the institution of the Lawm also facilitated the transmission of both technical as well as practical knowledge to its members, especially with regard to particular methods of farming, hunting, fishing and sporting activities such as Kung–Kal (high jump, especially over a choice mithun), Ka’ng Ka’p, Ka’ngchoi Ka’p (top game), Suhtumkhawh (javelin throw using the heavy wooden implement for pounding-de-husking-paddy) and So’ngse (shot put).

The Lawm was also a centre where young Kuki people learned discipline and social etiquette. After harvest season, the Lawm meet is celebrated with a Lawm-se’l and, as a commemoration, a pillar is erected. The event is accompanied by dance and drinking rice-beer, which sometimes continues for days and nights.

Laws and government

Governance

With regard to governance, Semang (cabinet) is the annual assembly of a Kuki village community held at the Chief's residence represents the Inpi (Assembly). In such an assembly, the Chief and his Semang and Pachong (cabinet members and auxiliary of Inpi) and all the household heads of the village congregate to discuss and resolve matters relating to the village and the community.

Religions

Prior to conversion in the early 20th century to Christianity by Welsh Baptist missionaries, the Chin, Kuki, and Mizo peoples were animists; among their practices were ritual headhunting. Christian missionaries entered Manipur in the late 19th century but did not yet make inroads into the tribal areas. The victory of the British in Anglo-Kuki War of 1917–1919 opened up their mind of the Kukis to the Christian God of the British, who was thought of as the victor. This led them to rapidly convert to Christianity. Conversion to Christianity has transformed their ideas, mentality and social practices at the cost of their traditions and customs. The majority of Kukis are now Christians, with most belonging to Protestant denominations, especially Baptist.

Since the late 20th century, some of these peoples have begun following Messianic Judaism. The Bnei Menashe (Template:Lang-he, "Sons of Menasseh") are a small group within India's North-Eastern border states of Manipur and Mizoram; since the late 20th century, they claim descent from one of the Lost Tribes of Israel and have adopted the practice of Judaism. The Bnei Menashe are made up of Mizo, Kuki and Chin peoples, who all speak Tibeto-Burman languages, and whose ancestors migrated into northeast India from Burma mostly in the 17th and 18th centuries. They are called Chin in Burma. In the late 20th century, an Israeli rabbi investigating their claims named them Bnei Menashe, based on their account of descent from Menasseh. Of the 3.7 million people living in these two northeast states only about 9,000 belong to the Bnei Menashe, several thousands have emigrated to Israel. Some have supported other movements to separate from India.

Due to the close proximity to Muslim-majority Bengal, a Kuki Muslim community has also developed. They are said to be descendants of Kuki men who had married Bengali Muslim women, a relationship requiring the husband to be a Muslim. They are mostly centred around the village of North Chandrapur in the Tripuri city of Udaipur. Notable Kuki Muslims include Khirod Ali Sardar of Chandrapur and Ali Mia of Sonamura. The community has been subject to scorn by other Kukis.

See also

• Zale'n-gam
• Kuki–Paite ethnic clash of 1997–1998
• Kuki–Tamil ethnic clash of 1992

Notes

1. Alternative spellings: Khongchai and Khongsai.
2. Other Kukis were referred to as "Takhens" (Tripuris), "Tekhao" (Assamese) and "Saitons" (inhabiting the Saiton hills) in the Manipur Chronicles.
3. The southern part of the Churachandpur and Chandel districts were added to Manipur in 1894 during a Manipur-Chin Hills border settlement.

References

1. Syed Ayan Mojib, Who are Kukis & Meiteis, the warring tribes in Manipur, The Statesman (Kolkata), 2 June 2023.
2. Called "Chin" Burmese: ချင်းလူမျိုး; MLCTS: hkyang lu. myui:, pronounced [tɕɪ́ɰ̃ lù mjó] in Myanmar
3. "Mizo | people". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
4. "A Glimpse of the Indigenous Tribes of Myanmar and lost tribe of Israel (Part 1)".
5. Pau, Indo-Burma Frontier and the Making of the Chin Hills (2019), p. 14.
6. T. Haokip, 'The Kuki Tribes of Meghalaya: A Study of their Socio-Political Problems', in S.R. Padhi (Ed.). Current Tribal Situation: Strategies for Planning, Welfare and Sustainable Development. Delhi: Mangalam Publications, 2013, p. 85.
7. "Alphabetical List of India's Scheduled Tribes" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 April 2012.
8. Intelligence Branch, Frontier and Overseas Expeditions, Vol. 4 (1907), p. 235: "From period of which we have any knowledge, the Lushai Hills have been inhabited by collection of tribes known to the Bengalis as Kukis.".
9. Intelligence Branch, Frontier and Overseas Expeditions, Vol. 4 (1907), p. 235.
10. S. R. Tohring (2010). Violence and Identity in North-east India: Naga-Kuki Conflict. Mittal Publications. pp. 8–9. ISBN 978-81-8324-344-5.
11. Haokip, The Kuki-Paite Conflict (2007), p. 187.
12. Go, Zo Chronicles (2008), p. 182: "Chin is a Burmese word to denote the various hill tribes living in the country between Burma and the Province of Assam and Bengal. is written and dialectically Khyang.".
13. Intelligence Branch, Frontier and Overseas Expeditions, Vol. 4 (1907), pp. 232–233.
14. Pau, Indo-Burma Frontier and the Making of the Chin Hills (2019), p. 53: "Cognate tribes who occupied vast tracts of land in south of the valley of Manipur were broadly referred as Kukis by colonial rulers and ‘Khongjai’ by the Meitei.".
15. Kuki Research Forum on objective historical position of the Kukis in Manipur, 25 May 2022. "A comparison of the first appearance of the names of different tribes in the Cheitharol is self-evident. For instance, the term Maring first appeared in 1302, Tangkhuns (Tangkhuls) in 1404, Koirengs in 1404, Kyangs (Chins) in 1467, Khongjai in 1508, Sairem in 1523, Takhen (Tripura) in 1533, Tekhao (Assam) in 1536, Anan/Namphou in 1559, Sakang in 1562, Lamkang in 1570, Kapui (Kabui) in 1573, Mayon (Muyon) in 1580, Maram in 1583, Monsang in 1595, Chothe in 1597, Langlong (Ranglong) in 1603, Purum in 1608, Cheeroi in 1641, Kharam in 1672, Aaimon (Aimol) in 1678, and so on. The mention of ‘Khongjai’ in 1503 is especially to be noted."
16. ^ Kuki Research Forum on objective historical position of the Kukis in Manipur, Ukhrul Times, 25 May 2022.
17. Pau, Indo-Burma Frontier and the Making of the Chin Hills (2019), pp. 14–15: "Linguistically these whole congeries of tribes belong to the Kuki-Chin group of the Tibeto-Burman family (Grierson 1904: 1), and ethnologically they belong to the same ethnic group called Zo, a generic term and the only all-encompassing one for the so-called Chin, Kuki and Lushai people.... Today, many of these tribes were found in Manipur and the Lushai Hills (Mizoram) as their settlements have been demarcated by the colonial and postcolonial borders. They commonly identify themselves as Zomi, which means Zo people.".
18. Go, Zo Chronicles (2008), p.184: 'For instance. based on his findings, GA. Grierson concludes thus: "The name (Chin) is not used by the tribes themselves, who use titles such as Zo or Yo and Sho".... Now we find that the word somewhat like Zo or Yo in its various forms is commonly contained in the names of nearly almost all Chin tribal or linguistic groups..
19. Kuki-Zo people hold rally for separate administration in Churachandpur, The Hindu, 21 July 2023.
20. 3 Meiteis, 1 Kuki-Zo killed; 3 Churches, 29 houses of Kuki-Zo village torched in fresh conflict in Manipur, Ukhrul Times, 2 July 2023.
21. ^ Sinha, S. P. (2007). Lost Opportunities: 50 Years of Insurgency in the North-east and India's Response. Lancer Publishers. pp. 120–. ISBN 978-81-7062-162-1.
22. Soppitt, A Short Account of the Kuki-Lushai Tribes (1887), p. viii-ix.
23. Soppitt, A Short Account of the Kuki-Lushai Tribes (1887), p. 3.
24. Soppitt, A Short Account of the Kuki-Lushai Tribes (1887), pp. 7–8.
25. Kipgen, Nehginpao (October–December 2011), "Ethnic Conflict in India: A Case Study of the Kukis and the Nagas in Manipur", The Indian Journal of Political Science, 72 (4): 1048, JSTOR 41856539
26. Soppitt, A Short Account of the Kuki-Lushai Tribes (1887), p. 1.
27. Dun, Gazetteer of Manipur (1886), pp. 32–33.
28. Pau, Indo-Burma Frontier and the Making of the Chin Hills (2019), pp. 163–164.
29. Haokip, Hunger is more savage than cannon (2021), p. 99.
30. Webster, John Edward (1911). "History". Eastern Bengal and Assam District Gazetteers. Vol. 4. Noakhali. Allahabad: The Pioneer Press. p. 30.
31. Abdul Karim, Munshi; Sharif, Ahmed (1960). Hussain, Syed Sajjad (ed.). A Descriptive Catalogue Of Bengali Manuscripts. Dacca: Asiatic Society of Pakistan. p. 74.
32. MacCulloch, W. (1859). Account of the Valley of Munnipore and of the Hill Tribes. Calcutta: Bengal Printing Company. OCLC 249105916.
33. Pemberton, Capt. R. Boileau (1835), Report on the Eastern Frontier of British India, Calcutta: Government of India – via archive.org
34. Mackenzie, Alexander (1884). The Northeast Frontier of India.
35. T. Haokip, 'Kuki Churches Unification Movements', Journal of North East India Studies, Vol. 2(1), 2012, p. 35.
36. Guite, Jangkhomang (23 February 2019). "Colonial violence and its 'Small Wars': fighting the Kuki 'guerillas' during the Great War in Northeast India, 1917–1919". Small Wars & Insurgencies. 30 (2): 447–478. doi:10.1080/09592318.2018.1546369. ISSN 0959-2318. S2CID 189972384.
37. "A Dobashi of par excellence". Nagaland Post. 17 January 2019.
38. Guite, Jangkhomang (2010). "Representing Local Participation in INA–Japanese Imphal Campaign: The Case of the Kukis in Manipur, 1943–45". Indian Historical Review. 37 (2): 291–309. doi:10.1177/037698361003700206. S2CID 145397505.
39. Sielen Haokip, What Price, Twenty Years of Peace (2012), p. 90.
40. Kipgen, Ethnic Conflict in India (2011), p. 1048.
41. Suan, Rethinking 'tribe' identities (2011), p. 163.
42. ^ Paokhohao Haokp, "Reinculcating Traditional Values of the Kukis with Special Reference to Lom and Som", in T. Haokip (ed.). The Kukis of Northeast India: Politics and Culture. New Delhi: Bookwell, 2013, Chapter 11.
43. T. Lunkim, "Traditional System of Kuki Administration", in T. Haokip (ed.). The Kukis of Northeast India: Politics and Culture. New Delhi: Bookwell, 2013, Chapter 1.
44. Hodson, T. C. (1909). "Head-Hunting among the Hill Tribes of Assam". Folklore. 20 (2): 132–143. doi:10.1080/0015587X.1909.9719869. JSTOR 1254109.
45. Kipgen, Seikhohao; Haokip, Thongkholal (2018). "Keeping them under control: impact of the Anglo-Kuki War". In Jangkhomang Guite (ed.). The Anglo-Kuki War, 1917–1919: A Frontier Uprising against Imperialism during the First World War. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-429-77494-2.
46. "Chin".
47. Weil, Shalva. "Double Conversion among the 'Children of Menasseh'" in Georg Pfeffer and Deepak K. Behera (eds) Contemporary Society Tribal Studies, New Delhi: Concept, pp. 84–102. 1996 Weil, Shalva. "Lost Israelites from North-East India: Re-Traditionalisation and Conversion among the Shinlung from the Indo-Burmese Borderlands", The Anthropologist, 2004. 6(3): 219–233.
48. Kommaluri, Vijayanand; Subramanian, R; Sagar K, Anand (7 July 2005). "Issues in Morphological Analysis of North-East Indian Languages". Language in India. Retrieved 4 March 2007.
49. Chakraborty, Anjali (2006). "Muslims of Tripura: A Profile". Muslim women in Tripura: aspects of their status, roles, problems and prospects. Institutional Repository NBA (Thesis). University of North Bengal.
50. Datta, B. C. (1972). ত্রিপুরা রাজ্যে তিরিশ বছর: উদয়পুর বিবরণ [Thirty years of the Tripura state: Udaipur details] (in Bengali). Government of Tripura.

Bibliography

• Frontier and Overseas Expeditions from India, Vol. 4: North & North-Eastern Frontier Tribes, Intelligence Branch, Army Headquarters, India, 1907 – via archive.org
• Brown, R. (1874), Statistical Account of the Native State of Manipur and the Hill Territory under Its Rule, Calcutta: Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing
• Dun, E. W. (1992) , Gazetteer of Manipur, Manas Publications – via archive.org
• Go, Khup Za (2008), Zo Chronicles: A Documentary Study of History and Culture of the Kuki-Chin-Lushai Tribe, Mittal Publications, ISBN 9788183242103
• Haokip, Doungul Letkhojam (2021), "'Hunger is more Savage than Cannon': Logistics of the Anglo-Kuki War", in Ngamjahao Kipgen; Doungul Letkhojam Haokip (eds.), Against the Empire: Polity, Economy and Culture during the Anglo-Kuki War, 1917–1919, Routledge, pp. 93–117, ISBN 978-1-003-00065-5
• Haokip, Rebecca C. (2007). "The Kuki-Paite Conflict in the Churachandpur District of Manipur". In Lazar Jeyaseelan (ed.). Conflict mapping and peace processes in North East India (PDF). North Eastern Social Research Centre. pp. 185–207.
• Haokip, Sielen (2012), "What Price, Twenty Years of Peace in Mizoram (1986–2006): A Kuki Perspective", in Thongkholal Haokip (ed.), The Kukis of Northeast India: Politics and Culture, Bookwell, pp. 89–, ISBN 9789380574448
• Kipgen, Nehginpao (October–December 2011), "Ethnic Conflict in India: A Case Study of the Kukis and the Nagas in Manipur", The Indian Journal of Political Science, 72 (4): 1043–1060, JSTOR 41856539
• Mackenzie, Alexander (1884), History of the Relations of the Government with the Hill Tribes of the North-East Frontier of Bengal, Calcutta: Home Department Press – via archive.org
• McCulloch, W. (1859). Account of the Valley of Munnipore and of the Hill Tribes. Selections from the Records of the Government of India (Foreign Department). Calcutta: Bengal Printing Company. OCLC 249105916 – via archive.org.
• Soppitt, C. A. (1887), A Short Account of the Kuki-Lushai Tribes, Shillong: Assam Secretariat Press – via archive.org
• Pau, Pum Khan (2019). Indo-Burma Frontier and the Making of the Chin Hills: Empire and Resistance. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781000507454.
• Pemberton, Capt. R. Boileau (1835), Report on the Eastern Frontier of British India, Calcutta: Government of India – via archive.org
• Shakespear, J. (1912), The Lushei Kuki Clans, London: McMillan and Co – via archive.org
• Suan, H. Kham Khan (2011), "Rethinking 'tribe' identities: The politics of recognition among the Zo in north-east India", Contributions to Indian Sociology, 45 (2): 157–187, doi:10.1177/006996671104500201
• Tohring, S. R. (2010), Violence and Identity in North-east India: Naga-Kuki Conflict, Mittal Publications, ISBN 9788183243445
• Vaiphei, Lianboi (2015). "Christian Missionaries and Colonialism in the Hills of Manipur". In Arambam Noni; Kangujam Sanatomba (eds.). Colonialism and Resistance: Society and State in Manipur. Routledge. pp. 183–. doi:10.4324/9781315638317. ISBN 978-1-317-27066-9.

External links

v t e Ethnic groups in Bangladesh
Indo-Aryans	Assamese Barua Stranded Pakistanis/Biharis Beens Bengalis Dhakaiyas Mahifarash Kahar Kan Rohingyas Shershabadia Sylhetis Mahimal Bishnupriya Manipuris Bonaz Keot Koch Nepalis Polia Rajbongshi Ranjoarh Urdu-speaking people
Austro-Asiatic	Aowe Bauri Bhumij Jalia Kaibarta Kharia Khasi Mahle Munda Kora Sabar Pnar/Jaintia Santals
Dravidian	Kurukh/Oraon Mushahar Malto Mal Paharia Sauria Paharia
Tibeto-Burman	Chak Chakma Dalu Garo Hajong Khumi Khyang Laleng Marma Meitei Pangal Rakhine Tanchangya Tripuri Zo Bawm Chin Mru Kuki Halam Pankho Hrangkhol Mizo
Others	Jummas
Immigrants and expatriates	v t e Immigration to Bangladesh Asia Armenians (Dhaka) Burmese (Rohingya refugees) Chinese South Asia Indians Nepalis Stranded Pakistanis Europe Britons

v t e Hill tribes of Northeast India
Mizoram	Chakma Dimasa (Kachari) Garo Hajong Hmar Khasi and Jaintia (inc. Khasi Synteng or Pnar, War, Bhoi or Lyngngam) Kuki Tribes (see below) Mara Man (Tai speaking) Mizo (Lushai) tribes Mikir (Karbi) Naga tribes Pawi (Lai) Synteng (Pnar)
Nagaland	Garo Bodo-Kachari Kuki Mikir (Karbi) Naga
Meghalaya	Bodo-Kachari Chakma Dimasa (Kachari) Garo Hajong Hmar Khasi and Jaintia (inc. Khasi Synteng or Pnar, War, Bhoi or Lyngngam) Koch Kuki Tribes (see below) Lakher (Mara) Man (Tai speaking) Mizo (Lushai) tribes Mikir (Karbi) Naga tribes Pawi (Lai) Raba, Rava Synteng (Pnar)
Arunachal Pradesh	Abor (Galo) Aka (Hruso) Apatani Dafla (Nyishi) Galong Khowa (Bugun) Mishmi (inc. Miju Mishmi) Momba (inc. Chugpa, Lishipa, Takpa) Naga tribes (inc. Nocte, Tangsa, Tutsa, Wancho) Sherdukpen Singpho (Jingpo) Tai peoples (inc. Khampti, Khamyang, Phake) Adi (inc. Bori, Padam) Deori Khamba Lisu Memba Miji Mikir (Karbi) Minyong Mishing (Miri) Nga Puroik Zekhring
Manipur	Aimol Anal Chiru Chothe Gangte Hmar Inpui Koirao (Thangal) Koireng Kom Lamkang Liangmai Mao Maram Maring Mizo (Lushai) tribes Monsang Moyon Paite Purum Ralte Rongmei Simte Suhte (Paite) Tangkhul Thadou Vaiphei Zeme Zou
Tripura	Bhil Bhutia Chaimal Chakma Garoo Halam Jamatia Khasia Kuki Lepcha Lushai (Mizo) Mag Munda, Kaur Noatia Riang Santal Tripuri Uchoi
Assam	Chakma Dimasa (Kachari) Garo Hajong Hmar Khasi and Jaintia (inc. Khasi Synteng or Pnar, War, Bhoi or Lyngngam) Kuki Tribes (see below) Lakher (Mara) Man (Tai speaking) Mizo (Lushai) tribes Mikir (Karbi) Naga tribes Pawi (Lai) Synteng (Pnar)
Sikkim	Bhutia (including Chumbipa, Dopthapa, Dukpa, Kagatey, Sherpa, Tibetan, Tromopa, Yolmo) Lepcha
Kuki tribes including:	Biate Changsan Chongloi Doungel Gamalhou Gangte Guite Hanneng Haokip, Haupit Haolai Hengna Hongsung Hrangkhwal, Rangkhol Jongbe Khawchung Khawathlang, Khothalong Khelma Kholhou Kipgen Kuki Lengthang Lhangum Lhoujem Lhouvun Lupheng Mangjel Misao Riang Sairhem Selnam Singson Sitlhou Sukte Thado Thangngeu Uibuh Vaiphei
Naga tribes including:	Anāl Angami Ao Chang Chakhesang Chirr Chiru Chothe Inpui Kharam Khiamniungan Konyak Lainong Lamkang Liangmai Lotha Makury Mao Maram Maring Monsang Moyon Nocte Para Pochury Phom Poumai Rengma Rongmei Sangtam Sumi Tangkhul Tangsa Tarao Thangal Tikhir Tutsa Wancho Yimkhiung Zeme
See also List of Scheduled Tribes in India

• Ethnic groups in Bangladesh
• Ethnic groups in Manipur
• Ethnic groups in Tripura
• Ethnic groups in Myanmar
• Ethnic groups in Northeast India
• Ethnic groups in South Asia
• Headhunting
• Kuki people
• Scheduled Tribes of Assam
• Scheduled Tribes of Meghalaya
• Scheduled Tribes of Mizoram
• Scheduled Tribes of Nagaland
• Tribes of Assam