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The Khasi people (or Khasis) are an indigenous tribe, the majority of whom live in the State of Meghalaya which is in the north eastern part of India, with a significant population in the border areas of the neighbouring state of Assam, and in certain parts of Bangladesh. They call themselves ''Ki Khun U Hynñiewtrep'', which means "The Children of The Seven Huts" in the Khasi language. Their language, also called Khasi, is categorized as the northernmost language under the Austroasiatic family stock. The Khasi language was essentially oral until the arrival of Christian missionaries. Particularly significant in this regard was a Welsh evangelist, Thomas Jones, who transcribed the Khasi language into the Roman script. The Khasi people form the majority of the population of the eastern part of Meghalaya, and is the state's largest community. Though the majority of the Khasi populace have embraced Christianity, a substantial minority of the Khasi people still follow and practice their age old indigenous religion, which is known as "Ka Niam Khasi"; a monotheistic religion which teaches in the supremacy of a single Absolute, called 'U Blei' (which means God) and it is their belief that the rooster (U Syiar Khraw Jutang) is sacrificed as a substitute for man, it being thought that the rooster "bears the sins men and by its sacrifice, man will obtain redemption"〔Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Volume 71, Part 3 - By Asiatic Society (Calcutta, India), Asiatic Society of Bengal – page 63 ()〕 (compare Kapparot). Other religious group practiced among the Khasis include Presbyterian (the largest Christian denomination among the Khasis), Anglican, Unitarian, Roman Catholic, and others. A small number of Khasis, as a result of inter-community marriages, are also Muslims. There is also a very small number of Khasi Hindus inhabiting the Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya, a result of hundreds of years of exposure to the plains of Bengal and Assam. The main crops produced by the Khasi people are betel leaf, areca nut, oranges, local rice, vegetables, etc. The Khasi people of the War sub-tribe designed and built the famous living root bridges of the Cherrapunjee region. Under the Constitution of India, the Khasis have been granted the status of Scheduled Tribe. A unique feature of the Khasi people is that they follow the matrilineal system of descent and inheritance. However, it must not be wrongly thought that men are completely powerless and have no say in private affairs of the household whatsoever. In matters of inheritance, some families do give men shares of the ancestral property, though the daughters usually get bigger shares. The reason is that, since women are the ones to continue the family lineage, giving them larger shares is necessary for them to run the households. In the Khasi system of asset management, the Khasi uncles (Kñi) of the household (usually under the authority of the eldest Kñi), are the managers of their sister's property. No decision can be taken without their consent. In their wife's household too, they provide for their children like a normal father would. In present times, many Khasis are well placed in government and corporare sectors. Many Khasis are well educated. The tribe has produced many IAS, IPS and IFS bureaucrats. Many Khasis are also settled abroad, particular in the USA and Great Britain. == Origin and history == The origin of the Khasis has not been satisfactorily explained by the historians. The Khasi language is classified as part of the Austroasiatic family stock; Peter Wilhelm Schmidt believed that the Khasi people are related to the Mon-Khmer people of South East Asia. Again, this is still disputed. A Khasi scholar, Sib Charan Roy Sawian, believed the Khasi language to be of the Indo-Aryan stock. Khasi mythology traces the tribe's original abode to 'Ki ''Hynñiewtrep ("The Seven Huts"). According to the Khasi mythology, "U Blei Trai Kynrad" (God, the Lord Master) had originally distributed the human race into 16 heavenly families (''Khadhynriew Trep''). However, seven out of these 16 families are stuck on earth while the other 9 are stuck in Heaven. According to the myth, a heavenly ladder resting on the sacred Lum Sohpetbneng Peak (located in the present-day Ri-Bhoi district) was meant to allow those divine families on earth to visit the heavens for worshipping God, but the seven families committed a grave unholy sin. They cut a divine tree which was situated at Lum Diengiei Peak (also in present day Ri-Bhoi district), going against God's command not to do so. This angered Him to the point where He destroyed the heavenly ladder. The Khasis first came in contact with the British in 1823, after the latter captured Assam. The area inhabited by the Khasis became a part of the Assam province, after the numerous Khasi Hill States numbering to about 25 kingdoms entered into a subsidiary alliance with the British. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Khasi people」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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