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.
