<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><metadata xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"  xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:dcterms="http://purl.org/dc/terms/"><dc:title xml:lang="en">Assamese</dc:title><dc:identifier>http://AATesaurus.cultura.gencat.cat/aat/getty_en?tema=31486394</dc:identifier><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:publisher xml:lang="en">Getty Institute</dc:publisher><dcterms:created>2026-03-30 20:24:20</dcterms:created><dcterms:isPartOf xsi:type="dcterms:URI">http://AATesaurus.cultura.gencat.cat/aat/getty_en</dcterms:isPartOf><dcterms:isPartOf xml:lang="en">Tesaurus d&apos;Art i Arquitectura</dcterms:isPartOf><dc:format>text/html</dc:format> <dc:description xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[ The Assamese are a major ethnic group of approximately 19.5 million people centered in the Indian state of Assam in northeastern India, speaking Assamese, the easternmost Indo-Aryan language with over 15 million native speakers. Their culture developed largely in isolation along the Brahmaputra River valley, shaped by centuries of interaction with neighboring Tibeto-Burman peoples, Tibetan influences, and the Ahom kingdom established by Tai invaders in 1229. Predominantly Hindu with animist traditions, the Assamese reflect a diverse heritage of Aryan, Ahom, and indigenous influences, and their language has historically served as a regional lingua franca across parts of northeastern India. ]]></dc:description></metadata>