Tibeto-Burman and Tai peoples of Assam
| Languages | |
|---|---|
| Assamese • English• others | |
| Religion | |
•  Hinduism • Christianity• Buddhism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Tibeto-Burman languages, Tai languages |
The Tibeto-Burman and Tai people of Assam are the different groups of people who migrated from East Asia and Southeast Asia into the Brahmaputra Valley during the ancient and medieval period. Today, they represent almost 60% of the population of Assam and have made a strong impact on the social, cultural and political aspects of the state.
History
Migration into Assam
Pre-historic
The first group of migrated from Tibet and South China who spoke Tibeto-Burman languages during the second century BCE. These people are today identified as Monpa and Sherdukpen people of Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh and the Bodo-Kachari people scattered over Assam and the Karbis of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao. According to sir E.A Gait, Bodos are perhaps the first inhabitants of the Brahmaputra Valley.
Ancient
The second wave of Indo-Mongoloid were Tibeto-Burman-speaking groups who migrated from what is modern Sichuan. They attribute some of their ancestry to the Shan people in Burma and Northern Thailand. They are today recognised as the Koch Rajbongshi and Sutiya people of the Brahmaputra Valley as well as the Tiprasa in the state of Tripura.
Medieval
The third wave of Mongoloid group into Assam was led by a Shan group called Ahom when Sukaphaa lead his group into Assam via the Pangsau pass in the Patkai from South China. The Ahoms were followed by other Tai people who were Buddhists: Khamti, Khamyang, Aiton, Phake and Turung peoples who settled in Upper Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
State formation
The Mleccha dynasty established the first kingdom of Kamarupa and ruled almost the entire Brahmaputra Valley from 655 to 900.
During the medieval period most of the state formations were done by the Mongoloid people in Assam. The most prominent of them were the Ahom, Sutiya and Kachari Kingdoms and the Koch dynasty.
The Ahom kingdom was located in what is now Sivasagar district, Assam, and later on it expanded to control the entire Assam valley. The Sutiya had their centre of power on the north bank of Brahmaputra in eastern Assam from Parshuram Kund in Arunachal Pradesh to Vishwanath in Sonitpur district of Assam. The Kachari rulers controlled the areas of south Assam, while the Koch dynasty held their power in present western Assam districts. Among other dynasties, Borahi and Muttock had their kingdom in eastern Assam.
Groups
The list of groups of the Tibeto-Burman people of Assam:
References
- Burling, Robbins (2013). "The Tibeto-Burman Languages of Northeastern India". In LaPollo, Randy J. Sino-Tibetan languages. Routledge.
- Choudhury, Sujit (2007). The Bodos: Emergence and Assertion of an ethnic minority. Shimla: Indian Institute of Advanced Study.
- Endle, Sidney (1911). The Kacharis. London: Macmillan and Co. Retrieved February 20, 2013.