Page:Growth of Asamiya Language.pdf/31

TRAGES OF HARLY NON-ARYAN INVASIONS OY ASAM 1 Aryan fact simply for the designation leecha' whieh might or might not mean foreigners. On the other hand, it appears more natural to think that it was rather Naraka with his line who came as foreigners to establish the first Aryan rule in Prigoytisa by displacing the Kirata (Mongoloid) king Ghataka, and his descendants handled the solid Mon- golold army in fighting in Kuruksetra war even though they might look down upon them as 'Mlechchas' Among the races considered as first coming to settle in the Indian soll are the Negritos or Necroids (Rarial Elements in the population of India, Oxford Pamphlets, No. 22, p. 3). They are disevered of late to have considerably wide distribution in the interior of the hills as of Cochin, Travancore, Rajmahal and of Assam The Angamis alone of the various Niga tribes are said to belong to the aboriginal Negrito race coming to India (J. II Hution, Man Pidie, 1927, p. 7). The next earliest and apparently more widespread primitive element in the aboriginal populati seems to be the proto-Australolds, many members of the Mundi, Sintal and Kol groups being included among others. The proto Australoid type is the most dominant clement at present in the tribal population of southern and central India." (REPI, p. 11) The long-houdod type of the Palac-Mongoloid strain appears in the sub-Himalayan region as the more ancient stratum of the population and forms a dominant element in the tribes living in Am and the Indo Burmese frontiers. (ibid). These three races constituto the non-Aryan population of India, and hence of Asam. Not much is known about the contribution of the Negrito people to Indian culture save that the cult of the fire tree is said to have origi- ginated from them; and still less is known about their speech. The Australolds are said to have two sub-families of speech, the Austro-Ne. sian and Austro-Asiatic. The latter has two groups known as Monkhe- mer and Munda. Khasi is the type of Monkhmer speech, forming a sort of island in the heart of the State of Asam. In the Census of India, 1931, the Khisi (Monkhmer) speakers were shown to be 234.000 while Munda speakers were 321,000 of which 150,000 were Mandari, 102,000 Santall, the balance being composed of Savara, Kurlu, Kharis and other dialect-speakers It may be erroneous to identify the speakers of language of a race with the members themselves of the race as a matter of course. For languages and social customs are acquired traits and may be subject