Tai Aiton
Regions with significant populations
India<8,000
Languages
Aiton, Assamese
Religion
Theravada Buddhism
Related ethnic groups
Thai people, Lao people, Shan people, Dai people

The Tai Aiton are one among the six indigenous Tai communities of Assam.[1] They are Animist and Buddhist by religion.[2] They speak the Tai Aiton language,[3] which is similar to other Tai languages spoken in Thailand. They have been recognized as Scheduled Tribes (Hills) and are listed as Man-Tai speaking people by the Government of Assam.

Their population is unknown but is expected to be less than 8,000. The other indigenous Assamese communities commonly term them as Shyams or the people from Siam i.e. Thailand. The names of their villages are directly translatable into modern Thai, as both sounds and meaning correspond.

Man Tai Speaking people are not Ahom people as many may confuse them to be.

History

They came to Assam far back in the 16th-17th century from the east crossing the Patkai hills.

They are Hinayana Buddhists and their language is close to that of North Eastern Thailand.

Distribution

Presently they live in small pockets in Upper Assam along with the Turung and Khamyang people.

They live in certain villages of Jorhat, Golaghat and Karbi Anglong districts.

References

  1. ↑ Kakoty, Deepmoni (2020-07-31). "Tai Aiton (Assam, India) – Language Snapshot". 17: 76. doi:10.25894/ldd98. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. ↑ "Aiton in India".
  3. ↑ Mukherjee, Anushka (8 June 2021). "This Historical Language Spoken in Assam's Remote Pockets May Vanish Soon". Homegrown. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
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