Preserving Dai–Ahom Language, Belief & Memory

The Veil of Ignorance — The story of Assam’s first dictionary and it’s lexicographer

Often, Assamese lexicography is traced back to Hem Chandra Barua’s Hemkosh (1900) or Miles Bronson’s dictionary (1867). However, the earliest known dictionary of Assam predates both. In 1792, Tae-ngai Mo-hong compiled “Amar Kakot Homüng,” an Ahom–Assamese lexicon written in Ahom script. Despite its historical significance, this work remains largely unrecognized, reflecting how parts of Assam’s linguistic heritage have been obscured over time.