Khamti (people)

Khamti society is divided into classes, each of which determines a position in the hierarchy system. Leaders and clergymen occupy the highest position in society and have influence on all other classes of society. Khamti are settled in 7 villages, located mainly by the rivers. Traditional houses resemble Burmese ones: on stilts, with walls made of bamboo strips and four-pitched roofs made of grass and dry leaves. The roofs are built so low that the walls remain hidden. The entrance to the house is through a terrace to which a staircase leads. The village is governed by a council of elders who elects a headman. Preserved patrilineal birth - hens. The family is monogamous, there are undivided families. Cross-knit marriage is common. Sons share the inheritance from the father equally.

Khamti, who inhabit the Tengapani basin, are descendants of migrants who came from the Bor Khamti region in the 18th century. Together with a wave of peoples, the Thai Khamti appeared in Burma and northeast India at the turn of our era. They migrated to the area of ​​modern habitat at the end of the 18th century ^[3] .

Farming

The main occupation is irrigated arable farming (rice, potatoes, mustard, jute, vegetables). To plow the land, they use a plow harnessed by an ox or elephant. Bred buffaloes and poultry. Engaged in the same fishing, sometimes hunting. Rice, fish and vegetables are the main food of Khamti. The folk drink is rice beer. Fishing - catching and taming wild elephants for sale.

Crafts

Traditional crafts - weaving, weaving, carpentry and blacksmithing, wood and ivory carving, silver work. Khamti are known for their craftsmanship, especially the production of knives. Their weapons have a high level, as they say, due to the ivory handle. Khamti is famous for the production of bamboo spikes, spears, bows and arrows, swords and shields, which are made mainly from the skins of a rhino or buffalo. They also have firearms, such as flintlock muskets or revolvers. The sword is worn on the belt in such a position that it is convenient to remove it with the right hand from the sheath if necessary. Trade exchanges with neighboring peoples and lowland Assamese are well developed.

Traditional Clothing

Burmese-style clothing: for men - longs and a spacious cotton shirt with long sleeves; for women, dresses consist of a sweater and a dark long skirt made of cotton or silk, and a colored silk scarf. Women wear silver and gold jewelry, colored beads of bright red amber, beads, pearls and coral. Khamti men usually tattoo their bodies. They tie the hair in a large knot, which is supported by a white turban.

Taya Khamti are staunch followers of Theravada Buddhist school. Each house has a prayer room where they pray in the morning and in the evening, offering flowers and food to the Buddha. Khamti is very peaceful.

Shanken is the main festival of Khamti. It takes place on April 14 in honor of the celebration of the New Year. This festival is celebrated with splendor and splendor, during which people, regardless of their tribe, culture, class and gender, participate in the rituals of the celebrations. The main ritual is spraying water, which is a symbol of peace and purity. The procession is accompanied by drum music, dancing and entertainment. The festival lasts three days in a row. During the celebrations, people make homemade sweets and treat them to each other, or give gifts to each other. Khamti conduct numerous celebrations and ceremonies, mainly related to episodes of the life of the Buddha .

• Peoples and religions of the world : Encyclopedia / Ch. ed. V.A. Tishkov . - M.: Big Russian Encyclopedia, 1998, - 928s.
• Peoples of the World: Historical and Ethnographic Handbook . Yu. V. Bromley , S.A. Arutyunov . - “The Soviet Encyclopedia”, 1988. Pp. 242.
• Peoples of the world: Ethnographic essays. - St. Petersburg, 1966. Pages. 361.

• Ethnologue profile