WELCOME TO THE “KARBI” BLOG!
Posted by Administrator on October 17, 2009
[BEST VIEW IN 1024 X 768 ]
Please click HERE to view the survey result and HERE to vote
Welcome to my world of Karbis! This blog was started with the sole aim to provide necessary information needed to know and understand the sociological structure of the Karbis. Karbis are an ethnic tribal group scattered in North East India with a concentration in Assam. Once they were believed to have lived on the banks of the rivers the Kalang and the Kopili and the entire Kajiranga area, the famous National Park situated in Assam.
In fact the word Kaziranga as it is known today has been derived from a Karbi word, ‘Kajir-a-rong’, which means “Kajir’s Village” or “Kajiror-gaon”. Kajir is a female name among the Karbis.
It is also said that the great Mayong kingdom originated from the days of Xunyta Singha, a Karbi Youth. There is a story which cites that this youth was very handsome and possessed all qualities of a king, which infact coincide with the claims of the Karbis to be the earliest settler of the area around Kolong Rivers. Mayong could be from the Karbi word ma-e-ong-kerai-adim, meaning maternal uncle’s kingdom, which infact the whole of dumra area around the kolong was once known by the Karbis
General Information about the Karbis
Total Population of Karbis in Karbi Anglong District : 3,53,513 ( 2001 Census).However the actual population figure of the tribe for the whole of NE of India is projected to be more than 800, 000.
Sex Ratio : 180136 males to 173377 females i.e 96 females for every 100 males. ( 2001 Census)
Population Distribution ( Age wise) :
-
20 % ( aged between 18 to 30)
-
32 % ( aged from 31and beyond)
-
48 % ( aged between 0 to 17)
Religion wise Break-up
Hindu = 84.64 %
Christian = 15 %
Others = 0.36 %
( Source: 2001 Census Report, Goverment of India)
NOTE: This is an open source information on the Karbis. Visitors are requested to give thier comments and enrich the articles appearing in the blog. They are also free to quote the articles provided they acknowledge the blogsite.
Kardom !!!
milton terang said
Mr. Phangcho,
I am very happy that you have taken the initiative to start a website about the little known Karbi people. Very little is written about the people; and most of the books written about them are a result of poor research work, extremely bad SAMPLING work.
Some scholars are extremely notorious in “inventing” etiologies for other lesser known tribes, especially for Karbi. Their writings are highly culturally colored, therefore, very little objectivity! They are quick to come to conclusions without proper research.
I quote from your homepage, which I believe is the result of one of those faulty research works, heavy with bias, having no connection the with true karbi story. This is the same story with the etiology about “living in the branches.” Don’t they have the same connotation? MONKEY! thats the label they give to the karbi people!
milton terang said
Culture is never static but dynamic. Therefore, it is all the more important that we should protect our history. You will have realized that there are numerous etiologies that “scholars” have come up with, most of them recent ones. By now, there are so many versions of our history so that it becomes a gigantic task to find out which ones are closest to the original.
Unless we try to recover our original story, in no time we will get assimilated with larger societies and be forgotten forever from the face of the earth.
DST said
Hi Milton,
These few days I am here in Ghy so I am getting to reply to you as quickly as possible.
You are right again. Oral histories are always tinged with confusing interpretations. Our best chances now exist only in recording (audio and video)all the existing versions of folk songs, legends, ritual practices etc. and make an inventory at the earliest. Put them to text, transliterate and publish. There is no way out.
As you have said, culture is dynamic, by this I understand we need to know and appreciate more of other peoples’ cultures to know our own. There is no scope to be exclusive to get our ‘original’. Its therefore a long way and it is certainly not a one-man job. I am looking forward to more concerned people to work on the project. Please kindly use your network to spread the message. Something can happen.
Kardom and thanks a lot.
Happy X-Mas and Happy New Year!
Philippe Ramirez said
I suggest a chapter on the Karbi language and its regional forms.
Alex said
Your blog is interesting!
Keep up the good work!
Aiyushman Dutta said
Commendable intiative!! Great content and design. All the best!
joyanto phangcho said
keep the karbi clan alive and taking it to the world is a great job. really fine
Administrator said
Hi Mr Joynato….Thanks for visiting and commenting…if you have any inputs or suggestions pl do so at your convenience…also pl kindly tell your friend circle about this modest attempt of ours so that we can together contribute something to the Karbi cause….Kardom and Jurvangthu…
Arijit Chowdhury said
The content is fabulous,but to be honest I opened this site for another purpose. Can anyone help me… I am searching one of my school friend. Sukur Singh Rongphar,we studied together in Don Bosco Hojai. Only clue I have is that one of his elder brother is named Ram Rongphar, and he has some political activity. If anyone finds him please lemme know. My cell is 9903855339
Administrator said
Thank you Arijit…anyway…please give us sometime to locate the contact no of the person you’re looking for.
Arijit Chowdhury said
Dear Sir, its nice to see that this site is getting popular by the day. Congrats.. Any information on Sukur Singh Rongphar…
Michael S. Amkachi said
The karbi blog is really interesting and enriching.I’ve read almost the whole thing of it.It would also be nice to have in karbi about the news and culture.
It would also be nice to have the dictionary in karbi ,the karbi official grammar and the rich karbi proverbs. If it has already existed please let me know. I am interested.
Kardom!
Administrator said
Dear friend Michael,
Thank you for your visit to our blog and thank you for showing interest in Karbi grammar and dictionary. If you’re already in Amkachi, Fr Joseph Teron also knows about the situation in Karbi language. We have many ‘grammars’ but technically they are not correct. Proverb books are there. You may contact the Karbi Lammet Amei or its officials (one is Mr Sikari Tisso of Diphu). They have some in their stock.
Kardom and all the best..
Anurag Rudra said
Dear Sirs
I accidentally stumbled upon this site and I must confess, I am amazed at the brilliant and commendable work being done. Your initiative of chronicling and preserving the cultural heritage of the Karbi race will not only augur a better tomorrow for the generations to come, but will also surely inspire other people to undertake such groundbreaking initiatives. Kudos!! You guys are doing an excellent job. Best wishes from my side….
I am currently pursuing my Bachelors Degree in English Literature from Cotton College, Guwahati….will surely share this wonderful and informative resource with my friends.
Love and warm regards
Anurag
Administrator said
Hi Anurag,
Kardom and thanks a lot for your visit.
CHENG LI-EH said
I would like to know if the census of 2001 was sincere enough that 80% of karbi as Hindu?.If it is so where are the bulk of karbi living in remote villages practising their own indegenous
religion?.The Hindu worship idols but The Karbi does not worship
idol nor the names of Gods or Godness worship by the Karbi had any similarity with that of the HIndu.
Administrator said
Yes….for this please read our article “Understanding Karbi Folk Religion’. And coming to your question about the ’sincerity’ of the ‘census’….it is always a politically motivated exercise where under-count and over-count are deliberately done to suit the political needs of the system/government. ‘Hinduising’ Karbis is part of the game whiich is aimed at culturally destroying all smaller ethnicities with distinct identities in order to merge them to the bigger all India identity. It is good that you are questioning the census authenticity.
CHENG LI-EH said
Good effort,it would be much better if more photos and videos Karbi people is added to it.
Administrator said
Thanks for visiting…yes…we’ll try to make the blog more meaningful keeping in mind your suggestions as well..