Bhumiputtra

 Bodo Kachari |  Mishing(Miri) |  Deori |  Rabha |  Tiwa or Lalung |  khamti |  Sonowal Kachari  |  Tai Phake or Phakial  |  Dimasa Kachari  |  Karbi  |  Barmans  |  Hmar  |  Kuki  |  Rengma Naga  |  Zeme Nagas  |  Hajong  |  Garo  |  Khasi  |  Jaintia  |  Mech

Introduction:

Assam is land of many cultures, tribes and religions. Therefore, when we speak of the culture of Assam, we generally refer to a composite and complex phenomenon that includes the cultures of the various tribes that make Assam their home.

(i) The Bodo Kachari Tribes

   The Bodo Kacharies of Assam is a branch of great Bodo Group of Indo-Mongoloid family. It is believed that the origin of the Kachari was Tibet and China.

   The Bodos are basically an agrarian people; still using traditional means to irrigate their land. Their chief produce is classified into the ‘Ahu' and the ‘Sali' crops. Bodo villages are situated in the plains of the valleys of Assam, and hence they are categorized into what is known as the ‘Plains tribe'. The Bodo people are expert in bamboo and cane craft; hence one would usually come across houses fashioned out of bamboo and wood in places where they live in majority. With the changing times, the Bodos have taken in large numbers to the services, business and other non-agricultural modes of livelihood.

    Usually, the Bodo family structure is patriarchal, with the father as the head of the family. The family property usually passes to the male members of the family. The village priest looks after the proceedings of the several rituals that mark their social and religious calendars. The priest, the douri (assistant of priest), and the heads of the families are the revered persons of the family, and are the decision-makers. The most important community institution of Bodos is the village. The village council's decision in all matters is accepted by the people.

   Some of the people of the Bodo community are Christians, while a large chunk follows the precepts of Hinduism. Among the Hindus, a few follow the ‘Brahma Dharma' while others follow the ‘Vaishnava Path'. The ancient tribal Bodo religious faith rests on ‘Bathou' which has, since the process of Brahmanization, become analogous to ‘Shiva' of the Hindus. The ‘Sizu' plant, which is known for longevity is planted in front of the Bodo courtyard and worshipped.

    The Bodo people, akin to most tribal peoples, are a festival loving people. The three main categories of festivals are ‘seasonal', ‘religious', ritualistic and ceremonial'. The seasonal festivals are (i) Baisagu, (ii) Domashi, and (iii) Katrigacha. These three festivals are parallel to the Bihu. Among the religious festivals of the Bodos, the ‘Kherai' is the most famous; usually understood to be the ‘national festival' of the Bodos.

The festival begins with various dances, songs, and music. The

   ‘Bagrumba' is the most attractive group dance of the Bodos. Among other religious festivals of the Bodos, we have the ‘Siba', the ‘Sibrai Langamara Puja', the ‘Apeswari Puja', the ‘Haul Kheta' and others.

The Bodos are known to be exogamous, and cannot marry within the clan. The marriage of traditional Bodo society is different from the Hinduised Brahma society. In the traditional society, the groom does not go to the bride's house, but a small group of relatives go to fetch the bride. After the ceremonial rituals of the marriage, the bridal party is offered a banquet with local delicacies, especially with pork. But in the non traditional (Bodo) marriage, a ceremony takes place at the bride's residence and ‘Hom sacrifice' is done according to Vedic rituals.

In the birth ceremony the family makes an offering to the household deities by sacrificing a cock and a hen. It is also customary to entertain the midwives in a feast who attend the mother during her confinement.

   The Bodos are believed to have practiced both burial and cremation in the old days. But in contemporary Bodo (Hindu) society, only cremation is practiced, as per Hindu norm. After ten days, the ‘Daha' ceremony is performed and this is followed by the ‘Shraddh' on the 12th or 13th day. It is interesting to note that widows usually remarried in early Bodo societies, and this practice continues.