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{{Short description|Ethnic group in India and Bangladesh}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{distinguish|Rajbongshi people|Koch (caste)}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{infobox ethnic group
| group = Koch people
| image = A Koch woman.jpg
| caption = Koch woman in Rangtia, Sherpur District, Bangladesh.
| regions = {{Flagcountry|India}} {{flag|Nepal}} {{flag|Bangladesh}}
| region1 = {{Flagcountry|India}}
| pop1 = 36,434<ref>{{Cite web |title=Census of India Website : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011Census/C-16_25062018_NEW.pdf}}</ref>
| region2 = [[Assam]]
| pop2 = 12,550<ref>{{cite web |title=C-16 Population By Mother Tongue - Assam |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-1800.XLSX |website=censusindia.gov.in |access-date=12 April 2020}}</ref>
| region3 = [[Meghalaya]]
| pop3 = 23,199<ref>{{Cite web |title=Census of India Website : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-1700.XLSX |access-date=11 August 2020}}</ref>
| region4 = {{Flagcountry|Bangladesh}}
| pop4 = 13,702
| ref4 = <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bbs.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/bbs.portal.gov.bd/page/b343a8b4_956b_45ca_872f_4cf9b2f1a6e0/2023-09-27-09-50-a3672cdf61961a45347ab8660a3109b6.pdf|title=Table 1.4 Ethnic Population by Group and Sex|year=2021|publisher=Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics|page=33|access-date=22 November 2022|archive-date=15 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315104610/http://bbs.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/bbs.portal.gov.bd/page/b343a8b4_956b_45ca_872f_4cf9b2f1a6e0/2022-07-28-14-31-b21f81d1c15171f1770c661020381666.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
| region5 = {{flag|Nepal}}
| pop5 = 1,635
| ref5 = <ref>{{cite web |title=Population Monograph of Nepal Volume II |url=https://nepal.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/Population%20Monograph%20V02.pdf |work=Central Bureau of Statistics, Government of Nepal |year=2014 |access-date=9 Apr 2024}}</ref>
| langs = [[Koch language|Koch]]
| rels = [[Animism]]<ref name="koch">"The Koch included in this report are those who preserved their tribal
dialects, animistic religion and non-Hindu cultures and traditions." {{harv|Kondakov|2013|p=5}}</ref> {{•}}[[File:Allah-green.svg|15px]] [[Islam]]<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Dikshit |first1=K. R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iorHBAAAQBAJ&dq=Islam+among+Bodo+Kacharis+and+Rabhas&pg=PA367 |title=North-East India: Land, People and Economy |last2=Dikshit |first2=Jutta K. |date=2013-10-21 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-94-007-7055-3 |pages=367 |language=en}}</ref>
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| related_groups = [[Garo people]], [[Rabha people]], [[Mech people]]
}}

The '''Koch''' are a small trans-border ethnic group of [[Assam]] and [[Meghalaya]] in [[India]] and northern [[Bangladesh]].<ref>"Koch is a people group mainly found in the Indian states of Meghalaya and Assam and in northern Bangladesh. The Koch people call themselves Kocho (in Meghalaya) or Kocha (in Lower Assam). The number of Koch in Meghalaya is about 25,000 people (Census 2011). {{harv|Kondakov|2020|p=1}}</ref> The group consists of nine matrilineal and strictly exogamous clans, with some of them preserving a hitherto sparsely documented [[Boro-Garo languages|Boro-Garo]] language called [[Koch language|Koch]], whereas others have switched to local varieties of [[Indo-Aryan language]]s.<ref>"The clans are matrilineal and strictly exogamous (Koch 1984:180), i.e. marriages are not permitted within the same clan. The first six groups have preserved their original Tibeto-Burman forms of speech while the remaining three have long switched to local Indo-Aryan varieties." {{harv|Kondakov|2020|p=1}}</ref> It is a [[Scheduled Tribe]] in [[Meghalaya]], [[India]].<ref>[https://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/dh_st_meghalaya.pdf The STs in Meghalaya are predominantly rural (84.4 per cent). Individual ST wise, Koch are overwhelmingly confined to rural areas (97.2 per cent), followed by Raba (92.6 per cent), Hajong (91.4 per cent), and Garo (88.7 per cent). On the contrary, higher urban population has been registered among Synteng (28.2 per cent) and Khasi (18.6 per cent).]</ref>{{efn|In Meghalaya, Koches are government notified scheduled tribe.{{sfnp|Census of India|ps=.}} }} Koches want to preserve their language, culture and heritage.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/north-east/koch-union-seeks-to-preserve-culture/cid/1448703 |title=Koch union seeks to preserve culture |work=The Telegraph |date=11 May 2018 |access-date=11 July 2019}}</ref>

The Koch people in this group are those who have preserved their languages, their animistic religions and follow non-Hindu customs and traditions.<ref name="koch"/> They are related but distinguished from the empire building Koch (the [[Rajbongshi people]]) and the Hindu caste called [[Koch (caste)|Koch]] in [[Upper Assam]] which receives converts from different tribes.<ref>"The Koch of western Meghalaya also claim relationship with those empire-building Koch. On the other hand, Koch is known as a Hindu caste found all over the Brahmaputra Valley (Majumdar 1984: 147), and receives converts to Hinduism from different tribes (Gait 1933: 43)." {{harv|Kondakov|2013|p=4}}</ref>

== Etymology of ''Koch'' ==
According to Tabaqat-i-Nasiri, western Kamrud (Kamrup) was inhabited by the ''Koch'', ''[[Mech tribe|Mech]]'' & ''[[Tharu people|Tharu]]''.{{sfnp|Salam|1902|p=65}} In [[Yogini Tantra]], Koches were called as Kuvachas.<ref>"The ''Yogini Trantra'', which was composed in Assam itself in about the 16th century, refers to the Koches as ''kuvachas''" {{harv|Nath|1989|p=3}}</ref> According to the Fatiyah-i-Ibriah written between 1661 and 1663, [[Cooch Behar State|Cooch Behar]] was inhabited by Koch.<ref>"[[Cooch Behar State|Cooch behar]] was inhabited by Makh (Mech) and Kuj (Koch). Raja belong to First tribe" {{harv|Salam|1902|p=11}}</ref>

== Groups and clans ==
The Koch people consist of nine ethno-linguistic groups: ''Tintekiya'', ''Wanang'', ''Koch-Rabha/Kocha'', ''Harigaya'', ''Margan'', ''Chapra'', ''Satpari'', ''Sankar'' and ''[[Banai (sub-tribe)|Banai]]''. These groups are generally endogamous, with very little intermarriages till recently. Each of these nine groups have [[Matrilineality|matrilineal]] and strictly exogamous clans called ''nikini''.{{sfnp|Kondakov|2013|p=5}} The matrilineal rules of the Koch are not as rigid as the [[Garo people|Garo]] and the [[Khasi people|Khasi]] peoples.{{sfnp|Kondakov|2013|p=7}}

The group that is known as ''Kocha'' in Assam's [[Dhubri district|Dhubri]] and [[Kokrajhar district|Kokrajhar]] districts, identify with the [[Rabha people]], and are also known as ''Koch-Rabha''. Since the name ''Koch'' in Assam is associated with the caste [[Koch (caste)|Koch]], this identity allows the Kocha people to benefit from state support that are open to the Rabha but not to the Koch.{{sfnp|Kondakov|2013|p=6}} Advisor of Koch Development Council, writer and social worker Indramohan Koch said that the government of Meghalaya accorded ST status to Koch People while the Assam Government had not recognised them as Koch but ST status had been given in the name of Rabha.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Rajbongshis misinterpretating Koch History : All Assam Koch Students' Union |work=The Sentinel |url=https://www.sentinelassam.com/north-east-india-news/assam-news/rajbongshis-misinterpreting-koch-history-all-assam-koch-students-union-509079 |date=30 October 2020|access-date=19 March 2022}}</ref>

==Languages==
{{main|Koch language}}
The [[UNESCO]] report mentions Koch language as "[[Endangered language|Definitely Endangered]]".<ref name=Dattamajumdar>{{Cite journal |last=Datta Majumdar |first=Satarupa |date=11 December 2020 |title=Ethno-Linguistic Vitality of Koch |journal=The Buckingham Journal of Language and Linguistics |volume=12 |issue=1 |page=55 |url=http://www.ubplj.org/index.php/bjll/article/view/1874 |doi=10.5750/bjll.v12i.1874 |s2cid=230569881|url-access=subscription |doi-access=free }}</ref> The Koch language is spoken in the states of Assam ([[Goalpara district|Goalpara]], [[Nagaon district|Nagoan]], [[Dhubri district|Dhubri]], [[Kokrajhar district|Kokrajhar]], [[Chirang district|Chirang]], [[Bongaigaon district|Bongaigaon]], [[Barpeta district|Barpeta]], [[Baksa district|Baksa]], [[Udalguri district|Udalguri]], [[Karbi Anglong district|Karbi Anglong]], [[Golaghat district|Golaghat]] districts) and Meghalaya ([[West Garo Hills district|West Garo Hills]], [[South West Garo Hills district|South-West Garo Hills]], [[South Garo Hills district|South Garo Hills]] and [[East Khasi Hills district|East Khasi Hills]] districts). It is also spoken in some parts of North Bengal and in Bangladesh.<ref name="Dattamajumdar" /> The different Koch groups are associated with different varieties of the Koch language<ref>"Even at the time of Grierson's work early in the twentieth century it was noted that each group of the Koch spoke a different dialect (Grierson 1903: 96). The fact was later documented by D.N. Majumdar and S.N. Koch, and is now supported by the findings of this survey." {{harv|Kondakov|2013|pp=7–8}}</ref>—at home and within their own group they use their own mother tongues; within the Koch groups they usually use the ''Harigaya'' variety which is understood by many other Koch groups; and outside the community they use [[Hajong language|Hajong]], [[Assamese language|Assamese]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]], [[Garo language|Garo]], [[Hindi language|Hindi]], and [[English language|English]].{{sfnp|Kondakov|2020|p=1}} The relationship between the six Koch speech varieties are rather complex. They represent a dialect chain that stretches out from Koch-Rabha in the north to Tintekiya Koch in the south. This is diagrammatically represented as — Koch-Rabha (Kocha)→ Wanang→ Harigaya→ Margan→ Chapra→ Tintekiya, where the adjacent dialects exhibit more lexical similarity than those at the ends.<ref name=Dattamajumdar/> Among the nine endogamous groups, six have retained their own language; whereas the ''Satpari'', ''Sankar'' and ''Banai'' speak either an Indo-Aryan variety called ''Jharua'', or [[Hajong language|Hajong]] (which is also sometimes referred to as ''Jharua'').{{sfnp|Kondakov|2013|p=8}}

== History ==
In [[Tabaqat-i Nasiri|Takabat-i-Nasiri]], which contain records of [[Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji]]'s expedition into [[Kamrup region|Kamrup]] in 1205 A.D, there is mention that the people inhabiting between the country of [[Gauḍa (city)|Lakhanawati (Gauda)]] and [[Tibet]] were the Kunch (Koch), Mej/Meg (Mech) and Tiharu ([[Tharu people|Taru]]).<ref>"From there, he [Bakhtiyar Khalji] was tempted to invade “Bhutan and Tibet” and went against Assam, calle Kamrud (sic, with a “d”). The description of his disastrous campaign provides us with some information about the populations (Siraj 1881: 560-1): In the different parts of those mountains which lie between Tibbat and the country of Lakhanawati are three races of peoples, one called the Kūnch [N66], the second the Mej (Meg), and the third the Tihārū; and all have Turk countenances.They have a different idiom, too, between the languages of Hind and Turk [N77]." {{harv|Jacquesson|2008|p=16}}</ref><ref>"(A)n account of the two expeditions of Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji to the kingdom of Kamarupa (ancient assam) in the first part of the 13th century, noted that during that time this region..Kamarupa was inhabited by Kunch(Koch), Mej/Meg (Mech), Tiharu (Taru) tribes of Turks countenance. [[Suniti Kumar Chatterji|S.K Chatterji]] in this connection rightly observes that their Mongoloid features and speech made a distinct impression upon the Turks, who were also members of the same race" {{harv|Nath|1989|p=3}}</ref> In Persian history, these population (Koch, Mech, Tharu) possessed the physiognomy of the [[Turkic peoples|Turks]] and the [[Mongols]] and their language was different from the rest of the subcontinent.<ref>"(W)e read in Persian history that these races [Koch, Mech, Taru] had Turki countenances (i.e slanting eyes, snub nose, high cheek-bones and yellow complexion of the Mongols), and they spoke a 'different idiom' from the language of India proper" {{harv|Chatterji|1951|p=101}}</ref>

== Notes and references ==
{{notelist}}
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
{{Refbegin|}}
*{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.32096 |title=Kirata-Jana-Krti |last=Chatterji |first=S.K |publisher=The Asiatic Society |year=1951 |location=Calcutta}}
*{{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}}
*{{Cite journal |last=Kondakov |first=Alexander |editor1-first=Gwendolyn |editor1-last=Hyslop |editor2-first=Stephen |editor2-last=Morey |editor3-first=Mark W |editor3-last=Post |date=2013 |title=Koch dialects of Meghalaya and Assam: A sociolinguistic survey |journal=North East Indian Linguistics |volume=5 |pages=3–59 |publisher=Cambridge University Press India |doi=10.1017/9789382993285.003 |isbn=9789382993285}}
*{{Cite journal |last=Kondakov |first=Alexander |date=2020 |title=Outline of Harigaya Koch Grammar |url=https://www.sil.org/system/files/reapdata/32/61/30/32613089348164783135897741672857876054/sillcdd_46.pdf |journal=Language and Culture Documentation and Description |access-date=9 June 2021}}
*{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ECxUOSudNGYC |last=Nath |first=D. |title=History of the Koch Kingdom, C. 1515-1615 |publisher=Mittal Publications |year=1989 |isbn=8170991099}}
*{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/riyazussalatinhi00saliuoft/page/n3 |title=Riyazu-s-salatin; a history of Bengal |last=Salam |first=Maulavi Abdus |publisher=The Asiatic Society |year=1902}}
*{{Cite web |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/ST%20Lists.pdf |title=List of notified Scheduled Tribes |website=Census India |access-date=10 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131107225208/http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/ST%20Lists.pdf |archive-date=7 November 2013 |url-status=dead |ref={{harvid|Census of India}} }}
{{refend}}

[[Category:Ethnic groups in Northeast India]]
[[Category:Tribes of Assam]]
[[Category:Scheduled Tribes of Meghalaya]]
[[Category:Tribes of West Bengal]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Kamtapur]]

Koch people - Revision history

Flightsvilla at 22:54, 2 January 2026