The Tai Khamtis of the Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh and North Lakhimpur in upper Assam are a branch of the great 'Tai' or 'Shan' race of Southeast Asia and trace their origin to Western China.
By Tai people, we mean the Thai, the Lao, the Shan, the Dai and the Tai. Tai people have preserved in their folk tales and tradition a sense of common origin, which is evident in their language and culture. Despite variations in dialect and accents over the years leading to their divergence, there still is some degree of mutual understanding among them.
"Tai' first appeared in Chinese history in Shanzi and Honan as early as BC 2515¹ and was the only hereditary title of rank enjoyed by the highest aristocracy in ancient China. Thus, Tai means a respectable and independent personage in address, implying great power and hence political freedom from subjection. The first kingdom of the Tai in recorded history was the Tsu Kingdom, which was established between BC 2000 and 1500.
Khamti means 'Land of Gold' (Khamgold, Ti-place), the region being said to be extremely rich in gold. The Tai who settled in Khamti Long in the fourteenth century at Putao on the banks of the Nam Kiu river (Irrawaddy) themselves came to be known as Khamti.
They migrated to Assam in the later half of the 18th century from Khamti Long in Northern Myanmar and settled along the Tengapani river near Sadiya, with the sanction of the Ahom kings. Later on, they ousted the reigning Ahom Governor known as the 'Sadiya Khuwa Gohain' and usurped his title, reducing the local Assamese to slavery. The Assam Government being too weak to resist, acknowledged the Khamti chief as 'Sadiya Khuwa Gohain'.
With the annexation of Sadiya to the British colonial administration, the Khamtis migrated to other parts of the North Eastern region in early 1869. According to a treaty signed between the British and the Khamtis, the Khamtis were empowered to rule the areas in the foothills of the Himalayas, east of Kundil Mukh, in return for their allegiance and help to the British in case of foreign invasion from the Southeast.
The majority of the Khamtis led by their chief Chow Phahom Namsoam, settled near the Tengapani river (Nam soam or sour water) where he built a Buddhist temple covered in gold leaf. The village derived its name from the golden temple and came to be known as Chongkham (Golden temple). The Khamtis are divided into innumerable clans, each clan having its own village and Chowpha (king) and the size of the village depending on the strength of the clan.
They are followers of Theravada Buddhism (Hinayana) and each village has a Chong (temple), a Kongmu (pagoda) and resident monks who double up as teachers, teaching the youth to read and write in the Tai and Pali script. Monks play an important role in the community and are highly respected.
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