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Racially the Karbis belong to the Mongoloid group and linguistically they belong to the Tibeto-Burman group. The original home ofthe various people speaking Tibeto-Burman languages was in western China near the Yang-Tee-Kiang and the Howang-ho rivers and from these places they went down the courses of the Brahmaputra, the Chindwin and the Irrawaddy and entered India and Burma. The Kabis, alongwith others entered Assam from Central Asia in one of the waves of migration.

The folk-lores of the Karbis, however, indicate that during the long past, once they used to live on the banks of the rivers the Kalang and the Kapili and the entire Kajiranga area, the famous National Park situated in Assam, was within their habitation. During the reigns of the Kachari kings, they were driven to the hills and some of them entered into Jaintia hills, the erstwhile Jaintia kingdom and lived under the Jaintia suzerainty.

While a section of the Karbis remained in the Jaintia kingdom, others moved towards north-east by crossing the river Barapani, a tributory of the Kapili and entered into the Rongkhang Ranges. There they established their capital at a place called SOCHENG. The Karbis who migrated to the Ahom kingdom had to face the Burmese invasion.

The Burmese who invaded Assam perpetrated inhumane oppression on the people. The Karbis took refuge in the deep jungles and high hills leaving their hearth and home in the submountane regions. In order to save themselves from the greedy eyes of the Burmese invaders, the young Karbi girls started to use a black line from the forehead to the chin which is known a "DUK" with a view to making them ugly looking. While some of the Karbis migrated to lower Assam, some had crossed the Brahmaputra and settled in the north bank.

The name of all the five clan and its respective sub clan of the Karbis is as given below.
A) Lijang ( Ingti):
1. Ingti Hansek 2.Ingti Kather Bura 3. Kather Riso 4. Ingleng 5. Taro 6. Ingti Killing.
B) Hanjang ( Terang) :
1.Terang 2. Terang Engnar 3. Terang Ingjai 4. Terang Dilli 5. Terang Rongcheicho 6. Bey Ke-ik 7. Bey ke-et (Ronghang) 8. Bey Chingthong 9. Bey Dum 10. Bey Lindok 11. Bey Miji 12. Kro 13. Kro Nilip 14. Kro Nihang 15. Kro Khamu
C) Ejang ( Enghi) :
1.Enghi 2. Rongpi 3. Rongpi Ronghang 4. Rongpi Amri 5. Rongpi Chingthong 6. Rongpi Lindok 7. Rongpi Meji 8. Rongpi Rongchehon 9. Ronghi 10. Ke-ap 11. Rengoi 12. Renglum 13. Rente 14. Lekthe 15. Bongrung 16. Kramsa 17. Hanse Lindok 18. Hanse Chingthong 19. Hanse Durong 20. Hanse Nongphili 21. Hanse Nongloda 22. Hanse Ka'I (Kalongtam) 23.Ronghang 24. Ronghang Lindok 25. Tisso Rongphu 26. Tisso Rongchitim 27. Tisso Rongling 28. Tisso Motho 29. Tisso Rongcheicho 30 . Tisso
E) Kronjang (Teron) :
1.Millik 2. Kongkat 3. Langne 4. Sirang 5. Dengja 6. Ai 7. Torap 8. Sir-ik 9. Miji.
D) Tungjang ( Timung):

1.Timung    2.Timung Rongpi  3. Timung Killing    4. Timung Phura     5.Phangcho    6. Phangcho Juiti  7. Phangcho Langteroi  8. Phangcho Ingnar   9. Phangcho Vojaru 10. Pator     11. Killing Miji     12. Lilling Nokbare    13. Senar    14. Senar Muchiki      15. Senar Meji     16. Tokbi Ronghang  17. Tokbi Totiki       18. Tokbi Chingthong     19. Tokbi Dera    20. Rongphar Senot     21. Rongphar Phura    22. Nokbare (Longthulu)    23. Nongdu    24. Nonglada    25. Dera    26. Senar Pator   27. Senot 28. Chalut Senot 29. Mu Chophi    30. Tokbi Killing.

Class

The Karbis have 5(five) clans called "KUR". These are Terang, Teron, Enghee. Ingti and Timung. Each of the five clans has a number of Sub-clans. While Enghee and Timung have 30(thirty) sub-clans each, Terang have 15(fifteen) sub clans, Teron have 9(Nine) sub-clans , and the remaining clan Ingti has only 6(Six) sub-clans. These clans are completely exagamous and marriage between a boy and a girl belonging to the same clan can never take place since the children of the same clan are considered as brothers and sisters. Violation of this customary law obviously leads to ex-communication of the couple involved. Even in the cremation ground called Tipit or Thiri, area is kept demarcated for each clan. Although all the five clans are socially on an equality, Ingti being a priestly clan was supposed to have a higher status in former times.