Thursday, March 28, 2024
Assam

The People


People

Mongoloid races

Mongoloid races Numerous mongoloid races inhabit the hills and plains of Assam. One among them is the Nagas, who now have their own state, Nagaland. Another race is the Mikirs, who live in the Karbi Anglong (formerly the Mikir hills) district of Assam.

The Bodos or Boros are the most noteworthy Mongoloid people in eastern India. The Bodo language which falls under the Tibeto-Burman Sub-family of the Sino-Tibetan languages has greatly influenced the Assamese language in its development. They first settled in the Brahmaputra valley and then slowly spread to various other places.

The Mizos or Lushais of Mizoram, formerly a district of the state are migrants from the chin hills and speak a Kuki-Chin tongue of the Tibeto-Burman sub-family of the Sino-Tibetan languages. The Lalungs are another Mongoloid group that live in the Nowgong district.The Chutiyas, a tribe later Hindus and speaking a Bodo tongue, are mainly confined to the extreme north-east of the state, above the Subansiri river and in the Sadiya area just below the Arunachal (NEFA) hills.

The Miris or Mishings, are another colourful Mongoloid tribe who, like the Chutiyas inhabit the riverine areas of Lakhimpur, Sibsagar and Darrang districts. The Koches ,whose dynasties ruled north Bengal and west Assamese till the 17th century, are described as western Bodos of Mongoloid stock as against  Eastern Bodos, the Chutiyas and the Kacharis. They have adopted Hinduism and the Assamese language. The Koches are scattered all over the Brahmaputra  valley. The Morans or Mataks are another mongoloid people who ruled in the extreme east prior to the Ahoms. They are largely concentrated in the eastern most parts of Lakhimpur district, in the territory lying between Dilrugarh and Saikhowaghat, south of the Brahmaputra, near Sadiya. The Morans are to be found in part of the districts of Darrang and the Sibsagar also.