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Sonowal Kacharis :

The Sonowal Kacharis are one of the scheduled Bodo tribes (plains) of Assam. They are concentrated monthly in the districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Sivasagar. Their population is estimated around 2 lakh. This figure includes other Kacharis such as the 'Thengal Kacharis' in the Jorhat District. The origin of the term 'Kachari' is very difficult to trace and the term seems to be unknown to the people themselves. The Sonowal Kacharis are a branch of Bodo Kacharis of Assam. It is said that during the reign of the Ahom king some of the Kacharis were engaged in washing gold particles from the sands of river and therefore the prefix 'Sonowal' (Gold washer), was added to signify them. According to an anecdote, the Kacharis of upper Assam who became the disciple of 'Gossian' (a religious head) named 'Kechaideo' were considered to have super-natural power of offering a certain quantity of gold in a bamboo tube while the Ahom king Godadhar Singha was on the throne and these people came to be known as Sonowal Kacharis.

They believe that they were the descendants of great Bhaskar Barma, Norakasur, Ban, Bhagadutta, Harimba, Ghototkas, Bhim, Prohlad and Bali. Although it is not definitely known about the origin of Sonowal Kacharis, yet it can be assumed that their ancestors were 'Manik-Mukuta'.

The Sonowal Kacharis have seven clans called 'Khel'. The clans are exogamous. They are, 'Balikhitiari', 'Chiripuria', 'Dhulial', 'Amarabamiya', 'Ujani-Kuchiya', Namoni-Kuchiya' and 'Tipamiya'. These clans are again subdivided in to fourteen sub-clans. They are 'Hagral', 'Muktal', 'Madan','Manikiyal', 'Ahmal', 'Formal', 'Borttajoal', 'Saru Hazowal', 'Kumral', 'Dhekial', Oingial', 'Lothial', 'Dangral' and 'Chetial'.

The Sonowals were offered non-tribal titles like Saikia, Bora, Hazarika, in their process of assimilation with the non-tribal people, specially during the Ahom rule. The Sonowals at present have no dialect of their own. All the people speak Assamese language. Of course still they use some tribal names such as 'Gossain', 'Baitha', 'Gojai', 'Khiring Raja', 'Kechaideo' etc.





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