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The Maniq or Mani are a Negrito ethnic group of Thailand. They are more widely known in Thailand as the Sakai (), a controversial derogatory term meaning 'barbarism'. They are the only Negritos in Thailand and speak a variety of related Aslian languages, primarily Kensiu language and Ten'edn, which do not have standard writing systems.
In Thailand, the Maniq minority live in the southern provinces of Yala province, Narathiwat, Phatthalung, Trang province, and Satun province.
The director-general of the Rights and Liberties Protection Department of the Justice Ministry, said the Maniq are categorised into two groups based on where they live. The first group lives in the Titiwangsa Mountains in Yala and Narathiwat while the second group dwells in the Banthat Mountains in Phatthalung, Trang, and Satun.
Current estimates on population size range from 300 to 350 people, up from 100 to 300 people according to pre-1960 estimates.
Among the Malaysian sultans and rulers of the southern provinces of Thailand who ruled and enslaved the Negrito slaves, it was once regarded as prestigious to keep Negritos in their yards as part of Human zoo of amusing jungle beings.Barbara Watson Andaya & Leonard Y Andaya (2025). 9781137605153, Macmillan International Higher Education. ISBN 9781137605153 In the first decade of the twentieth century, the king of Thailand, King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) visited the southern regions of his country and met with the Semang people. In 1906, an orphan Semang boy who was captured and named Khanung was sent to the royal court, where he was perceived as the adoptive son of the ruler. From this event, it has led to the patronage of the Semang people by the royal court.
Over time, these populations adapted to diverse forested environments across the region, maintaining distinct cultural and genetic lineages. While later waves of migration such as the Austroasiatic and Austronesian-speaking peoples brought agriculture and new technologies, groups like the Maniq remained relatively isolated, preserving foraging lifestyles and oral traditions.
The Banthat Mountain chain became a base area for the communist insurgency in Thailand during the 1970s and thus a battle ground between communist guerillas and Thai government forces. Especially during the years of 1975-1977, the insurgents were battered in ground and air attacks. The Mani suffered terribly during this war with government forces frequently mistaking the smoke of Mani camp fires for insurgent activity. Those living in Trang and Phatthalung provinces had to move to the sanctuary of Thoungwan district in Satun province.
During field campaigns in 1995 and 1996 the occupation of ten rock shelters and nine forest camps were recorded. All these belong to the present-day system of up to one hundred different living sites, inhabited by Mani groups during one year in the forested region of Trang, Satun and Phatthalung Provinces.
Today, the Maniq continue to face challenges related to land rights, cultural preservation, and environmental change.
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