Boro people


The Boro is the largest ethnolinguistic group in the Assam state of India. They are a part of the greater Bodo-Kachari family of ethnolinguistic groups and are spread across northeastern India. They are concentrated mainly in the Bodoland autonomous region of Assam, though Boros inhabit all other districts of Assam.
Boros speak Boro language, a Boro-Garo language of the Tibeto-Burman family, which is recognized as one of twenty-two scheduled languages in the Indian Constitution. and over two-third of the people are bilingual, speaking Assamese as second language. The Boro along with other cognate groups of Bodo-Kachari peoples are prehistoric settlers who are believed to have migrated at least 3000 years ago. The Bodo-Kachari were also some of the first people to rear silkworms and produce silk material and were considered to be advanced in rice cultivation in Assam during this time period.
The Boro people are recognized as a plains tribe in the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, and have special powers in the Bodo Territorial Region, an autonomous division.

Etymology of ''Boro''

The Boros are sometimes known as Kacharis and Mech to others, but self-identify as Bodo or Boro, though the correct form is Boro. Boro comes from Bara-fisa, which means "son of Bara", where Bara stands for "man" or "male member" of the group.
There is a saying of Boro people, Boro hari, geder hari, meaning "Boro people, great people", So, Dalton concluded Boro means "great people". Similarly, in the Kokborok language, Borok means man, so logically Boro would mean man even in the Boro language. Brahma opines that Boro might have originated from the Tibetan word Hbrog or Hbrogok, meaning Man. Generally, the word Boro means a man, in the wider sense Boro means a human being in the languages used by Bodo-Kachari peoples.

Language

The Boro language is a member of the Sino-Tibetan language family. It belongs to the Boro-Garo group of the Assam-Burmese branch of the Sino-Tibetan family.

Religion

Boros were polytheist. They worshiped dozens of Hindu deities like Siva, Durga, Kali, Ram and Krishna along with tribal deities like Bathou or Shijou, Mainao, Mairong and Agrang. In 1971, about 95% of Boros were Hindus and 5% were Christians.
Traditionally, Boros practiced Bathouism, which is the worshiping of forefathers, known as Obonglaoree. The shijou tree is taken as the symbol of Bathou and worshiped. It is also claimed as the supreme god. In the Boro language, Ba means five and thou means deep. Since Boros believe in the five mighty elements of God – land, water, air, fire, and ether – the number five has become significant in the Bathou religion.
The Shijou tree is encircled by eighteen pairs of ornamental bamboo sticks and five pairs of rings of bamboo. In front of Shijou, within the bamboo ring, there is a "dove heart".
According to Bathouism, before the creation of the universe there was simply a great void, in which the supreme being 'Aham Guru', Anan Binan Gosai or Obonglaoree existed formlessly. Aham Guru became tired of living a formless existence and desired to live in flesh and blood. He descended on this great void with all human characteristics and created the universe.
In addition to Bathouism, Boro people also follow Hinduism, especially Hoom Jaygya. For this worship through fire ceremony, a clean surface near a home or courtyard is prepared. Usually, worship offerings include a betel nut called a 'goi' and a betel leaf called a 'pathwi' or 'bathwi' and rice, milk, and sugar. Another important Hindu festival, the Kherai Puja, where an altar is placed in a rice field, is the most important festival of the Boros. However, caste and dowry practices are not practiced by the majority of Boro Hindus, who follow a set of rules called Brahma Dharma.
Some Boro people practice Christianity, predominantly Baptism. The major associations are the Boro Baptist Convention and Boro Baptist Church Association. Other denominations include the Church of North India, Lutheranism, the Believers' Church, Roman Catholicism, and Pentecostalism. Most Boro Christians' practices are a mixture of tribal and Christian traditions.

Occupation and Population distribution

Boros are mostly settled farmers. Boro farmers also have traditional irrigation called Dong system.

Folk tradition and mythology

The history of the Boro people can be explained from folk traditions. According to Padma Bhushan winner Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, mythologically, Boros are "the offspring of son of the Vishnu and Mother-Earth" who were termed "Kiratas" during the Epic period. Basumatary, the largest sub-tribe of Boro means Sons of the Soil.

History

According to Hodgson, since the people who were known as Kacharis and Mech to others called themselves Boro, and also the Kachari chief deities, Siju, Mairong, and Agrang, are also Mech deities, the term Boro is the proper designation for the tribes. The exonym Mech originated from the Sanskrit word Mleccha. Boros were repeatedly called as Mleccha or Mech. According to Alamgirnamah, Cooch Behar was inhabited by Koch and Mech. In ancient Sanskrit literatures, Boros were called as Kiratas and Mlecchas. Copperplate land grant inscription related to Ramca and Mahalia Kacharis were found

Important clans

The important clans of Boros are: Aroi or Ari or Ary is suffix used for clan.
  1. Swarg-Aroi; In Sanskrit, Swarga means heaven. The clan is heaven folk. The clan never worked as cultivators. They were also known as Deoris and Ojhas.
  2. Basumati-Aroi; In Sanskrit, Basumati means earth. The clan is earth folk. The clan had certain privileges over land not possessed by others. Basumatary, the largest sub-tribe of Boro also mean Sons of the Soil.
  3. Ramsa-Aroi; The clan is Ramsa folk. Ramsa is a village in Betna Mouza, Undivided Kamrup. Ramsa is a hill in Kharguli, Kamrup. Ram-sa is the name by which Kacharis living in the plains were known to their brethren in the hills.
  4. Mahalia-Aroi; Mahalia Kacharis came to known as Mahilari.
  5. Hajo-Aroi; Many Boros worshiped Raja Hajo. Hajoari related to Hajo. Hajo means Hill.

    Notable people