The
Tai Khamti (
Thai:
ชาวไทคำตี่,
Chao Tai Kam Dtee) (
Burmese:
ခန္တီးရှမ်းလူမျိုး,
Hkamti Shan) (
Shan language: တႆး ၶမ်းတီႈ
[tai˥˩]) (
Khamti : တဲး ၵံးတီႈ) or simply
Khamti as they are also known, are a sub-group of the
Tai peoples found in the
Sagaing Division,
Hkamti District in northwestern
Burma as well as
Namsai district and
Changlang district of
Arunachal Pradesh in
India. Smaller numbers can be found in the
Lakhimpur district of
Assam and possibly in some parts of
China.
According to the census of India (2011) the Khamtis have a population
of 140,31, out of which 12,925 live in Arunachal Pradesh and 1,106 in
Assam. However in Myanmar their total population is estimated at 200,000
people
1. The tribe's name is also spelled
Khampti by the
Assamese.
The Tai Khamtis who inhabit the region around the Tengapani basin
were descendants of migrants who came during the 18th century from the
Hkamti region, the mountainous valley of the
Irrawaddy. The Khamti possess
South East Asian features.
The Tai-Khamti are followers of
Theravada Buddhism. The Tai-Khamti adopted a script of Shan (Tai) origin, known as Lik-Tai for their language.
[1] Their mother tongue is known as
Khamti language.
Society
The
Khamti society is divided into classes, each signifying distinct status
in the social hierarchy. The chiefs occupy the highest positions,
followed by the priests, who wield considerable influence over all
ranks. In the past, the slaves constituted the lowest rank.
The name "Chao Tai Kam Dtee" should be written as "Chao Tai Kham Tee"
Culture
Lifestyle and customs
The Tai-Khamti are very strong believers of
Theravada Buddhism.
Every house has a prayer room and they pray every morning and evening
by offerings flowers (nam taw yongli) and food (khao tang som). They are
peace-loving people.
Houses of the Tai-Khampti are built on raised floors with thatched
roofs. The roofs are constructed so low that the walls remain concealed.
Wooden planks are used for flooring and the walls are made of bamboo
splices.
The Khamti are settled agriculturists. They use the plough (Thaie)
drawn by a single animal, either an oxen or a buffalo or even an
elephant in olden days.
The Khamti raise crops such as paddy rice (khow), mustard/sesame
seeds (nga) and potato (man- kala). Their staple food is rice, usually
supplemented by vegetables, meat and fish. They also drink a beer made
from rice (low) as a beverage which is not served during festivals. Some
of the well known dishes are
khao puk (made out of sticky rice and sesame seeds),
khao lam (bamboo rice),
paa sa (fresh river fish soup with special herbs),
paa som, and
nam som among others. Beef is considered taboo.
[2]
Language and Script
Khamti
is a Southwestern Tai language spoken in Myanmar and India by the
Khamti people. It is a Daic language, specifically Kadai, Kam-Tai,
Tai, Southwestern, Northwest branch. The language seems to have
originated around Mogoung in Upper Myanmar. It is closely related to
Thai and Lao languages.
Three dialects of Khamti are known: North Burma Khamti, Assam Khamti
and Sinkaling Khamti. All speakers of Khamti are bilingual, largely in
Assamese and Burmese.
Currently there are about 200,000 Khamti speakers in Myanmar and
130,00 in Northeastern part of India (Arunachal Pradesh and Assam areas)
The Tai Khamtis have their own writing character called
Lik-Tai.
Tai-Khampti alphabet, which is in pristine form, closely resembles
Northern Shan alphabet of Myanmar with some of the letters taking
somewhat divergent shapes. Their script is evidently derived from the
Lik Hto Ngauk script since hundreds of years ago . There are 35 letters
including 17 consonants and 14 vowels. The script is traditionally
taught in monasteries on different subjects like - Tripitaka, Jataka
tales, Code of conduct, doctrines and philosophy, history, law codes,
astrology and palmistry etc. The first printed book was published in
1960. In 1992 it was edited by the Tai Literature Committee, Chongkham.
And in 2003 it was again modified with tone marking by the scholars of
Northern Myanmar and Arunachal Pradesh.
Dress
The
traditional Khamti dress of men wear a full sleeved cotton shirt (siu
pachai) and multi coloured lungi (phanoi). The women's dresses consists
of a blouse (siu pasao), a deep-coloured long skirt (sinn) made from
cotton or silk, and a coloured silk scarf(famai). However, married woman
have a different dress code to depict their marital status. They are
seen in plain black long wrap around skirt (sinn) and above that wears a
shorter green wrap around skirt (langwat).
Their jewelry consists of bright amber earrings, coral, beaded
necklaces and love wearing gold ornaments. The Khamti men usually tattoo
their bodies.
The Khamti tie their hair into a large knot, which is supported by a
white turban (Fa-ho). The chiefs wear a long coat made of silk. The hair
is drawn up from the back and sides in one massive roll, measuring four
to five inches in length. An embroidered band, the fringed and tasseled
ends of which hang down behind, encircles the roll.
Arts
The Khamti
are renowned for their craftsmanship. Their sword (known as pha-nap).
Their priests are also known to be amateur craftsmen, who use wood, bone
or ivory to carve out religious statues
It is believed that by shaping ivory handles of weapons they will
evince great skill. Their weapons include poisoned bamboo spikes
(panjis), spear, bow and arrow, sword, and shield, usually made of
rhinoceros or buffalo hide. The Khamti also have firearms which resemble
old flint muskets and horse pistols. The sword is carried on the
frontal part of the body, so that its hilt can be grasped in the right
hand if needed.
Dance and Drama
The
Tai Khamti dance "Ka Poong Tai" is one of the main dramatic art form of
the Tai Khamtis. Unlike many forms of traditional Arunachali dance, the
Khamti dance is a dance drama, expressively and elegantly reflect the
rich culture of the Khamti Buddhists. All the traditional folk dances of
the Tai khamtis have their roots in South Asian countries like Thailand
and Myanmar. The community has many folk dances and each dance has
religious background behind them. Some of the popular Tai khamti dance
drama are: 1. Peacock Dance: Also known as Kaa Kingnara Kingnari is a
prominent dance among the Tai Khamti tribe. This dance is a Buddhistic
belief in nature which depict the slow and gracious dance of mythical
half human and half peacock that existed in the Himalayas. 2. Cock Fight
Dance: Also known as 'Kaa Kong Tou Kai' is a popular dance of Tai
Khamti tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. It is performed by two or four people
who wear a head gear shaped like the head of the cock, accompanied by
the beats of Drum (Kongpat), Cymbals (Paiseng) and a set of Gongs
(Mong-Seing). This dance usually shows a fight between two cocks and is
inspired by the ancient tradition of entertaining the king with a cock
fight. 3. Deer Dance : According to the legendary story, deer-dancing
(Kaa-Toe) in the month of October (Nuen-Sip-Eit) is a celebration of the
light festival based on the story of the spirits of the people and
animals welcoming the return of Buddha after his preaching and thanks
giving to his mother and other spirit in spiritual world. This dancing
of Ka-Toe is in fact a Buddhist belief and religious in nature. 4. Demon
Dance : The demon dance 'Kaa Phi Phai' in khamti language is another
prominent dance and is performed on important social and religious
occasions. The theme of this dance revolves around the attainment of the
enlightenment by Lord Buddha despite attempts of 'Mara', the king of
evil spirits to disturb deep meditation of the Lord. Kaa Phi Phai
symbolises the victory of the holy over the evil and marks the Buddha's
attainment of 'Nirvana'.
Festivals
Sangken
is the main festival of Khamti. It is celebrated on 14 April. You can
check out the true colors of secular India at the Sangken festival where
people irrespective of their tribe, caste, culture, race, etc.,
participate in the rituals of the celebrations.
The main attraction of the festival is splashing clean water, which
is the symbol of peace and purity. The images of Buddha are taken out
and after the ceremonial bath. The procession is accompanied by drums,
dances and enjoyment. This holy bath of lord Buddha is an auspicious
event in the festival. The celebration takes place for three consecutive
days. During the celebration the locals make homemade sweet and
distribute them. The exchange of gifts is also a common trait of the
festival.
There are festivals other than Sangken celebrated throughout the year
calendar. Some of the festivals are namely: [POI-PEE-MAU(Tai Khampti
New Year)], MAI-KASUNG-PHAI, KHAO-WA, POAT-WA, etc.
