In the upper valley of the Brahmaputra in Assam live the Ahom people, descendants of a Tai warrior band that crossed the eastern mountains in the thirteenth century and founded a kingdom that would rule the region for nearly six hundred years. From the very name of the Ahom comes the name of Assam itself, so central were they to the making of the land.

Heirs to the kingdom that famously halted the Mughal empire at the Battle of Saraighat, builders of the monuments of Sivasagar, and keepers of the great Buranji chronicles, the Ahom retain a proud identity and a rich heritage even as they have merged into the wider Assamese world. This article traces their origins, language, homeland, society, religion, and traditions, and the extraordinary history of a Tai people who built a great kingdom in India.

The Ahom on Film

Contents

• Origins
• The Name
• The Language
• The Homeland
• The Old Way of Life
• Society and Community
• Religion and Belief
• Traditions
• Crafts
• Food
• Festivals
• History
• Today

Origins

The Name

The Language

The Homeland

The Old Way of Life

Society and Community

Religion and Belief

Traditions

Crafts

Food

Festivals

History

Today

Related Peoples of the Region

More Peoples of the World

• The Han Chinese
• The Maori
• The Zulu
• The Maya
• The Amazigh
• The Navajo
• The Ainu