Paite people

The term Paithe originated in the Lushai Hills region. The Lushais used terms Pai or Poi to refer to central and southern Chin tribes, who tie their hair up. Paithe is said to be the plural of Pai. The Paite themselves did not accept the term originally, but in 1948, the Paite National Council was formed to obtain the recognition of Paites as a Scheduled Tribe in India. Thus the term came to be accepted. Paite has also the meaning of "people on the move". == Identification ==

According to anthropologist H. Kamkhenthang, the term "Paite" was initially used only in the Lushai areas (present-day Mizoram). In the Chin Hills region, according to him, they were known as Tedim Chins, and they included the Kamhau-Suktes. According to scholar N. K. Das, the Simte people listed in the Gazetteer of Manipur are the same as Paites. Ethnologue states that the Paite, Simte and Tedim Zomi dialects are almost identical. However, the Government of India recognises the Paites and Simtes as separate tribes in the list of Scheduled Tribes. In the 2001 census of India, the Paites numbered 64,100 and the Simtes numbered 10,225 (by language use). In the British colonial records, Paites were often identified by the clan name of Guite (older spelling: "Nwite"), who provided the chiefs for the Paite people. Carey and Tuck state that the Guites used to be originally settled around Tedim, but migrated north to the southern border of Manipur and the northeast corner of Mizoram. The reason was evidently the onslaught of the Sukte chieftain Khan Thuam ("Kantum", the father of Kam Hau). Some of the Guites submitted to Khan Thuam and eventually got absorbed into the Suktes, while others migrated north to settle in the present-day Tonzang Township and the adjoining parts of Churachandpur and Chandel districts, which were at that time not part of the Manipur kingdom. == Manipur ==

In Manipur, the Paites number about 55,000 as of 2018, forming 1.94 percent of the state's population. The essential point of tension was the apprehension that the Thadou Kukis, who are much more numerous than the other tribes in Manipur, would dominate the KNA. The Khulmi National Union contested the legislative assembly elections in 1948 and won seven seats. It participated in government formation, which was however short-lived due to Manipur's merger with Indian Union. "Khulmi" was meant to be an alternative identity to rival the Kuki identity, but the Government of India gave recognition to the Kuki identity, by listing "Any Kuki tribe" in the list of Scheduled Tribes in 1951. According to security expert E. N. Rammohan, the Paites were not well-armed and took a beating in the clashes. ZRA fled across the border to Myanmar, where it formed an alliance with the Naga militant group NSCN-IM. == Mizoram ==

In Mizoram, the Paites numbered about 23,000 as of 2011. The Paites living in the region "Sialkal Tangdung" are given a special administration in aid to develop and uplift the local areas called the Sialkal Range Development Council (SRDC). Mimbung, Teikhang, Hiangmun, Kawlbem, Selam and Vaikhawtang villages are included in it. ==See also==