Khasi

The Khasi people are a scheduled tribe, the majority of whom live in the State of Meghalaya in North East India, with small populations in neighbouring Assam, and in parts of Bangladesh. They call themselves Ki Hynñiew trep, which means "the seven huts" in the Khasi language. The Hynniew Trep are made up of several sub-tribes: the Khasi (also called Khynriam), the Pnar (or Jaintia, or Synteng) the War, and the Lyngngnam. Their languages, Khasi, Pnar and War, are the northernmost Austro-Asiatic languages. These languages were essentially oral until the arrival of European missionaries. Particularly significant in this regard was a Welsh missionary, Thomas Jones, who transcribed the Khasi language into Roman Script.