The Khasi People, a Matrilineal People of the Clouds

In the cloud-wrapped hills of Meghalaya, in one of the wettest places on earth, live the Khasi people, one of the most distinctive communities in all of India. Speakers of an Austroasiatic language that links them to Southeast Asia, and famous for a matrilineal society in which clan and inheritance pass through women, they have created a culture unlike any other in the subcontinent.

From the extraordinary living root bridges grown across their rain-swollen streams to the stately dances of the Nongkrem festival, from the sacred groves of their ancient religion to the youngest daughter who inherits the family home, the Khasi carry a heritage of remarkable originality. This article traces their origins, language, homeland, society, religion, and traditions, and the unique matrilineal world of this ancient hill people.