Dimasa - Kachari musicians playing Muri flute and Khram drums!

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• published: 08 Feb 2013
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Kachari is a generic term applied to a number of ethnic groups predominantly in Assam speaking Tibeto-Burman languages or claiming a common ancestry. The Dimasa people (or Dima-basa, and also called Dimasa-Kachari) are a group of people in Assam, in northeastern India. Dimasa mythology says they are the children of Bangla Raja and the great divine bird Arikhidima. Bangla Raja's six sons—Sibrai, Doo Raja, Naikhu Raja, Waa Raja, Gunyung Brai Yung, and Hamyadao—and Arikhidima are their ancestors, and in Dimasa belief, are ancestral Gods. They are called Madai in Dimasa. Evil spirits born of the seven eggs of Arikhidima are responsible for disease, suffering and natural calamities. Ancient Dimasa tradition maintains that sixty thousand moons (Lunar months) ago, they left their ancestral land when it suffered a severe drought. After a long wandering, they settled at Di-laobra Sangibra, the confluence of the Brahmaputra and Sangi or Di-tsang. There they held a great assembly. The place is the present West Bengal area where the River Ganges and the Brahmaputra join, and where the Kacharis established their first Seat. Over time, their kingdom over large territories. The Dimasa are part of the greater Kachari group—one of the ancient Kachari tribes. They live mostly in the northern half of the Dima Hasao District, an administrative district of the Indian state of Assam that includes the ravines of the Jatinga valley and adjoining land. The name 'Dimasa' most probably stands for "children of the big river," referring to earstwhile on the seashore or on the bank of big river. Kacharis appear to be one of the earliest indigenous ethnic groups of north eastern India. Most independent tribal communities in this region are of Kachari origin. The Boro, Rabha, Sonowal, Thengal, Dimasa, Garo, Hajong, Deori, Sutiya, Tiwa or Lalung, Hojai, Barman of Kachar, Trippra, Mech, Rukkini Barman of Hailakandi and Karimganj etc. are all of Kachari origin. Dimasa Kachari are mainly found in the present-day Dima Hasao District (Old name "North Cachar Hills") of Assam. They also have a sizable population in Cachar, Karbi Anglong, Nowgong and Karimganj Districts of the Assam State and also Dimapur region of Nagaland state. In Cachar,following the formal conversion of their king Krishna Chandra Hasnusa to Hinduism general Dimasa have largely adopted Hinduism. These new converts to Hinduism are called Barman of Cachar. On the other hand in Nowgong District the Dimasa have come under the influence of Assamese Vishnavism,and there they are called Hojai Kachari (Hojai is also a name of a Dimasa male clan. This term is also stands for the priest). In Dima Hasao district, a section of the Dimasa called Semsas is confined within the historical village named Semkhor,they eventually developed a distinct dialect. Similar minor distinction exists within the Dimasa based on the region they inhabit like Hawarsa, Dembrasa, Hamrisa, Dijuwasa and Hasaosa and Walgongsa. This footage is part of the professionally-shot broadcast stock footage archive of Wilderness Films India Ltd., the largest collection of imagery from South Asia. The Wilderness Films India collection comprises of thousands of hours of high quality broadcast imagery, mostly shot on HDCAM 1080i High Definition, HDV and XDCAM. Write to us for licensing this footage on a broadcast format, for use in your production! We are happy to be commissioned to film for you or else provide you with broadcast crewing and production solutions across South Asia. We pride ourselves in bringing the best of India and South Asia to the world... Reach us at wfi @ vsnl.com and admin@wildfilmsindia.com