| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 235,881 [1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Predominantly in Upper Assam; | |
| Languages | |
| Assamese | |
| Religion | |
| Ekasarana Dharma [2] | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
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. As per the book Ahomar Din, the ancestors of Sonowal Kacharis arrived from Lower Assam with the army of the Koch King Nara Narayan and Gohain Kamal in the 16th century and settled in Sadiya overtime. [3] Most of these Sonowal Kacharis migrated from Sadiya during the early 19th century and resided in the forested area between the Buri Dihing and Dibru rivers of Matak territories. [4] Today, 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.
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] [5] 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. [6]
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