![]() | This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. (April 2017) |
A•chik | |
---|---|
![]() A Garo couple in traditional dress | |
Total population | |
1.1 million (c. 2011) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
India • Bangladesh | |
![]() | 997,716[1] |
• Meghalaya | 821,026 |
• Assam | 136,077 |
• Tripura | 12,952 |
![]() | 120,000[2] |
Languages | |
Garo (A•chikku) | |
Religion | |
Christianity 90%, Songsarek 10%[3] | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Bodo-Kachari peoples, Konyak |
The Garo people are a Tibeto-Burmese ethnic group who live mostly in the Northeast Indian state of Meghalaya with a smaller number in the neighbouring Bangladesh.[4][5] Historically, the name Garo was used for a large number of different peoples living on the southern bank of Brahmaputra River, but now refers primarily to those who call themselves A•chik Mande (literally "hill people," from A•chik "bite soil" + mande "people") or simply A•chik or Mande and the name "Garo" is now being used by outsiders as an exonym.[6] They are the second-largest tribe in Meghalaya after the Khasi and comprise about a third of the local population.