Northeast India is well known for the widespread megalithic structures found in different geograp... more Northeast India is well known for the widespread megalithic structures found in different geographical and cultural contexts. Construction of megaliths is also a living tradition among many of the ethnic communities of this region. The dolmen, a megalithic structure made with a large undressed or roughly shaped stone slab supported by several upright stones at the base, is invariably found in all the megalithic cultural traditions across India. In the northeastern parts of India, dolmens are often constructed as resting and meeting places of a community. This paper presents the association of such dolmens with a traditional Raj Sabha (royal assembly) of the Khola king of the Tiwa community of Assam. The Raj Sabha, even today held annually at the Silchang megalithic site, is a unique tradition of a royal assembly functioning symbolically on a cluster of dolmens, and is significant to understanding the functional variability of the megaliths and the use of megaliths as a seat of power...
The Tiwa community is one of the autochthonous communities of Northeast India. An important aspec... more The Tiwa community is one of the autochthonous communities of Northeast India. An important aspect of Tiwa culture is the erection of stone monuments during the celebration of Chongkhong Phuja. This ceremony is performed before the commencement of their yearly agricultural cycle which falls in late April and continues to early May. On this occasion, a menhir and table stone are erected by the head priest of the Tiwa village, who then invokes their village guardian deity to call for a better harvest as well as for the wellbeing of the villagers. This elaborate ceremony marks the beginning of the agricultural season for the year, following which the villagers commence their agricultural activities. This paper deals with the performance of Chongkhong Phuja and the associated living megalithic tradition among the Hill Tiwas residing in the Umswai Valley. It also documents the oral traditions associated with the origin of the megalithic tradition in the community. As most of the living m...
The Tiwa community is one of the autochthonous communities of Northeast India. An important aspe... more The Tiwa community is one of the autochthonous communities of Northeast India. An important aspect of Tiwa culture is the erection of stone monuments during the celebration of Chongkhong Phuja. This ceremony is performed before the commencement of their yearly agricultural cycle which falls in late April and continues to early May. On this occasion, a menhir and table stone are erected by the head priest of the Tiwa village, who then invokes their village guardian deity to call for a better harvest as well as for the wellbeing of the villagers. This elaborate ceremony marks the beginning of the agricultural season for the year, following which the villagers commence their agricultural activities. This paper deals with the performance of Chongkhong Phuja and the associated living megalithic tradition among the Hill Tiwas residing in the Umswai Valley. It also documents the oral traditions associated with the origin of the megalithic tradition in the community. As most of the living megalithic traditions among the ethnic communities of Northeast India are either related to burial practices or commemorating the death of a person or an event, this Chongkhong Phuja represents a unique example of a megalithic tradition related to agricultural practice. Indirect evidence suggests the megalithic structures present at the ceremonial place of the Chongkhong Phuja in the Amsai village of the Umswai Valley have been continuously erected for the last thousand years. The paper also hypothesizes the shifting cultivation in the area to be as old as the practice of the megalithic tradition.
The youth dormitory system among the Tiwa tribe of North East India is an important social instit... more The youth dormitory system among the Tiwa tribe of North East India is an important social institution. So far very limited studies have been undertaken solely devoted to this system. The Tiwa youth dormitory is known as the Chamadi. It is not only a meeting place for all the male members of a Tiwa village but also an institution of non formal education. It is a seat of learning for the younger generations. They learn music, dance, handicraft and other essential facts of life at the Chamadi. However with the progress of time and emergence of modern education system the significance of the Chamadi has drastically reduced. This paper is an attempt to highlight the various aspect of the Chamadi system among the Tiwa tribe and to understand its continuity and changes.
Before embarking on a discussion of village administration among the Tiwa of North East India, it... more Before embarking on a discussion of village administration among the Tiwa of North East India, it is necessary to give a brief introduction of the tribe under study. The Tiwa is one of the many tribal groups as well as one of the early settlers in North East India. Ancient scriptures mentioned the earliest inhabitants of Assam as the kirata. In the Puranas, the kirata are dubbed foresters, barbarians, or mountaineers (Baruah 1969:5). The Mahabharata mentioned these early inhabitants of Assam as mlechhas. According to K L. Baruah(1966:34-35), the kirata and mlechhas of ancient Kamarupa are Mongolians belonging to the Tibeto-Burman family of the Indo-Chinese group and their present day representatives are the Kacharis, Koches Rabhas, Lalungs (Tiwa), Garos. Settled in the Morigaon, Nagaon, Kamrup and Karbi Anglong districts of Assam and parts of Eastern Meghalaya, they have long been referred to as ‘Lalung’ by other neighbouring groups (Khasi-Jaintia, Karbi) and in colonial records. Th...
Northeast India is well known for the widespread megalithic structures found in different geograp... more Northeast India is well known for the widespread megalithic structures found in different geographical and cultural contexts. Construction of megaliths is also a living tradition among many of the ethnic communities of this region. The dolmen, a megalithic structure made with a large undressed or roughly shaped stone slab supported by several upright stones at the base, is invariably found in all the mega-lithic cultural traditions across India. In the northeastern parts of India, dolmens are often constructed as resting and meeting places of a community. This paper presents the association of such dolmens with a traditional Raj Sabha (royal assembly) of the Khola king of the Tiwa community of Assam. The Raj Sabha, even today held annually at the Silchang megalithic site, is a unique tradition of a royal assembly functioning symbolically on a cluster of dolmens, and is significant to understanding the functional variability of the megaliths and the use of megaliths as a seat of powe...
Northeast India is well known for the widespread megalithic structures found in different geograp... more Northeast India is well known for the widespread megalithic structures found in different geographical and cultural contexts. Construction of megaliths is also a living tradition among many of the ethnic communities of this region. The dolmen, a megalithic structure made with a large undressed or roughly shaped stone slab supported by several upright stones at the base, is invariably found in all the megalithic cultural traditions across India. In the northeastern parts of India, dolmens are often constructed as resting and meeting places of a community. This paper presents the association of such dolmens with a traditional Raj Sabha (royal assembly) of the Khola king of the Tiwa community of Assam. The Raj Sabha, even today held annually at the Silchang megalithic site, is a unique tradition of a royal assembly functioning symbolically on a cluster of dolmens, and is significant to understanding the functional variability of the megaliths and the use of megaliths as a seat of power...
The Tiwa community is one of the autochthonous communities of Northeast India. An important aspec... more The Tiwa community is one of the autochthonous communities of Northeast India. An important aspect of Tiwa culture is the erection of stone monuments during the celebration of Chongkhong Phuja. This ceremony is performed before the commencement of their yearly agricultural cycle which falls in late April and continues to early May. On this occasion, a menhir and table stone are erected by the head priest of the Tiwa village, who then invokes their village guardian deity to call for a better harvest as well as for the wellbeing of the villagers. This elaborate ceremony marks the beginning of the agricultural season for the year, following which the villagers commence their agricultural activities. This paper deals with the performance of Chongkhong Phuja and the associated living megalithic tradition among the Hill Tiwas residing in the Umswai Valley. It also documents the oral traditions associated with the origin of the megalithic tradition in the community. As most of the living m...
The Tiwa community is one of the autochthonous communities of Northeast India. An important aspe... more The Tiwa community is one of the autochthonous communities of Northeast India. An important aspect of Tiwa culture is the erection of stone monuments during the celebration of Chongkhong Phuja. This ceremony is performed before the commencement of their yearly agricultural cycle which falls in late April and continues to early May. On this occasion, a menhir and table stone are erected by the head priest of the Tiwa village, who then invokes their village guardian deity to call for a better harvest as well as for the wellbeing of the villagers. This elaborate ceremony marks the beginning of the agricultural season for the year, following which the villagers commence their agricultural activities. This paper deals with the performance of Chongkhong Phuja and the associated living megalithic tradition among the Hill Tiwas residing in the Umswai Valley. It also documents the oral traditions associated with the origin of the megalithic tradition in the community. As most of the living megalithic traditions among the ethnic communities of Northeast India are either related to burial practices or commemorating the death of a person or an event, this Chongkhong Phuja represents a unique example of a megalithic tradition related to agricultural practice. Indirect evidence suggests the megalithic structures present at the ceremonial place of the Chongkhong Phuja in the Amsai village of the Umswai Valley have been continuously erected for the last thousand years. The paper also hypothesizes the shifting cultivation in the area to be as old as the practice of the megalithic tradition.
The youth dormitory system among the Tiwa tribe of North East India is an important social instit... more The youth dormitory system among the Tiwa tribe of North East India is an important social institution. So far very limited studies have been undertaken solely devoted to this system. The Tiwa youth dormitory is known as the Chamadi. It is not only a meeting place for all the male members of a Tiwa village but also an institution of non formal education. It is a seat of learning for the younger generations. They learn music, dance, handicraft and other essential facts of life at the Chamadi. However with the progress of time and emergence of modern education system the significance of the Chamadi has drastically reduced. This paper is an attempt to highlight the various aspect of the Chamadi system among the Tiwa tribe and to understand its continuity and changes.
Before embarking on a discussion of village administration among the Tiwa of North East India, it... more Before embarking on a discussion of village administration among the Tiwa of North East India, it is necessary to give a brief introduction of the tribe under study. The Tiwa is one of the many tribal groups as well as one of the early settlers in North East India. Ancient scriptures mentioned the earliest inhabitants of Assam as the kirata. In the Puranas, the kirata are dubbed foresters, barbarians, or mountaineers (Baruah 1969:5). The Mahabharata mentioned these early inhabitants of Assam as mlechhas. According to K L. Baruah(1966:34-35), the kirata and mlechhas of ancient Kamarupa are Mongolians belonging to the Tibeto-Burman family of the Indo-Chinese group and their present day representatives are the Kacharis, Koches Rabhas, Lalungs (Tiwa), Garos. Settled in the Morigaon, Nagaon, Kamrup and Karbi Anglong districts of Assam and parts of Eastern Meghalaya, they have long been referred to as ‘Lalung’ by other neighbouring groups (Khasi-Jaintia, Karbi) and in colonial records. Th...
Northeast India is well known for the widespread megalithic structures found in different geograp... more Northeast India is well known for the widespread megalithic structures found in different geographical and cultural contexts. Construction of megaliths is also a living tradition among many of the ethnic communities of this region. The dolmen, a megalithic structure made with a large undressed or roughly shaped stone slab supported by several upright stones at the base, is invariably found in all the mega-lithic cultural traditions across India. In the northeastern parts of India, dolmens are often constructed as resting and meeting places of a community. This paper presents the association of such dolmens with a traditional Raj Sabha (royal assembly) of the Khola king of the Tiwa community of Assam. The Raj Sabha, even today held annually at the Silchang megalithic site, is a unique tradition of a royal assembly functioning symbolically on a cluster of dolmens, and is significant to understanding the functional variability of the megaliths and the use of megaliths as a seat of powe...
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