By W. Nabakumar Singh
Manipur, though small in size, is unique in respect of its ethnic composition, for the unnaturally situated, oval shaped valley that constitutes approximately 10% of the State is populated mainly by the core community – the Meiteis and also sporadically doted with the villages inhabited by the Kabuis and Manipuri Muslims.
Whereas the hilly regions that are administratively divided into five districts have poly-ethnic populations comprising twenty-nine recognized Scheduled Tribes and some other tribal communities who are still seeking for the official recognition of their ethnic names.
The twenty-nine Scheduled Tribes of Manipur, as per the Constitution with regards Scheduled Caste and scheduled Tribes Lists (modification) Orders 1956, Part X Manipur, are Aimol, Anal, Angami, Chiru, Chothe, Gangte, Hmar, Kabui, Kacha Naga, Koirao, Koireng, Kom, Lamgang, Mao, Maram, Maring, Lushai tribes, Monsang, Moyon, Paite, Purum, Ralte, Sema, Simte, Sukte, Tangkhul, Thadou, Vaiphei and Zou.
It is worth recalling that the aforesaid list of Scheduled Tribes of Manipur is the modification of the constitution (schedule tribes)