Unit 2
Unit 2
Unit 2
Structure
2.0 Objectives
2.1 Introduction
2.2 The Bodos, Mishing, Karbis and Rabhas Tribes
2.3 Sonowal-Kaharis, Dimasa, Deori and Lalung Tribes
2.4 Let Us Sum Up
2.5 Further Readings and References
2.0 OBJECTIVES
In unit 2, let us examine the profiles of the tribes in the state of Assam.
By the end of this unit one would be able to:
1. Understand about the many tribal communities found in Assam;
2. Understand and describe the various cultural differences existing among the various
tribal communities of Assam; and
3. Define the various interventional methods to be used for the development of the
tribal communities of Assam.
2.1 INTRODUCTION
Assam, situated along the foothills of the Himalayas, is popularly known as the ‘Land of
Blue Hills and Red Rivers’. It is also the gateway to the other North-Eastern states of
India. Assam is surrounded by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh in the North, Manipur,
Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh in the east, and Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram in
the south. Assam, at present is spread over an area of 78,438 sq. km.
Assam is divided into two segments: the Barak valley and the Brahmaputra Valley. The
World famous Brahmaputra river flows right through the middle of Assam and nurtures
a splendid and complex eco-system around it.
‘Assam’ in Sanskrit means, ‘peerless’ or ‘unparalleled’. It was known as Pragjyotisha
or the place of eastern astronomy during the epic period and later named as Kamrupa,
the place where the Kamadeva, ‘The Lord of Love’ in Hindu mythology, was born.
But today, the widely accepted opinion of the scholars is that the term Assam had been
culled from the original name of the Ahoms, who came to this land in 1228 A.D. and
ruled for six centuries before the British took over after the treaty of Yandaboo in 1826.
Assam has been the meeting ground for diverse ethnic groups since time immemorial,
thus giving shelter to streams of migrations of various communities with their own distinct
cultures and social milieu.
Assam’s rich art and culture is also the result of the contributions of the Austro-Asiatics,
the Negroids, the Dravidians, the Alpines, the Indo-Mongoloids, the Tibeto-Burmans
and the Aryans, who ventured into Assam through various routes. Bihu is the chief
24 festival and Assamese, the principal language of the state. Assam has been ungrudgingly
blessed with unparalleled scenic grandeur, evergreen forests and exotic wild life and the Tribes of Assam
rolling tea gardens. The state has 28 districts. Dispur, near Guwahati is the capital of the
state. Assam is an agrarian state. The most commonly cultivated crop is paddy. But
people also cultivate maize, oilseeds, sugarcane, potatoes; jute etc. Tea cultivation is
another important source of income for the state. Assam also has rich mineral deposit.
Petroleum, and minerals like coal and lime stone are found in Assam.
The total population of Assam according to 2011 Census is 31205576. Of them,
3884371 persons are Scheduled Tribes (STs), constituting 12.44 per cent of the total
population of the state. The state has registered 17.46 per cent decadal growth of ST
population in 2001-2011. There are twenty nine (29) notified tribes in the state.
Population: Size & Distribution
Bodos constitute nearly half of the total Scheduled Tribe population of the state (35.05
per cent).The other major tribes, constituting more than 5% of the tribal population are
Miri(Mishings) (17.51 per cent), Mikir (Karbis) (11.08 per cent), Rabha (7.62 per
cent), Kachari(i.e. SonowalKachari) (7.1 per cent), and Lalung (Tiwa) (5.70 per cent).
Along with the Bodos they constitute around 90 per cent of the ST population of the
state. Besides them, the Dimasa constitutes 2.65 per cent and Deori 1.12 per cent of
the total ST population of the state.
The rest of the Scheduled Tribes are very small in their population size (Table1).
Religion
Of the total ST population of Assam, 90.7 per cent are Hindus and 8.8 per cent
Christians. Besides these two religions, 6,267 persons are Muslims, 5,153 Budhists,
and 3,574 persons pursue various other faiths and have been categorized under “Other
Religions and Persuasions”.(Source: Office of the Registrar General, India)
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Tribes of Assam
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Tribals of the Northeast 4. JyotiKuli, Jawahar. (1998): “The Mishings, their History and Culture.”,Ayir
Region -I
Publication, Guwahati,.
5. Padum, Nahendra. (Ed) (2005): “Mishings Through the Mishing Eyes.”,
Published by I-CARD, Dergaon.
6. Pegu, Peter. (1998): “A history of the Mishing of Eastern India.”, Published by
Mishing Society of Mumbai.
7. Sen, Sirpa. (1999):”Tribes and Castes of Assam.” Gyan Publishing House,
New Delhi.
8. Sharma, S.K. and Sharma, Usha. (Ed). (2005): “Discovery of North-East
India.”, Vol. 5. Mittal Publication, New Delhi.
9. Sharma, S.K. and Sharma, Usha. (Ed). (2006): “Documents on North East
India.”, Vol. 4. Mittal Publication, New Delhi.
10. Sharma, Thakur.G.C. (2007):”Selected Essays on Tribes and Castes of
Assam.”,Part I. Directorate of Assam Institute of Research for Tribals and
Schduled Castes, Jawahar Nagar, Guwahati.
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