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 22 THE ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF THE ASANYA LANGUAGE to constant changes. Such a mistake is committed by husty scholars who seek to identify the Austri-speaking Khasis with Austries them selves which they are not. "The Tibeto-Chinese languages are spoleen by Mongoloid tribes belonging to all the racial elements within that division, Similarly the Austric languages belong not only to the palae. Mongoloid Khasis of Assam, but also to the Mundas, Santals and Hos of Central India and the Negrito Semang and Sakai of the Malay Penis sul" (R.EP.1) Austries are known to have been neoliths while their predecessors, the Negritos, are thought to have been paleoliths. Some scholars would suspect the Mongoloid invasion to be pro-Mediterranean and even pro- Nordic fact for no other reason than that "the Aryans designated them as Mlecches thus indicating that they were foreigners". (Early History of Korrupa). Such reasonings do not convince, and while some later immigration of Mongolold people is not denied, the first invasion of them cannot be doubled as precediterranean and pre-Nordic of course. One can hardly hazard any opinion as to any traces of earliest Austrie and Mongoloid influence on the Aryan Asamly language. To open a modem dictionary of the descendants of such speakers and to opine that every similar word is a loan from them soms for from a scientific method. Even every non-Tetoma or non-Podbhawe word may not be non-Aryan, One safer method for guess may be to test a word on the culture of the race. We know that pro-Australoid contribution to Indian cul ture as a whole, are a good deal of totemistic rites, exorcism, foed taboos, magical beliefs, ban on commensality and intermarriage now forming the basis of Hindu caste system (R.E.P.I.). Megalithie culture and agriculture in general with an idea of mother goddess, as also a femine conception applied to the Earth as a procrcating agency, might be theirs. So it is not unlikely that we owe not only such cottage industries but also the words as mugi (sl-cocoon, Mund-Asamiya) and Richap (a high clase silk, khil-samiy) to the Austrie people. Theirs might also be the Mtum (spinning top, Mundo Asamty) for the textile industry and bitela guti (clay pellet, Malayda Asamiya) might be their invention for driving away crows from taking away the muga cocoons. Ninga! (plough) and many more things and words connected with it, as also many words naming the private parts of men and women, related to their megalithie culture on one side and to their conception of the Earth as procreating agency having their parallels in the procreating organs of men and women, might owe their origin to the Austries. In connection with their ploughing they may have been first acquainted with the use of