Sonowal Kachari people

The Sonowal Kachari are one of the indigenous peoples of the state of Assam in Northeast India. They are of Tibeto-Burman origin, and are closely associated with the other ethnic groups of Assam which are commonly referred to as Kachari.

Sonowal Kachari people
Total population
235,881[1]
Regions with significant populations
Predominantly in Upper Assam;
Languages
Assamese
Religion
Ekasarana Dharma
Related ethnic groups

They are predominantly inhabitants of Dhemaji, North Lakhimpur, Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts of Assam, along with pocket populations in Jorhat, Sivsagar, Golaghat district of Assam and in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.

The headquarters of the Sonowal Kachari Autonomous Council is at Dibrugarh.

Etymology

The name Sonowal comes from the word 'Son' (Assamese: Xon) which means gold in Assamese.[web 1]The traditional occupation of the Sonowal kacharis was gold panning, that is extracting gold from the riverbeds.[web 1][2] The Kacharis those were appointed as gold-washers by the Ahom kings were organised into Sonowal Khel. These Kacharis came to be known as Sonowal Kacharis.[3]

See also

Notes
  1. Sonowal, Ripunjoy. (2014). Some Folklore Medicines of the Sonowal Kachari tribe of Upper Assam, North East India. Scholars Academic Journal of Biosciences. 2. 541-543.
  2. Baruah & Choudhury 1999.
  3. "The Kacharis were, therefore, proficient in extracting gold by washing sands of the rivers. When they became subjects of the Ahom kingdom, they were, therefore, appointed as gold-washers and organized into a Sonowal Khel. These Kacharis came to be known as Sonowol Kacharis."(Dutta 1985, p. 33)

References

Printed sources
  • Dutta, Sristidhar (1985), The Mataks and their Kingdom, Allahabad: Chugh Publications
  • Baruah, Amlan; Choudhury, S. B. Roy (1999). Assam State Gazetteer. Government of Assam.

Internet
  1. Karmakar, Rahul (19 May 2016). "Sarbananda Sonowal, 'national hero' who struck gold for BJP in Assam". Hindustan Times.
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