The Boro is the largest ethnolinguistic group in the Assam state of India. They
are a part of the greater Bodo-Kachari family of ethnolinguistic groups and are
spread across northeastern India. They are concentrated mainly in the Bodoland
autonomous region of Assam, though Boros inhabit all other districts of Assam. •
Boros speak Boro language, a Boro-Garo language of the Tibeto-Burman family,
which is recognized as one of twenty-two scheduled languages in the Indian
Constitution. and over two-third of the people are bilingual, speaking Assamese
as a second language. • The Boro along with other cognate groups of Bodo-Kachari
peoples are prehistoric settlers who are believed to have migrated at least 3000
years ago. • The Bodo-Kachari were also some of the first people to rear
silkworms and produce silk material and were considered to be advanced in rice
cultivation in Assam during this time period. • The Boro people are recognized
as a plains tribe in the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, and have
special powers in the Bodo Territorial Region, an autonomous division. • Bodo
Tribal Community of Assam is considered as the earliest immigrants of Assam. &
plays a very important role in the culture and tradition of the state. • Bodo
Tribe is known to be the earliest immigrants in Assam. This ethnic community is
mainly concentrated in Brahmaputra valleys. • It is the largest minority group
of the state. It is believed that this tribe arrived in Assam from Tibet through
Bhutan passes. • As the primitive settlers of Assam valley, the bodo community
is considered to be the most traditionally and culturally rich community of the
state. • For writing they used Roman script and Assamese script. Now they have
taken up the Nagari script for their writing. • Their rich culture incorporates
elements like dancing, singing etc. which reflects the fact that they have many
religious practices and beliefs, among which Bathouism has special importance. •
This community is very fond of conventional drinks called Zu mai. When people
visit their house they used to offer this drink as a kind of respect. • Their
main food consists of non-vegetarian dishes like pork and fish. Oma Bedor, Onla
and Narzi are their main cuisines. • Fairs and festivals of Bodo tribe “Baishagu
is the main festival of Bodo community. It is celebrated during the month of
April every year. POPULATION: 1.4 million LANGUAGE: Bodo (majority), Assamese
RELIGION: Ba-Thou, Hinduism, Christianity LOCATION: Bodoland autonomous region
of Assam, though Boros inhabit all other districts of Assam HISTORY : • The true
ethnic Tribal Community of northwestern parts of Assam are Bodo Tribe & the
Kachari is the sub branch of the Bodo. • The Bodo Tribe resides in the
Brahmaputra valley. • Bodo Tribes are known to be the earliest settlers in
Assam.
• They are the first to cultivate rice and rear silkworms.They are
superstitious by nature and believe in rebirth. • The word 'Bodo' has been
derived from the word 'Bod' meaning Tibet. They are the largest ethnic and
linguistic group of tribes. Bodos are peace-loving people. • In Earlier times
Bodos were cut off due to the geographical area and weather conditions from
other parts of the Country. • This was the main reason which led to the lack of
education and economy among them. Due to this, the arousal of the Bodoland
Movement was initiated. • The movement started in late 80's under the leadership
of Upendra Nath Brahma who is now called as the Father of Bodos. • A Bodoland
Territorial Council is formed to save & protect the culture, language and
identity of Bodos. • It was managed and headed by All Bodo Students Union (ABSU)
and an armed militant group called the Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT). • The land
given to the Bodos was called Bodoland. Most of the Bodos arrived from Bhutan
Passes. • The 6th Schedule of the Constitution of India has conferred Bodo
Tribal Community the status and prestige of the Plain Tribe. • Kokrajhar town is
regarded as the hub of Bodo tribal Community. CULTURE • Culture of the whole
society of the Bodo Tribe includes dancing, singing etc. • One can find the
surnames of Bodo Tribe as Bargayary, Bodosa, Boro, Owary, Wary, Ishwary, Goyary
& Daimary. • They use the beautiful language of Bodo and some people in the
primitive age used Roman and Assamese Script. • Bodos have quite exquisite
dresses which are exhilarating the beauty and glamours of women.
• Dokna is the dress worn by Bodo women which they themselves knit on their own hands. Shawls
form a major fashion among Bodos and thus loom is the most important thing used
in the courtyard of the Bodo House. Bodos in the ancient times used to pray to
their forefathers. • Today Bodo Tribal Community has changed significantly and
has accepted Hinduism as their main religion. • They practice a Culture known as
Bathouism. The plant called Siju is worshipped as a symbol of Bathou Symbol. •
To worship, a clean ground near the home or the courtyard of the home is chosen.
One pair of Betelnut called Goi betel leaf called pathwi is offered. • The
offering even included rice, milk and sugar. For the Kherai Puja an titlear is
placed in the rice field. • The Bodos do not practice dowry and caste system as
per their rules of Brahma Dharma. • The famous folk dances of Bodo Tribe such as
Bardaichikhla and Bagurumba are extremely colorful. • The Bodo Tribal community
follows a common system of marriage in all villages. • Elders in the village fix
the bride. Bride money is paid and they do not marry from other communities.
Sunday is the best day for a Bodo Wedding. • They have a taboo against marrying
within the same clan. • The groom is asked to stay with his father-in-law's
family. The customs of Bodos have a ritualistic naming ceremony, when a cock is
offered to the Gods for the welfare of the baby. IMPORTANT CLANS 1. Swarg-Aroi;
In Sanskrit, Swarga means heaven. The clan is heaven folk. The clan never worked
as cultivators. They were also known as Deoris and Ojhas. 2. Basumati-Aroi; In
Sanskrit, Basumati means earth. The clan is earth folk. The clan had certain
privileges over land not possessed by others. Basumatary, the largest sub-tribe
of Boro also means Sons of the Soil 3. Ramsa-Aroi; The clan is Ramsa folk. Ramsa
is a village in Betna Mouza, Undivided Kamrup. Ramsa is a hill in Kharguli,
Kamrup. Ram-sa (Ram's people) is the name by which Kacharis living in the plains
were known to their brethren in the hills. 4. Mahalia-Aroi; Mahalia Kacharis
came to be known as Mahilari. 5. Hajo-Aroi; Many Boros worshiped Raja Hajo.
Hajoari is related to Hajo. Hajo means Hill. FOOD • Bodo have favoritism and
taste buds for some of the mouth watering dishes. • They are very much fond of
conventional drinks called Zu Mai, Zu means wine and Mai means rice. • Rice is
the main staple food but are savored with a non-vegetarian dish like fish or
pork. • They now usually prefer non-vegetarian dishes. The main dishes are Oma
Bedor, Onla and Narzi. OMA BEDOR Most Bodo people like Oma (Pork) bedor (meat).
Boros prepare pork meat with different flavors and styles. It could be fried,
roasted, and stewed. The first type is pan fried. The second flavor is made by
roasting (or smoking) the meat in the sun for several days. The and meat - it
tastes very rich in fat. NAPHAM Napham is an unique dish that distinguishes Bodo
cuisines from that of the other races. It is made by grinding smoked fish,
specific leafy vegetables, ground powder, and the mixture is allowed to age in a
sealed bamboo cylinder. Thereafter, aged napham could be fried or used as is, -
it tastes like pate made out of Chinese dried fish. ONLA Onla is a gravy made
from rice powder and slices of bamboo shoots cooked lightly with oil and spices.
Chicken or pork can be added to onla. JU MAI Rice wine is produced by the bodos
mainly during the festivals like Bwisagu and Domasi.
Jumai could be of two types, (A) gishi (wet) and (B) gwran(dry). (A) Gishi is brewed by fermentation
of rice, when a piece of plum is added to the gishi mixture during fermentation,
the product tastes like plum wine! (B) Gwran is produced by distillation of the
gishi, - it tastes like Japanese sake. The Bodos examine the strength of the
wine by throwing a cup of beer in the fire. A flash of fire indicates the
strength of the wine. OCCUPATION • Along with whole Indian communities even Bodo
Communities have undergone changes and taken up several occupations. • In early
days Bodo tribes practiced farming and cultivation. Rice farming, tea
plantation, pig & poultry farming, Silkworm Rearing is a major occupation of any
Bodo Tribe. • They have also developed in the years the art of craftsmanship by
creating several products from bamboo. • Weaving is also the popular occupation
among Bodos. In very early age girls of Bodo Tribe learn the art of weaving.
ECONOMIC LIFE: • In the sphere of economic life agriculture still has a dominant
position, yet in the contemporary times occupation like service, trade and
commerce, contracts etc are adopted; but in small numbers. • Agriculture is the
main occupation of any rural society. It is also the mainstay of the economic
life of the Bodos. Though a large section of the Bodos were engaged in shifting
cultivation (largely slash and burn variety in the plains and to some extent
terrace cultivation on the fringe areas of Bhutan and the Garo hills till many
years back, now the Bodos are fully settled cultivators. • Before making a
settlement, they select a plot which is suitable for the cultivation of paddy. •
They primarily look for a plot with a vast grazing field, availability of
rivers, ponds or lakes, jungles and forests for hunting animals and for
collecting firewood without scarcity. • For the cultivation of paddy the Bodos
select a land which can sustain water for a long time. The Bodos are efficient
in constructing irrigation canals, embankments and minimum traditional
technology for daily use. • They generally cultivate such mustard seeds ,
tobacco, jute, vegetables like potato, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, gourd,
green leaves, spices, chilly. onion, ginger etc. • They produce partly for
domestic consumption and partly for selling in the markets. They grow areca nuts
and trees in their compound. • Castor plants are cultivated for producing Endi
cocoon, which is a part of home industries in spinning and weaving especially
for women folk. • For cultivation of paddy, there are three kinds of cultivation
of the land in the society. • They are Self Cultivation, Adhi system, Sukhani
system. The first kind is the tradition of the Bodos, but the second and the
third type might have been borrowed from others in the past.
i) Self system- Theowner cultivates his land with the help of his family or male labour (Dahona)
and female labour (Puwati) for a season by giving them a certain amount of paddy
or wages. ii) Adhi system- In this system the land owner gives away his land to
a cultivator for cultivation for a temporary phase and the total product of the
land is distributed equally between his owner and the cultivator. iii) Sukhani
system- here the land owner fixes a contract with the cultivator , and the
cultivator has to give a fixed quantity of product for each bigha of land he
cultivated. DRESS AND ORNAMENTS • The set of all items worn on the human body
functions as signs. • The distribution of types of clothing in relation to
different climatic zones and the variation in clothes worn with changes in
weather conditions show their practical, protective function. • Furthermore,
types of clothing vary with types of social occasions, which indicate that the
wearing of clothes is also subject to socio-cultural norms. • The mode of dress
of Bodo people is unique and full of colors, with style and attractiveness. •
The traditional attire was always handwoven which is also a testimony of Bodo
women’s talent in weaving. • The male person, both young and old put on Gamosa
woven at home , which hangs down to the knees from the loins. • In the present
times they have started using Gamosas which are mainly stripped and are in
different colours. • They earlier used to wear vests made of Cotton or Endi
which is rare nowadays. Besides, they put Aronai (a small wrapper) around their
neck. • They have started using Jacquard looms to increase production,
efficiency and quality of the Bodo textiles. In Kokrajhar wearing of traditional
dress is compulsory in schools and colleges too. MARRIAGE SYSTEM OF THE BODOS •
Marriage creates new social relationships and reciprocal rights between the two
new people, between each and the kin of the other, and establishes the status of
the offspring when they are born. • The social ceremony which gives sanction to
this is the marriage ceremony of the Bodos. The Bodo word for marriage is ‘Haba
‘. • The Bodos have a very high regard and dignified concept of chastity and
they live by it. • Traditionally the Bodos have as many as six types of
marriages. ‘Lwngan Wi lanai haba’ or arranged marriage is the most common
socially accepted marriage custom of the Bodos. • The bride is selected by the
parents of the bridegroom and then the marriage is settled after negotiation. •
Till today this form of marriage is solemnly celebrated. However the bride price
is no longer compulsory. ARTS AND CRAFTS: • The arts and crafts are part of the
traditional culture which is originally transmitted generation to generation
among us. • Cane and bamboo are the two most commonly used materials in daily
life in Bodo society. • Traditional Bodo society made products ranging from
household implements to construction of dwelling houses to weaving accessories
to musical instruments and to construction of houses and fencing etc. are made
in bamboo. • Specially, whole range of household and fishing implements are also
made of bamboo and cane, like- Plough (Nangal), Yoke (Jungal), Horrow (Mwi) etc.
Bodo women are traditionally expert in weaving. • Looming and weaving materials,
like- weaving post (Khuntha), post bar (Salbari ), Warp roller (Gandwi), Reed
(Rasw ), shuttle (Makhu), pedal (Gorkha), Bobbins(Musura), Spinning wheel
(Jenthar), spindle (Jenthar) Gonsa-gonsi etc. generally these weaving materials
are made of bamboo and wood. • The bamboo, cane and wood are also used in
construction of traditional houses, cowshed, piggery house, poultry house etc.
among the Bodos. FESTIVALS • Baishagu is the most cherished, springtime festival
celebrated by Bodo Tribe at the advent of the New Year. • Famous for its myriad
colours and merriment, Baishagu is celebrated during mid April. • The other
festivals which Bodo Tribe celebrates are Hapsa Hatarani, Awnkham, Gwrlwi,
Janai, Bwisagu and Domashi. • Among all the Kherai Festival includes singing,
dancing and drumming celebrated with much rejoice. What is the Bodo issue? • The
first organised demand for a Bodo state came in 1967-68. • In 1985, when the
Assam Movement culminated in the Assam Accord, many Bodos saw it as essentially
focusing on the interests of the Assamese-speaking community. • In 1987, the All
Bodo Students Union (ABSU) revived the Bodo statehood demand. • It subsequently
renamed itself National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), and later split
into factions. What are the previous accords? • The 1987 ABSU-led movement
culminated in a 1993 Bodo Accord, which paved the way for a Bodoland Autonomous
Council (BAC). • But ABSU withdrew its agreement and renewed its demand for a
separate state. • The 2003 Bodo Accord was signed by the extremist group Bodo
Liberation Tiger Force (BLTF), the Centre and the state. • This led to the
formation of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) which is an autonomous body
under the Constitution. What has been settled now? • Primarily, this Accord ends
a truce with four factions of the NDFB after decades of armed movement that
claimed over 4,000 lives. • The agreement says that negotiations were held with
Bodo organisations for a comprehensive and final solution to their demands while
keeping intact the territorial integrity of the State of Assam. • A minister
said the demand for statehood came to end with the Accord. • However, an ABSU
leader said that there is no mention anywhere in the settlement that the ABSU
will give up the statehood demand. What was agreed on territory? • The area
under the jurisdiction of BTC was called the Bodo Territorial Autonomous
District (BTAD). • In the 2020 Accord, the BTAD was renamed to BTR (Bodoland
Territorial Region). • BTAD comprises Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri
districts, accounting for 11% of Assam’s area. • The new Accord provides for
alteration of area of BTAD and provisions for Bodos outside BTAD. • A commission
appointed by the state government will examine and recommend if villages
contiguous to BTAD and with a majority tribal population can be included into
the BTR. • Those villages, now in BTAD and with a majority non-tribal population
can opt out of the BTR. • This will lead to an increase in the Bodo population
in BTR and decrease in non-tribal population, leading to mitigation of
inter-community clashes. • The government will set up a Bodo-Kachari Welfare
Council for focused development of Bodo villages outside BTAD. What are the
other provisions? • Several of the provisions agreed upon in the 2020 agreement
were an extension of what was already in effect. 1. It provides for more
legislative, executive, administrative and financial powers to BTC. 2. The
amendments to the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to improve the financial
resources and administrative powers of BTC. • This agreement says the Government
of Assam will notify Bodo language in Devanagari script as the associate
official language in the state. What will happen to the cases filed during the
armed movement? • The Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) says criminal cases for
non-heinous crimes shall be withdrawn. • It also says those cases in connection
with heinous crimes shall be reviewed case by case according to the existing
policy on the subject. • The MoS states New Delhi and Dispur will take all
necessary steps to rehabilitate the cadres, funding economic activities,
vocational trading and recruitment in appropriate government jobs. New Accord ▪
According to the new accord, BTAD will be renamed as Bodoland Territorial Region
(BTR). ▪ The agreement promises more legislative, executive and administrative
autonomy under the Sixth Schedule to Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) and
expansion of the BTC territory in lieu of statehood. ▪ It provides for
alteration of the area of BTAD and provisions for Bodos outside BTAD. For this,
a commission appointed by the state government will examine and recommend if
villages contiguous to BTAD and with a majority tribal population can be
included into the BTR while those now in BTAD and with a majority non-tribal
population can opt-out of the BTR. Subsequent to this alteration, the total
number of Assembly seats will go up to 60, from the existing 40. ▪ The
Government of Assam will notify Bodo language in Devanagari script as the
associate official language in the state. ▪ The memorandum of the settlement
says that the criminal cases registered against members of the NDFB factions for
“non-heinous” crimes shall be withdrawn by the Assam government and in cases of
heinous crimes it will be reviewed. ▪ A Special Development Package of Rs. 1500
Crore would be given by the Centre to undertake specific projects for the
development of Bodo areas. ▪ The Assam government will set up a Bodo-Kachari
Autonomous Council, which will be a satellite council for the focussed
development of Bodo villages outside the BTR on the lines of the existing six
councils for plains tribes. Associated Issues ▪ The new Bodo Accord has led to
the intensification of the movement for Kamatapur State by organisations of the
Koch-Rajbongshi community. The territory of the demanded Kamatapur State
overlaps with the present BTAD. ▪ Ripple Effect: The augmented area and powers
of the BTC, under the new accord, may trigger fresh aspirations in the nine
autonomous councils in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram to graduate to the
new model. ▪ Ethnic Fault-line: Clamour for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status by the
Koch-Rajbongshi, Adivasis and several other non-ST communities has also grown.
Likely expansion of the ST list in Assam has the potential to keep the Bodos out
of power in the BTC and may push Bodo organisations to revive their homeland
demand. As the reservation of seats of BTC is for the STs and not exclusively
for the Bodos. This blog pertains to UPSC papers on GS 1 Indian Society, GS 3
Environment and Essay Type Question.
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