ABSTRACT
In the absence of an official definition of the Axamiyā (Assamese) identity, competition over resources and livelihood, as well as political rewards meant for the community, have exacerbated inter-group conflicts in Assam for decades now. This chapter explores the pre-colonial bases of the Axamiyā identity formation to reveal that it is an interethnic identity formed through the synergy between diverse indigenous and autochthonous communities living in the state; no one community can claim sole ownership of the label. Since the coming of the colonial rulers, however, the dominant Axamiyā-speaking Hindu community (with kinship ties on mainland India) has monopolised it. Policies of the postcolonial Indian state encouraged this process. As a result, the constituent communities regressed towards re-identifying with their origins and ethno-nationalist conflicts broke out.
