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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.
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 235,881[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Predominantly in Upper Assam; | |
| Languages | |
| Assamese | |
| Religion | |
| Ekasarana Dharma[2] | |
| 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 edit
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][3] 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.[4]
Notable people edit
- Pradan Baruah, Indian politician, former member of Assam Legislative.
- Jogesh Das, prominent writer, recipient of Sahitya Academi Award
- Jogendra Nath Hazarika, chief minister of Assam (1979)
- Jitul Sonowal, singer, music director, composer, lyricist and entertainer in the field of Assamese music since 1992.
- Lohit Sonowal, inspector of Commando Battalion of Assam Police, awarded the Kirti Chakra military decoration
- Sarbananda Sonowal, politician and former chief minister of Assam (-2021)
See also edit
References edit
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Census of India Website : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India". www.censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^ Baruah & Choudhury 1999.
- ^ "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)
Printed sources edit
- 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 edit
- ^ a b Karmakar, Rahul (19 May 2016). "Sarbananda Sonowal, 'national hero' who struck gold for BJP in Assam". Hindustan Times.