The public broadcaster Prasar Bharati recently asked the programme head of All India Radio (AIR) in Manipur's capital, Imphal, for inputs on recruiting staff for resuming live broadcasts in the Thadou tribe's language and other major dialects of the border state.
About Thadou Tribe:
They are an indigenous people who live in the hill country adjacent to the Imphal Valley in Manipur.
The Thadous are the second largest tribe in Manipur, preceded only by the Meiteis, or Manipuris.
They are also found in smaller numbers in Nagaland, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Delhi.
Language: They speak Chin and Thado, which belong to the Tibeto-Burman family of the Sino-Tibetan languages.
Thadous share a common culture with all the Chin-Kuki-Mizo community.
Thadou settlements are located in forests. Sites on the tops of ridges or just below ridges are preferred.
Villages are not arranged according to an established urban plan, and there is no marking of the perimeter of a village.
The village chief’s house is usually the largest dwelling within the village.
Outside it there is a platform upon which men gather to discuss matters of importance and to mediate disputes.
Economy:
They practice subsistence activities including animal domestication, cultivation, hunting, and fishing.
Jhum (slash-and-burn) agriculture is predominant.
Religious Beliefs: The Thadou tribe traditionally practiced an animistic religion centered on nature spirits and a supreme god, Pathen,presently, almost all Thadou people are Christians.
Festival: The Hun-Thadou cultural festival is an annual celebration of this community, which is celebrated at the arrival of the New Year.
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