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{{short description|Ethnolinguistic group in Assam and Nagaland, India}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{more citations needed|date=October 2020}}
{{Essay|date=September 2020}}
}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Dimasa Kachari
| population = 262,413 (2011 Census)
| region1 = {{flagcountry|India}} ([[Assam]])
| pop1 = 142,961 (2011, Dimasa-Kachari,in hill districts of Assam only)
| ref1 = <ref>{{cite web |title=ST-14 Scheduled Tribe Population By Religious Community - Assam |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/SCST-Series/ST14/ST-18-00-014-DDW-2011.XLS |website=census.gov.in |access-date=29 February 2020}}</ref>
| languages = [[Dimasa language|Dimasa]]
| religions = Predominanty:[[Dimasa people#Religion|Suaithai/Sowaithai, Dimasa folk religion]] ([[Folk religion]])<ref>{{Cite web |title=Daikhos of Dimasas: The Regional Form of Practice and Dharma|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/378794218_Daikhos_of_Dimasas_The_Regional_Form_of_Practice_and_Dharma}}</ref><br>
Minority: syncretism of [[Dimasa people#Religion|Suaithai]] & [[Hinduism]] by [[Barmans in Cachar|Dimasas of Cachar]]<br />For more details, see [[Dimasa people#Religion|Religion]]
| footnotes =
| native_name = Dimasa
| native_name_lang =
| image = Barman Dimasa Girl.jpg
| caption = Barman Dimasa girls perform Baidima, the traditional dance of Dimasa.
| related = other [[Tibeto-Burman languages|Tibeto-Burman peoples]]<br />
([[Chakma people]], [[Naga people|Naga]], [[Chin people|Chin]], [[Jingpo people|Jinpho]], [[Tripuri people|Tripuri]], [[Bamar people|Bamar]])
}}
The '''Dimasa people''' or '''Dimasa Kachari people''' are an ethnolinguistic community presently inhabiting in [[Assam]] and [[Nagaland]] states in [[Northeast India|Northeastern India]]. They speak [[Dimasa language|Dimasa]], a [[Tibeto-Burman language]]. This community is fairly homogeneous and exclusive, with members required to draw from both parents' separate clans. The [[Dimasa kingdom]], one of many early states in [[Assam]] following the downfall of [[Kamarupa kingdom]], was established by these people.<ref>"Another local kingdom ... was that of the Dimasas in the north Cachar hills. They were known to the Ahoms as Timisa, clearly a corruption of Dimasa..." {{harvcol|Shin|2020|p=61}}</ref>

The Dimasas are one of the oldest inhabitants of the Northeastern part of India and are one of the many [[Kachari tribe]]s.

Dimasa appear to be one of the earliest indigenous ethnic groups of northeastern India. They are a part of the greater [[Kachari tribe|Bodo-Kachari]] family of ethnolinguistic groups of Northeast India which includes [[Boro people|Boro]], [[Tripuri people|Tripuri]], [[Rabha people|Rabha]], [[Garo people|Garo]], [[Tiwa Puebloans|Tiwa]], [[Koch people|Koch]], [[Moran people|Moran]] etc. peoples of northeast India. They speak [[Dimasa language|Dimasa]] language a [[Boro–Garo languages|Boro-Garo]] language of the [[Tibeto-Burman]] family.

==Etymology==
It stands for ''Di-ma-sa'' meaning ''people of big waters''<ref>{{harvcol|Ramirez|2007|p=93}}</ref> referring to the stream of upper tributary of Brahmaputra i.e. [[Lohit River|Lohit]] (known as ''Dilao'' in Dimasa),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thousen |first=Vandana |title=The Dimasa Narrative of Origin, Migration and Dispersal in the Rhetoric of Identity Construction. |url=https://ijrcs.org/wp-content/uploads/IJRCS202111011.pdf |website=ijrcs.org}}</ref> which is in Arunachal today. There is also an endonym within the tribe called as ''Ha-Tseng-Tsa'' or ''Ha-Cheng-Sa'' meaning ''people of the soil/sand''. ''Ha-Tseng-Sa'' could have been the original name of the tribe before setting down in the valley between Dilao ([[Lohit River|Lohit]]) and Tsang river ([[Brahmaputra River|Brahmaputra]]). This is reflected in the folk lores of Dimasa royal clans as well as in the descent and titles of the King.

==History==
Ancient Dimasa tradition maintains that sixty thousand (60,000) Moon months ([[Lunar months]]) ago, they left their ancestral land when it suffered a severe [[drought]]. After long wandering, they settled at ''Di-lao-bra Tsangi-bra'', the confluence of the Dilao ([[Lohit River|Lohit river]]) and Sangi or Di-tsang ([[Brahmaputra River|Brahamputra]]), they were instrumental in establishing the [[Dimasa kingdom]].<ref>{{Citation|last=Baruah|first=Manjeet|title=Buranjis and Sankari Culture: Language and Narrative in Pre-colonial Textual Traditions|date=2020-11-29|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003157281-4|work=Frontier Cultures|pages=41–75|publisher=Routledge India|doi=10.4324/9781003157281-4|isbn=9781003157281|s2cid=229455719|access-date=2021-11-25|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

==Cultivation==
The Dimasas were till recently agricultural, centering on shifting agriculture; but in recent times this has changed with profound changes in the community.<ref>{{harvcol|Ramirez|2007|p=94}}</ref> Following political problems in the 18th century, the Dimasa ruler moved further south in the plains of Cachar and there took place a division among them–with the hills Dimasa maintaining their traditional living and political exclusiveness, the plains Dimasas have made no attempt to assert themselves.<ref>" Culturally speaking, present-day Cachar Dimasa can hardly be distinguished from the Bengali majority and they seem to make little attempt politically to assert their identity. In the hills, however, Dimasa remained demographically dominant whilst cohabiting with Hmar-Kukis and Zemi Nagas." {{harvcol|Ramirez|2007|p=93}}</ref>

==Ethnicity==
Based on cultural and religious differences, The Dimasa people are classified into two separate groups. The Dimasas of highlands are recognized officially as "Dimasa" in documents while the '''Dimasa''' diaspora in the plains of [[Cachar district|Cachar]] who converted to Hinduism in 19th century are known as Barmans and formally recognized as "Barmans in Cachar" by Government to distinguish them from Barman Kacharis, a distinct group living in western Assam.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kolb |first1=Michael R. |title=Out Of The Hills Young Dimasas and Traditional Religion |date=2019 |publisher=North Eastern Social Research Centre |location=Assam |isbn=978-81-938785-0-7 |page=30}}</ref> The Dimasas, inhabiting in the Cachar district are officially recognized as one of the [[List of Scheduled Tribes in India|Scheduled Tribes]] under the plains category in [[Assam]] in the name called “[[Barmans in Cachar]]”.

==Distribution==
{{CSS image crop
|Image = Map of the Languages and Dialects of the Bârâ or Bodo Group of the Tibeto-Burman Family (cropped).jpg
|bSize = 937
|cWidth = 200
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[[File:Kachari palace.JPG|thumb|200px|Baroduwar Dimasa Kachari Palace, Khaspur in Cachar dist]]
[[File:Symbol of Treaty between Dimasa King & Ahom king.jpg|thumb|200px|Architectural stones inscription of Dimasa King Naranarayan Hasnusa at Maibang]]

They live mostly in [[Dima Hasao District]], an administrative autonomous district of the Indian state of [[Assam]] that includes the ravines of the [[Jatinga]] Valley and Dhansiri Valley, [[Diphu]] City and Howraghat region of [[Karbi Anglong district]] (East), West Karbi Anglong, [[Kampur]] region of [[Nagaon district]], [[Hojai district]], [[Cachar district]], Hailakandi district, Karimganj district of [[Assam]] and [[Dimapur district]] of [[Nagaland]] and parts in [[Jiribam district]] of [[Manipur]] respectively.

== Religion ==
The Dimasa are still following the ancient animistic/shamanic faith. A syncretism of the traditional faith and Hinduism can be seen in Dimasas inhabiting Cachar.

kailash Kumar Chhetri (Ecological Significance of the Traditional Beliefs and Practices of Dimasa Tribe, 2001) has also written while mentioning the Dimasa life system. Dimasa people has its unique social system. This social system has its own culture, tradition, and religious beliefs and practices, which are related to the land and nature of their residence. Land and nature are the source of their economy, culture, history, and Dharmic heritage.

Regarding the Dimasa belief, on the one hand, Sidney Endley (The Kacharies, 1911:33), declaring it animistic, has written that, as a rule, neither idols nor worship is found in a typical Dimasa village, But in the mind and imagination of the Dimasa the earth, air, and sky alike are inhabited by a large number of invisible spiritual beings, commonly known as Madai.

On the other hand, Humi Thousen (2019) has cited various references of Dipali Danda (Among the Dimasas of Assam, 1988) and S.K. Barpujari (History of the Dimasas from the Earliest times to 1896, 1997), Using it, it is written that six gods, who are considered as the ancestral deities of the Dimasas, have authority over the entire Dimasa land. Thus came the concept of 'Area God' among the Dimasas. As the entire Dimasa land is under their control, hence they have unstructured mythological shrines in different areas of the traditional Dimasa area. It is believed that the gods and goddesses living in a particular sacred area protect the people there and control their destiny. These unstructured shrines are called Daikho, whose number is widely believed to be twelve. As an actual empirical fact in the Dimasas, the concept of Madai as the supreme God and Daikho as the house of that God is found. The meaning of Daikho is made up of two words Madai or Dai and Kho, which is considered as the house of God. Hence, it is clear that Dimasa Kachari also gives an important place in their Dharmic structure to the twelve Daikhos present in their entire region along with various abstract states. Dimasa Life: Dharmic Beliefs, Systems<ref>{{Cite web |title=Daikhos of Dimasas: The Regional Form of Practice and Dharma|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/378794218_Daikhos_of_Dimasas_The_Regional_Form_of_Practice_and_Dharma}}</ref>

== Language ==
{{further|Dimasa language}}The [[Dimasa language]] is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Dimasa people in Assam and Nagaland, India. It belongs to the Boro-Garo group of Kachari-Kachin-Konyak([[Sal languages|SAL languages]]) sub-branch and is closely related to languages like Boro, Kokborok, and Garo. Dimasa is agglutinative, forming words through processes such as prefixation, suffixation, compounding, reduplication, and onomatopoeia. It has a rich phonological system with six vowels and sixteen consonants and uses both Latin and Eastern Nagari scripts for writing. As of the 2011 census, there are approximately 137,184 native speakers of Dimasa, though the language is considered vulnerable due to limited use outside the home environment.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Evans |first=Jonathan P. |last2=Langthasa |first2=Dhrubajit |date=2023-01-01 |title=Dimasa language- structure and texts |url=https://www.academia.edu/55350183/Dimasa_language_structure_and_texts |journal=Language and Linguistics}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Academia Sinica - Research Findings {{!}} New Publication of "Dimasa Language: Structure and Texts" by ILAS |url=https://www.sinica.edu.tw/en/News_Content/36/2577 |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=www.sinica.edu.tw |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Culture==
=== Society ===
The traditional village headman, who is at the top of the village administration, is a Khunang. He has both executive and judiciary powers.
He is assisted by another official called the Dillik (Assistant Headman). Next to him is Daulathu who occupies the third place. Next to the Daulathu is the Haphaisgao, who holds office for two years. Other village officials include Phrai, Montri, Hangsbukhu, and Jalairao.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Haflongbar|first1=Sangeeta|last2=De|first2=Aparajita|date=2017-12-01|title=Traditional Knowledge of Plant Classification among Dimasa Tribe of Dima Hasao District, Assam, India|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.20324/nelumbo/v59/2017/115986|journal=Nelumbo|volume=59|issue=1|pages=71|doi=10.20324/nelumbo/v59/2017/115986|s2cid=134950348 |issn=0976-5069|doi-access=free|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

===Clans===
The Dimasas form a "sealed" society—every member drawing his or her patriarchal lineage from one of the forty two male clans (''sengphong''—"holder of the sword") and the matriarchal lineage from one of the forty-two female clans (''jalik'' or ''julu'').<ref>{{harvcol|Ramirez|2007|p=2007}}</ref> These clans are distributed among twelve territorial "sacred groves" called ''daikho''s.

Dimasa men are divided into 40 patriarchal clans. These are:<ref>{{Cite web|last=Surnames|first=Dimasa|date=2021-04-25|title=Dimasa language surnames {{!}} Dimasa surnames list or last name|url=https://dimasathairili.blogspot.com/2020/12/Dimasa-surnames.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-04-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201221050838/https://dimasathairili.blogspot.com/2020/12/Dimasa-surnames.html |archive-date=21 December 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Monograph Series|first=Census of India|url=http://lsi.gov.in:8081/jspui/bitstream/123456789/3161/1/44945_1961_DIM.pdf|title=Dimasa Kacharis of Assam|publisher=Government of India|year=1961|location=New Delhi}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=9em}}
* Ardaosa
* Mitherpangsa
* Diphusa
* Hagjersa
* Thaosensa
* Phonglosa
* Sengyungsa
* Raijungsa
* Bader-Baiga
* Daulagajao
* Daolagupu
* Hojaisa
* Kemprai
* Jidungsa
* Baindosa (Nunisa)
* Khersa
* Hasnu
* Haflongbar
* Bodosa/Bathari
* Hapila
* Diruwasa
* Naidingsa
* Daodunglangtha
* Karigapsa
* Joraisa
* Hasamsa
* Nabensa
* Dibragede
* Langthasa
* Girisa
* Porbosa
* Maibangsa
* Johorisa
* Sorongpang
* Gorlosa
* Hakmaosa
* Maramsa
* Jarambusa
* Labtaisa
* Laobangdisa
{{div col end}}

===Festivals===
Since 1994 as per the decision of Dimasa community of Dima Hasao, the Autonomous Council of Dima Hasao had officially declared 27 January as [[Busu Dima]] festival day.<ref>{{Citation|title=Dimasa Cachari|date=2014-01-01|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/9789004263925_007|work=Tribal Architecture in Northeast India|pages=53–55|publisher=BRILL|doi=10.1163/9789004263925_007|isbn=9789004263925|access-date=2021-11-25|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

=== Dress and ornaments ===

====Ornaments====
The male Dimasa use only two types of ornaments namely Yaocher and Kharik.

Females use:<ref>{{Cite web|title=Facebook|url=https://www.facebook.com/109299087227903/photos/a.193854315439046/313043986853411/|access-date=2021-04-25|website=www.facebook.com}}</ref>
* ''Phowal'': necklace made of expensive Coral and Real silver metal beads; also worn by males
* ''Jongsama'': necklace made of micro-beads of any colour, with coral and silver beads in between.
* ''Rangbarsha'': necklace made of coins.
* ''Chandrawal'': necklace made of three silver chains with flower shapes.
* ''Rmailik'': necklace made of micro-beads; the colour pattern is same with the Rijamphain beren or Rmai (chest wrapper)
* ''Likjao'': necklace made of Red micro beads
* ''Likshim'': necklace made of black micro beads
* ''Khadu'': heavy silver bangle
* ''Khamaothai'': silver or gold earring
* ''Yaoshidam'': finger ring<ref>{{Cite journal|date=2017-05-23|title=JPAM Doctoral Dissertation Listing 2016|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pam.22001|journal=Journal of Policy Analysis and Management|volume=36|issue=3|pages=713–735|doi=10.1002/pam.22001|issn=0276-8739|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

=== Dances ===
The dance forms of the Dimasa Kachari are complex in character.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Dance|first=Baidima|date=|title=Baidima Dance {{!}} Dimasa Traditional Dance {{!}} Baidima Folk Dance of Assam - Traditional Folk Dances of India|url=https://dimasathairili.blogspot.com/2021/04/Baidima-dance-traditional-folk-dances.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425170337/https://dimasathairili.blogspot.com/2021/04/Baidima-dance-traditional-folk-dances.html |access-date=2021-04-25|website=|archive-date=25 April 2021 }}</ref>

Any Dimasa dance is called Baidima ( Bai-means dance, Dima-means Dimasa).<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Janssen|first=Rosalind|date=2021-02-01|title=The Pleated Dress of Nywty|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.48080/jae.v17i1.3|journal=PalArch's Journal of Archaeology of Egypt / Egyptology|volume=17|issue=1|pages=1–11|doi=10.48080/jae.v17i1.3|s2cid=234010733|issn=1567-214X|doi-access=free}}</ref>

==Notable people==

* [[Nandita Garlosa]], politician

== See also ==
* [[Dimaraji]]

== Notes ==
{{reflist}}

==References==
{{refbegin}}
* {{wikicite
| reference = {{cite report
| title=Annexure - Ib: List of Notified Scheduled Tribes
| publisher=Census of India
| url=http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/ST%20Lists.pdf
| year=2011
| access-date=30 June 2019
}}
| ref = {{harvid|ST List|2011}}
}}
*{{Cite journal|last=Jacquesson|first=François|date=2008|title=Discovering Boro-Garo|url=http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/ebhr/pdf/EBHR_32_02.pdf|journal=History of an Analytical and Descriptive Linguistic Category}}
* Bareh, H. ''Gazetteer of India''
* Barman, N. K. ''Queen of Cachar of Herambo and the History of the Kachchhari''
* Barpujari, S. K. (ed) (1997) ''History of the Dimasas: from the earliest times to 1896 AD'', Haflong: Autonomous Council, N.C. Hills District (Assam) .
* {{cite thesis|type=PhD|first=Uttam|last=Bathari|title=Memory History and polity a study of dimasa identity in colonial past and post colonial present|publisher=Gauhati University|year=2014|hdl=10603/115353}}
* {{Citation |last=Bhattacharjee |first=J. B. |contribution=The Kachari (Dimasa) state formation |editor-last=Barpujari |editor-first=H. K. |title=The Comprehensive History of Assam |volume=2 |pages=391–397 |publisher=Assam Publication Board |place=Guwahati |year=1992}}
* Bordoloi, B. N. (1988) ''The Dimasa Kachari'', Tribal Research Institute of Assam, Guwahati.
* Danda, D. (1989) ''The Dimasa Kacharis of Assam'', Concept Publishing co. New Delhi.
* Gait, Edward A. (1906) ''A History of Assam'', Calcutta 1906.
* Rhodes, N. G. and Bose, S. K. (2006) ''A History of the Dimasa Kacharis - As Seen through Coinage'' New Delhi : Mira Basu Publishers.
* Roy, Babul (1998) "Socio-Cultural and Environmental Dimensions of Tribal Health: A Study among the Dimasa Kacharis and the Zeme Nagas of N. C. Hills in Assam" ''Ph. D. Thesis'' (Unpublished), Gauhati University, Guwahati, Assam (India).
* Roy, Babul (2000) "Medical Pluralism and Pattern of Acceptance of Medicine among the Dimasa Kacharis of Assam" ''The Journal of Human Ecology''. Kamal-Raj Pub., Delhi.
* Roy, Babul (2002) "Descent groupings, belief system and social structure among the Dimasa Kacharies of Assam", ''Man in India'', Vol.82,No.1&2.
* {{citation |last=Ramirez |first=Ramirez |year=2007 |chapter=Politico-ritual variations on the Assamese fringes: Do social systems exist? |pages=91–107 |title=Social Dynamics in the Highlands of Southeast Asia Reconsidering Political Systems of Highland Burma |editor-first=Mandy |editor-last=Sadan |editor-first2=François |editor-last2=Robinne. |place=Boston |publisher=Brill}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Shin|first1=Jae-Eun|year=2020|title=Descending from demons, ascending to kshatriyas: Genealogical claims and political process in pre-modern Northeast India, The Chutiyas and the Dimasas|journal=The Indian Economic and Social History Review|volume=57|issue=1|pages=49–75|doi=10.1177/0019464619894134|s2cid=213213265}}
{{refend}}

{{Assam}}
{{Scheduled tribes of India}}
{{Hill tribes of Northeast India}}

[[Category:Bodo-Kachari]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Northeast India]]
[[Category:Hindu ethnic groups]]
[[Category:Social groups of Assam]]
[[Category:Tribes of Assam]]
[[Category:Scheduled Tribes of Meghalaya]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in South Asia]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in India]]
[[Category:Dimasa people| ]]

Dimasa people - Revision history

Svetlbwz at 15:54, 22 January 2026