Roots of Khasis

Pre-historic megaliths and tools discovered in Meghalaya’s Ri-Bhoi district indicate that the Khasi tribe had made the State their home since around 1200 BCE.

• Excavations carried out near Lummawbuh village in the northern slopes of Sohpetbneng (Heaven’s Naval) peak near the NH-40 revelaed these facts.
• Archealogists have found megalithic structures, and iron implements that date back to the prehistoric period in the ridge spreading over 1.5 k.m.

Key facts:

• The Khasi people are an indigenous tribe, the majority of whom live in the State of Meghalaya, with a significant population in the border areas of the neighbouring state of Assam, and in certain parts of Bangladesh.
• They call themselves Ki Khun U Hynñiewtrep, which means “The Children of The Seven Huts” in their language.
• Their language, also called Khasi, is categorized as the northernmost language under the Austroasiatic family stock. The Khasi language was essentially oral until the arrival of Christian missionaries.
• The Khasi people form the majority of the population of the eastern part of Meghalaya, and is the state’s largest community.
• Though the majority of the 85% Khasi populace have embraced Christianity, a substantial minority of the Khasi people still follow and practice their age old indigenous religion, which is known as “Ka Niam Khasi”.
• The Khasi people designed and built the famous living root bridges of the Cherrapunjee region.
• Under the Constitution of India, the Khasis have been granted the status of Scheduled Tribe.
• A unique feature of the Khasi people is that they follow the matrilineal system of descent and inheritance.