The distinct indigenous Thadou tribe in Assam during its first state-level Hun-Thadou cultural festival celebrations welcomed state Cabinet Minister Urkhao Gwra Brahma as the special guest, days after the Thadou tribe fended off threats by Kuki militants against holding the festival.
"The festival celebrated the cultural identity, heritage, and collective aspirations of the Thadou community in Assam and the wider northeast region," the festival organisers said in a statement.
"The Assam State Hun-Thadou Cultural Festival 2025 proved to be a landmark celebration of indigenous resilience, cultural pride, and peaceful coexistence, reaffirming the Thadou community's role in building a more inclusive and harmonious future," the organisers said.
Apart from the Thadou cultural shows, diverse communities of Assam participated in the event with their colourful cultural shows, including Bihu/Assamese, Bodo, Dimasa, and Gorkha/Nepali, making the biggest festival of Thadou tribe truly a symbol of unity in diversity, they said.
A souvenir booklet - Sinkhup: Assam 1.0 - was released by Manipur MLA Konthoujam Govindas, and dedicated by Reverend Hangsing.
The morning also featured cultural performances, including a Thadou dance by the Thadou Students Association (TSA) Guwahati, and an Assamese Bihu dance by the Borhamathuri Bihu Group.
The noon session, moderated by Dr M Paosei Haokip focused on discussions surrounding indigenous identity and development. Dr Haokip is president of the Thadou Human Rights Advocacy.
Michael Lamjathang Haokip, chief of the TSA-GHQ, delivered a keynote on the distinctiveness of the Thadou tribe in Assam with respect to Manipur and other parts of the northeast. "We organised the state-level festival to promote the distinctiveness of the Thadou tribe, cultural heritage and peaceful coexistence with all communities in the state," he said.
The leaders said the Thadou tribe in Assam can help promote peaceful coexistence between different communities in Manipur by reaching out to Thadou in the neighbouring state. The Thadou people are also hopeful that the MLAs of Manipur being the representatives of the people have a huge influence and will earnestly work for restoration of peace.
"It is also pertinent to note that the message of peaceful coexistence needs to be driven through all possible channels. We believe that the people of Assam and the Thadou community having close knit brethren in Manipur, can help spread the message of peace," Konthoujam Govindas said.
A Gorkha cultural dance by Dispur College Gorkha Unit and a musical performance by Thangminsem added colour to the session, the organisers said.
Chongboi Haokip, convenor of the Thadou Community International (TCI) and member of Britain's Chartered Institute of Horticulture, presented strategies for channeling the festival toward sustainable development practices, while social worker Jalun Haokip from Australia gave an insightful reflection on peace, justice, and non-violence in response to the unrest in Manipur.
The Thadou tribe also presented a six-point memorandum to the chief guest Mr Brahma, requesting steps to be taken for the protection of Thadou tribe, identity, and culture in Assam.
Mr Brahma is the state minister of handloom, textile and sericulture, soil conservation, and welfare of Bodoland department.
The memorandum signed by leaders of the Thadou Inpi Dima Hasao, and Thadou Inpi Karbi Anglong sought recognition of Thadou customary law in the autonomous hill districts of Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong.
It also asked for inclusion of the Thadou language in the Shiksha Setu educational website under the Assam Education Department. Other key requests include adequate political representation in the Harangajao (Durbin) constituency under the NC Hills Autonomous Council, and a formal recognition of the Thadou tribe as a distinct and independent hill tribe in the autonomous district of Assam.
The closing session was marked by dynamic cultural exchange and symbolic performances, including a traditional Dimasa dance, a musical number by Meitei artist Sori, and a cultural showcase by the Bodo Literary Society, the organisers said.
A joint performance by MLA L Susindro Yaima Meitei and Sori Senjam was one of the highlights, symbolising unity through art.
The evening ended with a benediction by Thadou Christian Fellowship Guwahati (TCFG) secretary Lunminsang Sitlhou, and the traditional Lamkol dance by the Thadou tribe, bringing the event to a dignified and joyful close, the organisers said.
"A special mention was made of Michael Lamjathang Haokip's unwavering leadership, which continues to inspire admiration from all quarters. The vote concluded with hope that the festival enriched everyone's understanding of the Thadou community and that the spirit of unity and peace would carry forward to Hun 2026," the organisers said in the statement.
On March 28, with less than a week from the event, Thadou civil society groups and leaders complained to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Assam Police over alleged threats by Kuki militants against celebrating the Hun-Thadou cultural festival.
The Thadou groups requested the MHA and the Assam Police to give "the strongest possible response" to "terror tactics by Kuki militant groups, threats against [festival] organisers, and militants' plan to punish festival delegates."
"The self-proclaimed Kuki Inpi Assam (KIA) has issued a draconian order demanding the cancellation of the Hun Thadou cultural festival... Their assertion that only the Assam government-recognised Kuki Chavang Kut can be celebrated is absurd and baseless," the TSA-GHQ had said in a memorandum to the MHA.
In a complaint to the Assam Police seeking a first information report (FIR) to be filed against Kuki militants, Michael Lamjathang Haokip alleged the militants have "openly threatened the people of Assam, including Thadou delegates from Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong, who have confirmed their participation in the Hun 2025 celebrations."
In the complaint, he named United Kukigam Defence Army (UKDA) leader Janglen Kipgen, Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA-Assam) leader Lalsei Gangte, and Kuki Liberation Army (KLA-Assam) leader Haolam Lunkim as the militants who threatened violence if the Hun 2025 celebration scheduled on April 4 in Guwahati was not cancelled.
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