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Dimasa | |
|---|---|
 Barman Dimasa girls perform Baidima, the traditional dance of Dimasa. | |
| Total population | |
| 262,413 (2011 Census) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 India (Assam) | 142,961 (2011, Dimasa-Kachari,in hill districts of Assam only)[1] |
| Languages | |
| Dimasa | |
| Religion | |
| Predominanty:Suaithai/Sowaithai, Dimasa folk religion (Folk religion)[2] Minority: syncretism ofSuaithai &Hinduism byDimasas of Cachar For more details, seeReligion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| otherTibeto-Burman peoples (Chakma people,Naga,Chin,Jinpho,Tripuri,Bamar) | |
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TheDimasa people orDimasa Kachari people are an ethnolinguistic community presently inhabiting inAssam andNagaland states inNortheastern India. They speakDimasa, aTibeto-Burman language. This community is fairly homogeneous and exclusive, with members required to draw from both parents' separate clans. TheDimasa kingdom, one of many early states inAssam following the downfall ofKamarupa kingdom, was established by these people.[6]
The Dimasas are one of the oldest inhabitants of the Northeastern part of India and are one of the manyKachari tribes.
Dimasa appear to be one of the earliest indigenous ethnic groups of northeastern India. They are a part of the greaterBodo-Kachari family of ethnolinguistic groups of Northeast India which includesBoro,Tripuri,Rabha,Garo,Tiwa,Koch,Moran etc. peoples of northeast India. They speakDimasa language aBoro-Garo language of theTibeto-Burman family.
It stands forDi-ma-sa meaningpeople of big waters[7] referring to the stream of upper tributary of Brahmaputra i.e.Lohit (known asDilao in Dimasa),[8] which is in Arunachal today. There is also an endonym within the tribe called asHa-Tseng-Tsa orHa-Cheng-Sa meaningpeople of the soil/sand.Ha-Tseng-Sa could have been the original name of the tribe before setting down in the valley between Dilao (Lohit) and Tsang river (Brahmaputra). This is reflected in the folk lores of Dimasa royal clans as well as in the descent and titles of the King.
Ancient Dimasa tradition maintains that sixty thousand (60,000) Moon months (Lunar months) ago, they left their ancestral land when it suffered a severedrought. After long wandering, they settled atDi-lao-bra Tsangi-bra, the confluence of the Dilao (Lohit river) and Sangi or Di-tsang (Brahamputra), they were instrumental in establishing theDimasa kingdom a traditional kingdom in the Brahmaputra valley, where they held a great assembly the Dimasa kingdom lost its eastern control after theAhom kingdom of theTai Ahom people invaded the Brahmaputra valley. .[9]
The Dimasas were till recently agricultural, centering on shifting agriculture; but in recent times this has changed with profound changes in the community.[10] Following political problems in the 18th century, the Dimasa ruler moved further south in the plains of Cachar and there took place a division among them–with the hills Dimasa maintaining their traditional living and political exclusiveness, the plains Dimasas have made no attempt to assert themselves.[11]
Based on cultural and religious differences, The Dimasa people are classified into two separate groups. The Dimasas of highlands are recognized officially as "Dimasa" in documents while theDimasa diaspora in the plains ofCachar who converted to Hinduism in 19th century are known as Barmans and formally recognized as "Barmans in Cachar" by Government to distinguish them from Barman Kacharis, a distinct group living in western Assam.[12] The Dimasas, inhabiting in the Cachar district are officially recognized as one of theScheduled Tribes under the plains category inAssam in the name called “Barmans in Cachar”.
They live mostly inDima Hasao District, an administrative autonomous district of the Indian state ofAssam that includes the ravines of theJatinga Valley and Dhansiri Valley,Diphu City and Howraghat region ofKarbi Anglong district (East), West Karbi Anglong,Kampur region ofNagaon district,Hojai district,Cachar district, Hailakandi district, Karimganj district ofAssam andDimapur district ofNagaland and parts inJiribam district ofManipur respectively.
The Dimasa are still following the ancient animistic/shamanic faith. A syncretism of the traditional faith and Hinduism can be seen in Dimasas inhabiting Cachar.
kailash Kumar Chhetri (Ecological Significance of the Traditional Beliefs and Practices of Dimasa Tribe, 2001) has also written while mentioning the Dimasa life system. Dimasa people has its unique social system. This social system has its own culture, tradition, and religious beliefs and practices, which are related to the land and nature of their residence. Land and nature are the source of their economy, culture, history, and Dharmic heritage.
Regarding the Dimasa belief, on the one hand, Sidney Endley (The Kacharies, 1911:33), declaring it animistic, has written that, as a rule, neither idols nor worship is found in a typical Dimasa village, But in the mind and imagination of the Dimasa the earth, air, and sky alike are inhabited by a large number of invisible spiritual beings, commonly known as Madai.
On the other hand, Humi Thousen (2019) has cited various references of Dipali Danda (Among the Dimasas of Assam, 1988) and S.K. Barpujari (History of the Dimasas from the Earliest times to 1896, 1997), Using it, it is written that six gods, who are considered as the ancestral deities of the Dimasas, have authority over the entire Dimasa land. Thus came the concept of 'Area God' among the Dimasas. As the entire Dimasa land is under their control, hence they have unstructured mythological shrines in different areas of the traditional Dimasa area. It is believed that the gods and goddesses living in a particular sacred area protect the people there and control their destiny. These unstructured shrines are called Daikho, whose number is widely believed to be twelve. As an actual empirical fact in the Dimasas, the concept of Madai as the supreme God and Daikho as the house of that God is found. The meaning of Daikho is made up of two words Madai or Dai and Kho, which is considered as the house of God. Hence, it is clear that Dimasa Kachari also gives an important place in their Dharmic structure to the twelve Daikhos present in their entire region along with various abstract states. Dimasa Life: Dharmic Beliefs, Systems[13]
TheDimasa language is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Dimasa people in Assam and Nagaland, India. It belongs to the Boro-Garo group of Kachari-Kachin-Konyak(SAL languages) sub-branch and is closely related to languages like Boro, Kokborok, and Garo. Dimasa is agglutinative, forming words through processes such as prefixation, suffixation, compounding, reduplication, and onomatopoeia. It has a rich phonological system with six vowels and sixteen consonants and uses both Latin and Eastern Nagari scripts for writing. As of the 2011 census, there are approximately 137,184 native speakers of Dimasa, though the language is considered vulnerable due to limited use outside the home environment.[14][15]
The traditional village headman, who is at the top of the village administration, is a Khunang. He has both executive and judiciary powers.He is assisted by another official called the Dillik (Assistant Headman). Next to him is Daulathu who occupies the third place. Next to the Daulathu is the Haphaisgao, who holds office for two years. Other village officials include Phrai, Montri, Hangsbukhu, and Jalairao.[16]
The Dimasas form a "sealed" society—every member drawing his or her patriarchal lineage from one of the forty two male clans (sengphong—"holder of the sword") and the matriarchal lineage from one of the forty-two female clans (jalik orjulu).[17] These clans are distributed among twelve territorial "sacred groves" calleddaikhos.
Dimasa men are divided into 40 patriarchal clans. These are:[18][19]
Since 1994 as per the decision of Dimasa community of Dima Hasao, the Autonomous Council of Dima Hasao had officially declared 27 January asBusu Dima festival day.[20]
The male Dimasa use only two types of ornaments namely Yaocher and Kharik.
Females use:[21]
The dance forms of the Dimasa Kachari are complex in character.[23]
Any Dimasa dance is called Baidima ( Bai-means dance, Dima-means Dimasa).[24]
Ahom [aho]
Census Data Finder/C Series/Population by Religious Communities
2011census/C-01/DDW00C-01 MDDS.XLS
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| Arunachal Pradesh | ||
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| Sikkim | ||
| Kuki tribes including: | ||
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