Karbi Tribesmen Set World Record by Walking on Bamboo Stilts
- Tangkapan Layar Instagram @Guinnessworldrecords
India – Guinness World Records shared a video on Instagram showing over 700 members of the Karbi tribe walking on bamboo stilts (known as Egrang) in Assam, India.
The organization claimed that in celebrating their ancestors, the tribe set a global record. The event took place in Karbi Anglong, Assam, India, as part of the 50th Karbi Youth Festival.
The upright walking activity, locally known as Kang Dong Dang, has long been a tradition deeply rooted in Karbi culture and passed down from generation to generation.
According to the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, for the line of people walking on the moving stilts for the longest duration, it's not just about achieving a milestone in history; it's a celebration of cultural heritage, unity, and resilience as a community.
Through this remarkable achievement, it demonstrates the spirit and strength of the Karbi community and inspires pride and unity across generations.
After the video was uploaded, it has been viewed around 760,000 times, and various positive comments have been made by netizens in response to the video.
As information, Karbi is the homeland of the indigenous Karbi people, concentrated in the Hill Districts ensuring their self-governance and development. There are around 500,000 Karbi people living there.
Historically, they refer to themselves as Arleng, or literally "human" in the Karbi language. The term "Mikir" is now considered derogatory as there is no exact meaning of the word "Mikir" in the Karbi language.
The closest meaning of the word Mikir can be said to originate from "Mekar".
The district is governed according to the provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, which granted autonomy on November 17, 1951.
Apart from Karbi Anglong District, areas inhabited by Karbi include Dima Hasao District, Kamrup Metropolitan, and others.
In Bangladesh, with disproportionate distribution. However, Karbi in other Indian states such as Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Nagaland cannot identify themselves as a permanent tribe, as the Indian constitution only recognizes "Mikir".