Tai Aitons are one among the six Indigenous Tai communities of Assam. They are Buddhist by religion. The Assamese people commonly term them as Shyams or the people from Siam i.e. Thailand.
The speak their own Aitonia dialect which is similar to other Tai languages spoken in Assam. They came to Assam far back in the 16th-17th century from the east crossing the Patkai hills. Presently they live in small pockets in Upper Assam along with the Turung and Khamyang people. Their population is unknown but is expected to be less than 8,000. Their language has almost become extinct with only around 1,500 people still using it. They live in certain villages of Jorhat, Golaghat and Karbi Anglong districts. They are not recognised as Scheduled tribes but are listed as Man-Tai speaking people by the Government of Assam.