North
Cachar Hills
The
Tribes of N.C.Hills
The
Dimasa Kacharis :
The Kacharis are the most widely spread tribe in northeast India. They
are said to be the earliest inhabitants of the Brahmaputra Valley. The Kacharis
belong to the Indo-Mongoloid (Kirata) group which include the Bodos and
their allied tribes. They have prominent Mongoloid features with high cheek
bones, slit eyes and a slight growth of hair in the body and scant beard. They
call themselves Bodo or Bodo-fisa in the Brahmaputra valley and
Dimasa or Dima-fisa or ‘sons of the great river’ in the North Cachar Hills
& Karbi- Anglong district.
The
Dimasa Kacharis greatly inhabit the northern half of the North Cachar Hills and
ravines of the Jatinga valley and the adjoining tract.
The
Dimasas believe in the existence of a supreme being Madai – Under whom there
are several Madais including family deities and evil spirits. The religious
practices of the Dimasas are reflected in their Daikho system. A Daikho has a
presiding deity with a definite territorial jurisdiction and a distinct group of
followers known as Khel. Every Dimasa Kachari family worships its ancestral
deity once a year before sowing the next paddy. It is known as Madai Khelimba. This is done for the
general welfare of the family. And Misengba is for the good of the whole
community. They cremate their dead. The dead body is washed and dressed in new
clothes, the corpse is placed inside the house on a mat. A fowl is thrashed to
death and placed at the foot of the deceased so that it might show the deceased
the right path to heaven. The widow does not tie their hair till cremation. The
dead body is cremated by the side of a river or
stream.
The
Dimasa have a tendency to build their houses on hill slopes with a river or
streamlet flowing nearby. The dwelling houses are built on plinth of earth –
in two rows facing each other with a sufficiently wide gap in between.
An
important institution of the village is Hangsao. It is an association of
unmarried boys and girls of the village. It is organized for the purpose of
working together in cultivation and lasts only for one year. Throughout the
year, the members of the Hangsao work together in the Jhums cutivating by
rotation an area of land at every member’s field.
Music
and dance play an important role in the day-to-day life of the Dimasa Kacharis.
They sing and dance expressing their joy at the youth common houses
‘Nadrang’ or at the courtyard of the ‘Gajaibaou’s house in popular
common festival like Bushu or Hangsao – manauba. The female owner of the
house, where the Bushu festival is held, is called ‘Gajaibaou’.
By
using their traditional musical instruments like Muri, Muri-wathisa, Supin Khram,
Khramdubung, they present their traditional dances named – Baidima, Jaubani,
Jaupinbani, Rennginbani, Baichargi, Kunlubani, Daislelaibani, Kamauthaikim
Kaubani, Nanabairibani, Baururnjla, Kailaibani, Homaudaobani, Rongjaobani,
Dausipamaikabani, Daudngjang, Nowaijang, Dailaibani, Narimbani, Rogidaw
bihimaiyadaw, Maijaobani, Maisubanai, Richibbani, Michai bonthai jibnai,
Homojing ladaibani, Berma charao paibani, Mangusha bondaibani, Madaikalimbani
etc.
The
males put on the traditional dresses like richa, rikaosa, paguri rimchau and
rimchaoramai to perform the folk dances. The females put on Rigu, rijamfini,
rijamfinaberen, rikaucha, rikhra, jingsudu etc. and wear ornaments like Kaudima,
Khadu, Kamautai, Longbar, Panlaubar. Chandraral, Rongbarcha, Enggrasa, Jongsama,
Ligjao, Jingbri, Yausidam etc.
The dance forms of the Dimasa Kacharis are
complex in character. They are strictly dependent on instrumental music. No
songs are used. Khram (drum) follows the rhythm of the Muri (fife) and so also
the dancers. Though one may find the music trilling from Muri to be monotonous,
but there are variations with noticeable microtones for different dance forms.
That is why young men practice dancing at Nadrang during leisure hours and the
village kids follow the rhythm and stepping at a distance from an early age.
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WEBSITE HAS BEEN DESIGNED & DEVELOPED BY N.I.C., N.C.HILLS DISTRICT
UNIT ON BEHALF OF DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION, N.C.HILLS, ASSAM
  nchill@hub.nic.in
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