Bishnupriya people

Not to be confused with Bangladeshi Manipuris, Burmese Manipuris, Assamese Manipuris, or Tripura Manipuris.

Bishnupriya Manipuri
(Bishnupriya Meitei)

Bengali-Assamese transliterations of the terms "Bishnupriya Manipuri" and its synonym "Bishnupriya Meitei"
Total population
119,646[1][2]
Regions with significant populations
India Bangladesh
India	79,646 (2011)[1]
Bangladesh	40,000 (2003)[2]
Languages
Bishnupriya Manipuri (L1) Meitei (L2)[3] Bengali (significantly used)
Religion
Hinduism (Vaishnavism)
Related ethnic groups
Other Bengali–Assamese-speaking peoples, Meiteis

The Bishnupriyas, also known as the Bishnupriya Manipuris or Bishnupriya Meiteis,[4][5] is an ethnic group found in the parts of Northeast Indian states of Assam, Tripura, Manipur and in northeastern Bangladesh.^[citation needed] They speak the Bishnupriya Manipuri language, which is a creole of Bengali language and Meitei language, which retains its pre-Bengali features.[6][7][8] The most distinctive feature of the language is it is replete with Tibeto-Burman elements. The culture of the Bishnupriya people is strongly influenced by that of the Meitei people.[9]

In the 2020s, the Bishnupriya asked be given the status of an indigenous people of Assam and treated like other indigenous communities of the state.[10] The Government of Assam categorises them as an Other Backward Class, but otherwise, they have no legal recognition or official status. The Tripura Government categorised their language under the Tribal Language Cell of the State Council of Educational Research and Training.[11]

The Meitei language in Bangladesh is used as a second language by the Bishnupriya people.[3]

References and notes

1. "Abstract of Speakers' Strength of Languages and Mother Tongues - 2011" (PDF). censusindia.gov.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
2. "Bishnupuriya". Ethnologue. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
3. "Meitei | Ethnologue". Ethnologue. Archived from the original on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2023. Used as L2 by Bishnupuriya [bpy].
4. Sahoo, Ajaya K. (30 March 2021). Routledge Handbook of Asian Diaspora and Development. Taylor & Francis. p. 109. ISBN 978-1-000-36686-0. The Bishnupriya Meiteis from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Tripura and Assam used the Bengali script and speak their own language, which is influenced by Meiteilon (Manipuri).
5. "FAMILY-WISE GROUPING OF THE 122 SCHEDULED AND NON-SCHEDULED LANGUAGES – 2001". censusindia.gov.in. Archived from the original on 24 November 2007. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
6. Frawley, William (2003). International Encyclopedia of Linguistics: 4-Volume Set. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 481. ISBN 978-0-19-513977-8.
7. Haokip, Pauthang (2011). Socio-linguistic Situation in North-East India. Concept Publishing Company. p. 8. ISBN 978-81-8069-760-9.
8. Asher, R. E.; Moseley, Christopher (19 April 2018). Atlas of the World's Languages. Routledge. p. 97. ISBN 978-1-317-85108-0.
9. Sahoo, Ajaya K. (30 March 2021). Routledge Handbook of Asian Diaspora and Development. Taylor & Francis. p. 109. ISBN 978-1-000-36686-0. The Bishnupriya Meiteis from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Tripura and Assam used the Bengali script and speak their own language, which is influenced by Meiteilon (Manipuri).
10. "Plea for indigenous status". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
11. "Bishnupriya Manipuris demand satellite autonomous council". The Sentinel. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2022. The Tripura government has categorized and placed the Bishnupriya Manipuri language under the Tribal Language Cell of the State Council of Educational Research and Training, while in Assam they are considered among Other Backward Classes (OBC), whereas in Manipur from where these people originated remains status-less