Tarao Naga

Tarao are a minority community in Chandel district, Manipur, India. They speak Taraotrong but speak Meiteilon well with others. The Taraos are one of the many tribes in Manipur. It is said that Maharaja Ching-Thang Khomba had an orchard at a place near Pallel and his orange trees were looked after by the Taraos at Komlathabi (Kapaam). They are mainly concentrated in four villages. Their main source of livelihood is cane & bamboo, out of which, mat-making is predominant all the year round. They are also involved in cultivation works in the fields and plantation farms. Their land is considered to be one of the driest places in Manipur. They are also one of the smallest tribes in Manipur, with a population of over few hundreds (as per Chandel, Manipur, 2011 Census of India).

Linguistically, the Tarao language belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family.[2]