Loi is the word in the
Meitei language
Meitei (), also known as Manipuri (, ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of north-eastern India. It is spoken by around 1.8 million people, predominantly in the state of Manipur, but also by smaller communities in the rest of the country and in pa ...
(Meiteilon) for the term "
scheduled caste
The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...
". The term ''Loi'' is given to the indigenous and aboriginal people of
Manipur in
northeast India who refused to adopt
Hinduism or were semi-Hinduised when the newly converted Manipuri king ordered all his subjects to adopt the religion.
The
Chakpa language is also known as Loi. Although Chakpa people are usually considered to be Loi, not all Loi are Chakpa.
There are two kinds of Loi according to Parratt (1998):
[Parratt, John ed. (1998). ''Notes on Meithei (Manipuri) beliefs and customs''. Manipur: Iboyaima Printers.]
* tributary tribes conquered by the Meitheis
* outcasted people from Meithei society who were banished to Loi villages
References
Meitei people
{{India-ethno-stub