The Sonowal Kachari ( as, Xonowāl Kosāree) are one of the

indigenous peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

of the state of

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

Northeast India , native_name_lang = mni , settlement_type = , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , motto = , image_map = Northeast india.png , ...

. They are of

Tibeto-Burman The Tibeto-Burman languages are the non- Sinitic members of the Sino-Tibetan language family, over 400 of which are spoken throughout the Southeast Asian Massif ("Zomia") as well as parts of East Asia and South Asia. Around 60 million people spea ...

origin, and are closely associated with the other

ethnic groups An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

which are commonly referred to as Kachari. The name Sonowal comes from the word 'Son' ( as, Xon) which means gold in Assamese.The traditional occupation of the Sonowal kacharis was

gold panning Gold panning, or simply ''panning'', is a form of placer mining and traditional mining that extracts gold from a placer deposit using a pan. The process is one of the simplest ways to extract gold, and is popular with geology enthusiasts especia ...

, that is extracting gold from the riverbeds. The Kacharis those were appointed as gold-washers by the

Ahom kings Ahom may refer to: *Ahom people, an ethnic community in Assam *Ahom language, a language associated with the Ahom people *Ahom religion, an ethnic folk religion of Tai-Ahom people *Ahom alphabet, a script used to write the Ahom language * Ahom king ...

were organised into

Sonowal Khel ''Sonowa''l is a designation of the gold-washers of Assam. They were previously addressed as Xunia thakur. Etymology The name ''Sonowa''l comes from the word 'Son' ( as, Xon) which means gold in Assamese.

. These Kacharis came to be known as Sonowal Kacharis."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." They are predominantly inhabitants of

Dhemaji Dhemaji (Pron: deɪˈmɑ:ʤi or di:ˈmɑ:ʤi) is a City in Assam and it is the headquarters of Dhemaji district, Assam, India. Etymology The district's name ''Dhemaji'' is derived from the Deori word ''Dema-ji'' which means ''great water'' indi ...

North Lakhimpur North Lakhimpur ( ) is a city and a municipal board in Lakhimpur district in the Indian state of Assam, about northeast of Guwahati. It is the district headquarters of Lakhimpur district. North Lakhimpur is also the name of the subdivision of L ...

Tinsukia Tinsukia (Pron: ˌtɪnˈsʊkiə) is an industrial town. It is situated north-east of Guwahati and away from the border with Arunachal Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Tinsukia District of Assam, India. History During th ...

and

Dibrugarh Dibrugarh (pron: ˌdɪbru:ˈgɑ:) is an industrial city in Upper Assam with sprawling tea gardens. It is located 435 kms East from the state capital of Dispur. It serves as the headquarters of Dibrugarh district in the state of Assam i ...

districts of

, along with pocket populations in

Jorhat Jorhat ( ) is one of the important cities and a growing urban centre in the state of Assam in India. Etymology Jorhat ("jor" means twin and "hat" means market) means two hats or mandis - "Masorhaat" and "Sowkihat" which existed on the opposite ...

Golaghat Golaghat ( ''Gʊlaɡʱat'' ) one of the largest subdivisions of the Indian state of Assam, later elevated to the position of a full–fledged district headquarter on 5 October 1987, is a city and a municipality and the seat of administrative ...

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

Notable people

Sarbananda Sonowal Sarbananda Sonowal ( Assamese: সৰ্বানন্দ সোণোৱাল / IPA: xɔɹbanɔndɔ xʊnʊwal; born 31 October 1962) is an Indian politician from Assam who is the current Cabinet Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and ...

, politician and former chief minister of

(2016-2021) * Jogendra Nath Hazarika, chief minister of Assam (1979) * Pradan Baruah, Indian politician, former member of Assam Legislative assembly, MP of Lakhimpur Lok Sabha. * Jogesh Das, prominent writer, recipient of Sahitya Academi Award * 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 The Assam Police is the law enforcement agency for the state of Assam in India. A regular police force was initiated in Assam by the British after the Treaty of Yandaboo to maintain the law and order. It functions under the Department of Home Af ...

, awarded the

Kirti Chakra The Kirti Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle. It may be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel, including posthumous awards. It is the ''pe ...

military decoration

Notes

References

Printed sources

* *

Internet

{{reflist, group=web Tribes of Assam Social groups of Assam Bodo-Kachari Ethnic groups in Northeast India

Notable people

See also

Notes

References

Printed sources

Internet