IMPHAL: The Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM) demanded correction of “Thadou-Kuki” nomenclature in Educational Curriculum as “Thadou” alone.
The Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM), the apex body of the Thadou tribe, has submitted a formal memorandum to the Governor of Manipur, the Chief Secretary, and the Commissioner-cum-Secretary (SCERT) to the Government of Manipur, demanding immediate correction of what it described as Kuki appeasement and fake historical connotation embedded in the nomenclature “Thadou-Kuki” used for the Thadou language in educational curricula.
The TIM recalled that the Gauhati High Court (Civil Rule No. 320/1990 (Gauhati) and Civil Rule No. 295/1987 (Imphal)), in the Full Bench landmark judgment of 6th January, 1993 had directed the Government of Manipur to constitute an Expert Committee to examine the controversy.
The Expert Committee, comprising scholars from the Anthropological Survey of India, NEHU, and Manipur University, was constituted by the Government of Manipur on October 28, 1993 and submitted its report on February 3, 1995 affirming that “Thadou” has been the established name of the language for over two centuries, said the Thadou body.
“However, despite this finding, the Expert Committee and the State Government on February 7, 1996 adopted ‘Thadou-Kuki’ (Thadou Dash Kuki) as a political compromise to appease certain groups and issued a formal order on March 15, 1996 thereby undermining the Thadou cultural identity”, it added.
The TIM then stated that the hybrid term “Thadou-Kuki” is historically inaccurate, politically imposed, and violates the distinct ethnic, cultural, and linguistic identity of the Thadou tribe, which is a recognized Scheduled Tribe of Manipur with its own recorded history and language.
The Thadou body also said despite “Kuki supremacist cultural genocide campaigns” over the last 70 years, the Thadou community has consistently resisted the supremacy of “Kuki”, which forcefully clubs Thadou as Kuki, leading to systematic ethnic misidentification, dilution of Thadou history, and long-term confusion among students.
“Therefore, the TIM has strongly opposed the continued use of ‘Thadou-Kuki’ as an MIL language in SCERT materials, BSEM, COSEM, Manipur University (MU), and other academic institutions, as it misleads future generations, undermines academic integrity, and results in the mislabeling and misidentification of the Thadou people”, the Thadou body stated.
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The TIM further highlighted that the damage caused by this “misnaming” has become more severe after the May 3, 2023 Manipur violence, where Thadou people were victims of attacks, displacement, and false portrayal as part of conflicting groups due to generic labelling under “Kuki”.
The TIM also demanded that the Government of Manipur officially restore the language name as “Thadou” alone in all textbooks, curricula, and official records, in accordance with historical truth, expert findings, and constitutional protections under Articles 29 and 30.
The TIM then stated that correcting this long-standing blunder is essential for ethnic clarity, cultural justice, academic honesty, correct naming of ethnic identity to Thadou and lasting peace in Manipur.