News: Union Home Minister Amit Shah met delegations of Rabha, Mising, and Tiwa communities of Assam and assured action on their concerns.
About Rabha Community
- Distribution: The Rabha community is a Tibeto-Burman tribal group primarily residing in Assam, Meghalaya, and West Bengal and Bangladesh.
- Location: They are located on the southern bank of the River Brahmaputra in the belt stretching from Guwahati to Dudhnoi.
- Origin: The Rabhas are believed to have migrated from the Tibetan region through Bhutan passes.
- Social structure
- Sub-groups: The community is divided into several groups, including the Rangdani, Maituri, Pati, Dahori, Koch, and Bitalia.
- Matrilineality: Historically, Rabha society was matrilineal, tracing descent and inheriting property through the mother’s side.
- Unique Rites: Farkanti is a traditional mourning dance performed during death rituals.
About Mising Community
- Location in India: They primarily inhabit the riverside areas along the Brahmaputra and its tributaries.
- Distribution: They also has populations in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, where Tibetans refer to them as “Lhobas” (southerners).
- Ethnicity: They are ethnically Mongoloid and belong to the Tibeto-Burman linguistic family.
- Origin: Around the 13th-14th century, they began migrating to the plains of Assam in search of a peaceful life and fertile agricultural land,
- Characteristics
- Weaving: Weaving is an exclusive domain of the women, who create intricate designs and colorful patterns in cotton and silk (muga and eri).
- Religion: Traditionally, they practice the animistic cult of Donyi-Polo (worship of the Sun, Donyi, and Moon, Polo).
- Many have also assimilated aspects of Hinduism (specifically Vaishnavism) and, in some areas, Christianity.
- Festivals: The primary festivals are Ali-Aye-Ligang ( at the beginning of sowing season )and Porag (post-harvest festival) agricultural.
About Tiwa Community
- Origin: The Tiwas trace their roots back to the Tibeto-Burman (Sino-Tibetan) family.
- Location: The Tiwa people are mainly concentrated in the Assam and Meghalaya, and small population in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Nagaland.
- Social structure:
- Hill Tiwas traditionally follow a primarily matrilineal system (children belong to the mother’s clan), and residence after marriage is often matrilocal (husband moves to the wife’s family home).
- Plains Tiwas have largely adopted a patrilineal system, influenced by neighboring Assamese Hindu communities, and use common Assamese surnames.
- The Shamadi or Dekachang, a traditional youth dormitory system (for bachelors), plays a vital role in training youth in discipline and community responsibilities, especially in Hill Tiwa villages.
- Festivals: Major festivals include Pisu (Bihu), Jonbeel Mela, Wansuwa, and Sagra Misawa.
