{"id":10918,"date":"2025-06-30T15:32:54","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T10:02:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=10918"},"modified":"2025-06-30T16:03:08","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T10:33:08","slug":"who-are-khasi-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/who-are-khasi-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Khasi People"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Khasi People Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Meghalaya High Court recently admitted a PIL that could determine the fate of hundreds of tribal certificate applications from the Khasi community, following a government decision that has effectively halted the issuance of ST certificates to certain categories of applicants.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>About Khasi People<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They are an <\/span><b>indigenous tribe primarily living <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in the <\/span><b>Khasi and Jaintia hills of Meghalaya.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Indian state of <\/span><b>Assam and<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> neighboring country of <\/span><b>Bangladesh also host small populations <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of this tribe.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They are known to be one of the earliest ethnic groups in the region and are believed to have <\/span><b>migrated to the northeastern hills from Tibet or Burma around 500 B.C.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They have a <\/span><b>number of clans<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> such as Lyngdoh, Diengdoh, Marbaniang, Shiemliah, Lapang, and Songkali.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Khasi are generally<\/span><b> people of short stature.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Language<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Khasi language, known as \u201c<\/span><b>Khasi,\u201d<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is an integral part of their identity.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While <\/span><b>English and Hindi are also spoken<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Khasi remains the primary language for daily communication within the community.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most striking aspects of the Khasi tribe is their <\/span><b>matrilineal society.\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Khasi culture, <\/span><b>lineage and inheritance <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are<\/span><b> passed down through the mother\u2019s side <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of the family.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Women play a crucial role in decision-making processes and the management of family affairs.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Religion<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: A vast<\/span><b> majority<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the Khasis are <\/span><b>Christians, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">while there are <\/span><b>some groups of Hindus and Muslims <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">too among them.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Livelihood<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Cultivation <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">has been their primary source of livelihood for ages.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>In the present day,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> however, Khasi youth have entered into many other <\/span><b>professional fields <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and are successful doctors, engineers, businessmen or women, teachers, and more.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They are officially\u00a0 recognized as a <\/span><b>&#8220;Scheduled Tribe&#8221;\u00a0 in India <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and have certain privileges.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They are <\/span><b>allowed to practice their customary laws<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and also <\/span><b>enjoy tax benefits<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> not available elsewhere in India.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They have<\/span><b> land designated for their use and a quota system<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that <\/span><b>reserves seats for them in education and jobs.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is the <\/span><b>official body<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> protecting the unique laws of these people.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Festivals and Celebrations:<\/b>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Shad Suk Mynsiem: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A spring festival celebrating nature, fertility, and gratitude. Men and women participate in a vibrant dance, wearing traditional attire.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Nongkrem Dance Festival: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A five-day religious festival where the Khasi people offer prayers to the divine for a prosperous harvest.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Behdienkhlam Festival:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Celebrated to drive away evil spirits and bring good health and fortune to the community.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Traditional Khasi music features <\/span><b>instruments like Duitara (a stringed instrument) and Tangmuri (a bamboo flute).<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Living Root Bridges:<\/b>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perhaps the most famous example of the Khasi tribe\u2019s connection to nature is the living root bridges.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These extraordinary architectural marvels are <\/span><b>formed by training the roots of the Ficus elastica tree to grow in a specific direction<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, creating sturdy, natural bridges.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These bridges can <\/span><b>span up to 100 feet <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and are known to <\/span><b>last for centuries. <\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">The most famous of these bridges, the \u201c<b style=\"font-size: inherit;\">Double-Decker Living Root Bridge,\u201d<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is located in the <\/span><b style=\"font-size: inherit;\">village of Nongriat.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiatodayne.in\/meghalaya\/story\/meghalaya-high-court-admits-pil-challenging-tribal-certificate-policy-for-khasi-community-1236450-2025-06-29\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ITNE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Khasi people are an indigenous tribe mainly residing in Meghalaya\u2019s Khasi and Jaintia Hills. They have a rich culture, matrilineal society, and unique traditions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":52772,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1204],"class_list":{"0":"post-10918","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-prelims-current-affairs","8":"tag-khasi-people","9":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10918"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10918\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}