Boro people: Difference between revisions
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m Anthony Appleyard moved page Bodo people to Boro people: Requested by Chaipau at WP:RM/TR: Boro is the more appropriate name here, phonetically as well as per modern usage; cannot move over redirect |
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Revision as of 05:36, 8 March 2020
Boro | |
|---|---|
 Bodo Kherai Dance | |
| Total population | |
| c. 1.35 million[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Languages | |
| Bodo language | |
| Religion | |
| Bathouism • Hinduism • Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Kachari people |
| Part of a series on the |
| Culture of Assam |
|---|
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The Bodo (Bodo: बर' pronounced [boːɽoː]; also Boro) is the largest ethnolinguistic group in the Assam state of India. They are a part of the greater Bodo-Kachari family of ethnolinguistic groups and are spread across northeastern India. They are politically active and concentrated mainly in the Bodoland autonomous region of Assam, though Boros inhabit all other districts of Assam.[5]
Bodos speak Bodo language, a Tibeto-Burman language recognized as one of twenty-two scheduled languages in the Indian Constitution.[6] and over two-third of the people are bilingual, speaking Assamese as second language.[7] The Bodo-Kachari, to which the Bodo people belong, are thought to have entered Assam sometime after Austroasiatic language speakers from Southeast Asia had settled the regions.[8] The Bodo-Kachari were also some of the first people to rear silkworms and produce silk material and were considered to be advanced in rice cultivation in Assam during this time period.[9][10]
The Bodo people are recognized as a plains tribe in the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. The Bodo people are concentrated within the following districts of Assam: Udalguri, Chirang, Baksa, Bajali, Sonitpur, Goalpara, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Kokrajhar.
Etymology of Bodo
The Bodo were known as Kacharis and Mech to strangers, but identified themselves as "Bodo". Thus "Bodo" became the proper designation for these people.[11][12] R.M Nath hypothesized that Bodo might be derived from Bod, an ancient name for Tibet. Dalton observes that Boro means "great people" based on the Boro saying, "Boro hari, geder hari", meaning Boro people, great people. In the Kokborok language, Borok means man ('K' being a suffix for every noun), so logically Boro would mean "man" even in the Boro language.[13] Brahma opines that Boro might have originated from the Tibetan word Hbrog, meaning Man. Generally, the word Bodo means a man, in the wider sense Bodo means a human being (but not specific to a female member of the family) in the languages used by Bodo-Kachari peoples.[14]
Language
The Bodo language is a member of the Sino-Tibetan language family. It belongs to the Bodo-Garo group of the Assam-Burmese branch of the Sino-Tibetan family.
Religion
Bodos were polytheist. They worshiped dozens of Hindu deities like Siva, Durga, Kali, Ram and Krishna along with tribal deities like Bathou or Shijou, Mainao, Mairong and Agrang.[16] In 1971, about 95% of Bodos were Hindus and 5% were Christians.[17]
Traditionally, Bodos practiced Bathouism, which is the worshiping of forefathers, known as Obonglaoree. The shijou tree (in the genus Euphorbia) is taken as the symbol of Bathou and worshiped. It is also claimed as the supreme god. In the Bodo language, Ba means five and thou means deep. Since Bodos believe in the five mighty elements of God – land, water, air, fire, and ether – the number five has become significant in the Bathou religion.
The Shijou tree is encircled by eighteen pairs of ornamental bamboo sticks and five pairs of rings of bamboo. In front of Shijou, within the bamboo ring, there is a "dove heart".[clarification needed][18]
According to Bathouism, before the creation of the universe there was simply a great void, in which the supreme being 'Aham Guru', Anan Binan Gosai or Obonglaoree existed formlessly. Aham Guru became tired of living a formless existence and desired to live in flesh and blood. He descended on this great void with all human characteristics and created the universe.[19]
In addition to Bathouism, Bodo people also follow Hinduism, especially Hoom Jaygya. For this worship through fire ceremony, a clean surface near a home or courtyard is prepared. Usually, worship offerings include a betel nut called a 'goi' and a betel leaf called a 'pathwi' or 'bathwi' and rice, milk, and sugar. Another important Hindu festival, the Kherai Puja, where an altar is placed in a rice field, is the most important festival of the Bodos. However, caste and dowry practices are not practiced by the majority of Bodo Hindus, who follow a set of rules called Brahma Dharma.[18]
Some Bodo people practice Christianity, predominantly Baptism. The major associations are the Boro Baptist Convention and Boro Baptist Church Association. Other denominations include the Church of North India, Lutheranism, the Believers' Church, Roman Catholicism, and Pentecostalism. Most Bodo Christians' practices are a mixture of tribal and Christian traditions.[citation needed]
Occupation
Bodos are mostly settled farmers.[20]
Folk tradition and mythology
The history of the Bodo people can be explained from folk traditions. According to Padma Bhushan winner Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, mythologically, Boros are "the offspring of son of the Vishnu and Mother-Earth" who were termed "Kiratas" during the Epic period.[21] Bodos called themselves Barafisa, which means Children of the Bara.[22] Basumatary, the largest sub-tribe of Bodo means Sons of the Soil.[23] A section of Bodos called themselves Ramsa, which means Children of Ram.[24] Dimasa of Cachar and some Boro-Kachari from Darrang called themselves Bhim-ni-Fsa, which means children of Bhima, the mythological character from the epic Mahabharata.[25]
History
According to Hodgson, since the people who were known as Kacharis and Mech to others called themselves Bodo, and also the Kachari chief deities, Siju, Mairong, and Agrang, are also Mech deities, the term Bodo is the proper designation for the tribes.[26] The exonym Mech originated from the Sanskrit word Mleccha.[27][28][29][30] Bodos were repeatedly called as Mleccha or Mech. According to Alamgirnamah, Cooch Behar was inhabited by Koch and Mech.[31] According to Endle, Kacharis who called themselves as Bada (Bara) were dominant the race of Assam in early days.[32] In ancient Sanskrit literatures, Bodos were called as Kiratas and Mlecchas.[33] The Kacharis of Brahmaputra Valley identified themselves as Bodo or Bodofisa or Bodosa.[34] Section of Bodos were known as Rangtsa or Ramsa.[35][36] According to tradition the Kacharis had their domain in Kamarupa and they belonged to a lineage called Ha-tsung-tsa or Ha-cheng-sa or Hachengsa and Kacharis called themselves Rangtsa or Ramsa.[37] According to the epic Ramayana, Pragjyotishpura city was built on Varāha mountain. K. L. Barua opines that Boro was Sanskritized into Varāha[38]. Copperplate land grant inscription related to Ramca and Mahalia Kacharis were found[39]
Important clans
The important clans of Bodos are:[40]
- Swarg-Aroi; In Sanskrit, Swarga means heaven. The clan is heaven folk. The clan never worked as cultivators. They were also known as Deoris and Ojhas.
- Basumati-Aroi; In Sanskrit, Basumati means earth. The clan is earth folk. The clan had certain privileges over land not possessed by others. Basumatary, the largest sub-tribe of Bodo also mean Sons of the Soil.[41]
- Ramsa-Aroi; The clan is Ramsa folk. Ramsa is a village in Betna Mouza, Undivided Kamrup. Ramsa is a hill in Kharguli, Kamrup. Ram-sa (Ram's people) is the name by which Kacharis living in the plains were known to their brethren in the hills.
- Mahalia-Aroi; Mahalia Kacharis came to known as Mahilari.
- Hajo-Aroi; Many Bodos worshiped Raja Hajo. Hajoari related to Hajo. Hajo means Hill.
Notable people
- Bishnu Prasad Rabha,[42] Activist, musician, songwriter and painter
- Halicharan Narzary,[43] Indian footballer
- Harishankar Brahma[44] 19th Chief Election Commissioner of India
- Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary,[45] IPS officer and former governor of Meghalaya
- Upendra Nath Brahma,[46] Bodo activist
See also
References
- ^ "Census report 2001" (PDF). Retrieved 5 January 2020.
- ^ "639 Identifier Documentation: aho – ISO 639-3". SIL International (formerly known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics). SIL International. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
Ahom [aho]
- ^ "Population by Religious Communities". Census India – 2001. Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
Census Data Finder/C Series/Population by Religious Communities
- ^ "Population by religion community – 2011". Census of India, 2011. The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Archived from the original on 25 August 2015.
2011census/C-01/DDW00C-01 MDDS.XLS
- ^ (Dixit 2013:376)
- ^ "List of languages in the Eighth Schedule" (PDF).
- ^ (Dixit 2013:375)
- ^ (Taher 2001:12)The first group of migrants to settle in this part of the country is perhaps the Austro-Asiatic language speaking people who came here from South-East Asia a few millennia before the Common Era. The second group of migrants came to Assam from the north, north-east, and east. They are mostly the Tibeto-Burman language speaking people. From about the fifth century before Christ, there started a trickle of migration of the people speaking Indo-Aryan language from the Gangetic plain.
- ^ "Handloom and Textile of Bodos" (PDF). G Brahma PhD Thesis: 139.
- ^ (Chattarji 1951:95-96)
- ^ (Hodgson 1847:105,142) Strangers call them Mech but they call themselves as Bodo, which is of course proper designation. Kacharis call themselves as Bodo, so do the Mech & Kacharis Chief deities like Siju , Mairong , Agrang likewise Mech deities.
- ^ (The Kacharis & J.D Anderson:xv) In Assam proper Hindus call them Kacharis, In Bengal they are known as Meches. Their own name for the race is Boro or Bodo.
- ^ (Bhatt 2005:20)
- ^ (Brahma 2008:1)
- ^ Census of India - Socio-cultural aspects, Table ST-14, Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, 2001
- ^ (Endle 1911:34-37)
- ^ (Dixit 2013:375)
- ^ a b "HOME". udalguri.gov.in. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
- ^ Basumatary, Dhuparam. Boro Kachari Sonskritir Kinchit Abhas. pp. 2–3.
- ^ (Hodgson 1847:155)
- ^ "RCILTS, Phase-II". iitg.ac.in. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ (Soppitt 1885:12)
- ^ (Sen 1999:44)
- ^ (Dodiya 2001:139)
- ^ (Endle 1911:7,126)
- ^ (Jacquesson 2008:21)
- ^ (Endle 1911:xv) According to J.D. Anderson, Mech is short cut of Mlecch, barbarian, one who is ignorant of civilized speech.
- ^ (Endle 1911:81,82) According to Endle, Mech is almost certainly corruption of Sanskrit word Mleccha.
- ^ (Chattarji 1951:97) Sanskritized version of Mech is Mleccha.
- ^ (Nath 1989:7) K.L. Barua opines that Mleccha might be a Sanskritized form of the term Mech. This view is also supported by Ed. Gait and S.K. Chatterji.
- ^ (Salim 1902:11) Cooch Behar was inhabited by Mech & Koch. Raja belong to first tribe.
- ^ (Deka 2009:30)
- ^ (Chattarji 1951:97-98)
- ^ (Bordoloi 1984:6-10)
- ^ (Soppitt 1885:80–81)
- ^ (Damant 1879:12)
- ^ (Kakoty 1981:40)
- ^ (Sen 1984:103)
- ^ (Thakuria 2015:96)The charter records a grant of 186 purās of land, made to five persons, viz. Kacharimahalia Badnagaria, Ramca and Bajhparhania and Chutiya, who offered service to the families of medhis, bhakatas and the brahmanas of the Darrangirājya. The charter was issued by king Pramatta Singha in śaka 1667.
- ^ "The Bodos" (PDF). Culture and Society.
- ^ (Sen 1999:44)
- ^ (N.N Acharya:1.0-1.3)
- ^ "NEFU Player Holicharan Narzary Ties Knot With Geetanjali Deori". The Sentinel. 4 October 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- ^ ,"The Assam Tribune Online". www.assamtribune.com. 19 January 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
- ^ "BSF gets first Bodo DG". The Hindu. 11 January 2005. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- ^ "Bodofa Upendra Nath Brahma's death anniversary observed by hundreds of people in Kokrajhar". The Sentinel. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
Bibliography
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- Pulloppillil, Thomas & Aluckal, Jacob (1997) The Bodos: Children of the Bhullumbutter
- Mushahary, Moniram (1981) Bodo–English Dictionary
- Acharya, N.N. Glories of Assam. Bina Library Guwahati. pp. 1.0–1.3.
- Taher, M (2001). "Assam: An Introduction". In Bhagawati, A K (ed.). Geography of Assam. New Delhi: Rajesh Publications. pp. 1–17.
- Kakoty, Suchitra (1981). "The Historical Background of the Bodo-Kacharis". A study of the educational development of the bodo tribe during the post independence period with particular reference to the northern region of Assam (PhD). Guwahati University. hdl:10603/67775.
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