Boro people

The Boros are sometimes known as Kacharis and Mech to others, but self-identify as Bodo or Boro,[14] though the correct form is Boro.[15] Boro comes from Bara-fisa, which means "son of Bara", where Bara stands for "man" or "male member" of the group.[16]

There is a saying of Boro people, Boro hari, geder hari, meaning "Boro people, great people", So, Dalton concluded Boro means "great people".[17] Similarly, in the Kokborok language, Borok means man ('K' being a suffix for every noun), so logically Boro would mean man even in the Boro language.[18] Brahma opines that Boro might have originated from the Tibetan word Hbrog or Hbrogok, meaning Man. Generally, the word Boro means a man, in the wider sense Boro means a human being (but not specific to a female member of the family) in the languages used by Bodo-Kachari peoples.[19]

The Boro language is a member of the Sino-Tibetan language family. It belongs to the Boro-Garo group of the Tibeto-Burman languages branch of the Sino-Tibetan family.

Boros were polytheist. They worshiped dozens of Hindu deities like Siva, Durga, Kali, Ram and Krishna along with tribal deities like Bathou or Shijou, Mainao, Mairong and Agrang. In 1971, about 95% of Boros were Hindus and 5% were Christians.[20]

Traditionally, Boros practised Bathouism, which is the worshiping of supreme God, known as Obonglaoree. The shijou tree (in the genus Euphorbia) is taken as the symbol of Bathou and worshiped. It is also claimed as the supreme god. In the Boro language, Ba means five and thou means deep. Since Boros believe in the five mighty elements of God – land, water, air, fire, and ether – the number five has become significant in the Bathou religion.

The Shijou tree is encircled by eighteen pairs of ornamental bamboo sticks and five pairs of rings of bamboo. In front of Shijou, within the bamboo ring, there is a "dove heart".[21]

According to Bathouism, before the creation of the universe there was simply a great void, in which the supreme being 'Aham Guru', Anan Binan Gosai or Obonglaoree existed formlessly. Aham Guru became tired of living a formless existence and desired to live in flesh and blood. He descended on this great void with all human characteristics and created the universe.[22]

In addition to Bathouism, Boro people also follow Hinduism, especially Hoom Jaygya. For this worship through fire ceremony, a clean surface near a home or courtyard is prepared. Usually, worship offerings include a betel nut called a 'goi' and a betel leaf called a 'pathwi' or 'bathwi' and rice, milk, and sugar. Another important Hindu festival, the Kherai Puja, where an altar is placed in a rice field, is the most important festival of the Boros. However, caste and dowry practices are not practised by the majority of Boro Hindus, who follow a set of rules called Brahma Dharma.[21]

Christianity is followed by around 10% of the Boros, predominantly Baptism.[23] The major Boro Churches associations are the Boro Baptist Convention and Boro Baptist Church Association

Boros are mostly settled farmers. Boro farmers also have traditional irrigation called Dong system.[24]

The history of the Boro people can be explained from folk traditions. According to Padma Bhushan winner Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, mythologically, Boros are "the offspring of son of the Vishnu and Mother-Earth" who were termed "Kiratas" during the Epic period.[25] Basumatary, the largest sub-tribe of Boro means Sons of the Soil.[26]

According to Hodgson, since the people who were known as Kacharis and Mech to others called themselves Boro, and also the Kachari chief deities, Siju, Mairong, and Agrang, are also Mech deities, the term Boro is the proper designation for the tribes.[27] The exonym Mech originated from the Sanskrit word Mleccha.[28] Boros were repeatedly called as Mleccha or Mech. According to Alamgirnamah, Cooch Behar was inhabited by Koch and Mech.[29] In ancient Sanskrit literatures, Boros were called as Kiratas and Mlecchas.[30] Copperplate land grant inscription related to Ramca and Mahalia Kacharis were found[31]

Aroi or Ari or Ary is a suffix, which means clan in the Boro language.

Some of the important clans of Boros are:[32]

1. Swargiary: The priestly clan, with Deoris and Ojhas selected from this clan.
2. Basumatary: The land-holding clan.
3. Narzary: The clan associated with the jute cultivation and supply.
4. Mushahary: This clan is associated with the protection of cattle.
5. Goyari: This clan is associated with the cultivation of areca nuts.
6. Owary: This clan is associated with the supply of bamboos.
7. Khakhlary: This clan is associated with the supply of Khangkhala plant required for kherai puja.
8. Daimary: This clan is associated with the river.
9. Lahari:
10. Hajoari: The Boros that lived in the foothills.
11. Kherkatari: The Boros associated with thatch and its supply, found mostly in Kamrup district.
12. Sibingari: The Boros traditionally associated with raising and supply of sesame.
13. Bingiari: The Boros associated with musical instruments.
14. Saibo: The Boros From West Bengal, who lived in the Foothills of Darjeeling.
15. Alchiary:
16. Uzir:
17. Kachari:
18. Borgoyari:
19. Ramchiary:

• 
  Boro women at Hornbill Festival
• 
  Kherai Group Dance
• 
  Boro man and woman
• 
  Boro man
• 
  Boro woman
• 
  Boro woman playing jews harp
• 
  Boro Phali with peacock and headgear motif
• 
  Alcohol production

Distribution of Bârâ people, as reported in the Language Survey of India 1903

• Rajni Basumatary[33] Filmmaker and actress
• Harishankar Brahma[34] 19th Chief Election Commissioner of India
• Upendra Nath Brahma,[35] Boro activist, known by the title Bodofa[36]
• Pramod Boro,[37] CEM of Bodoland Territorial Council
• Sansuma Khunggur Bwiswmuthiary,[38] former Member of parliament
• Hagrama Mohilary,[39] president of Bodoland People's Front political party and former Chief Executive Member of Bodoland Territorial Council.
• Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary,[40] former governor of Meghalaya, retired IPS officer, former director-general of National Security Guards (NSG) and the Border Security Force (BSF)
• Halicharan Narzary,[41] Indian footballer
• Bishnu Prasad Rabha,[42][43] Indian cultural icon

• Bodo Sahitya Sabha
• Bodo culture
• Ual (tool)

• Deka, Hira Moni (2009). "The Historical Background of Bodo Movement". Politics of identity and the bodo movement in Assam (PhD). Guwahati University. hdl:10603/67844.
• Endle, Sidney (1911). The Kacharis. MACMILLAN AND CO. LIMITED.
• Kakoty, Suchitra (1981). "The Historical Background of the Bodo-Kacharis". A study of the educational development of the bodo tribe during the post independence period with particular reference to the northern region of Assam (PhD). Guwahati University. hdl:10603/67775.
• Sen, Debasis (1984). "Ethnic Elements in the Political Life of Ancient Assam". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 45: 101–106. JSTOR 44140186.
• Siiger, Halfdan (2015). The Bodo of Assam: Revisiting a Classical Study from 1950 (PDF). NIAS Press. ISBN 978-87-7694-160-4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 August 2020.