|
|
The Karbis or the Mikirs, are said to be one
of the few most ancient races of Assam. The great
artist-scholar Bishnu Prasad Rabha used to refer to them as the Columbus
of Assam.
Customs, Traditions & Religious Beliefs
'Hemphu' was their primal man. According to Karbi tradition Sat Recho was
their first king who promised his resurrection at a certain stage of
civilization to rule the earth again. Some clans of the Karbis believe
their origins to be tote
mistic.
The highest of the Karbi gods is "Barithe", the god of the
heaven. The most important social function of the Karbis is the
Chamangkan.
The Karbi People
Karbis are mainly habitant of Sibsagar
district and some part of Nowgong. Majority of Karbis use to do Jhum
cultivation till the fifties but now almost all of them have taken to wet
cultivation.
The Village And Household
The concept of a plains Karbi house is almost similar to that of the
Rabha house. As for their village, the Karbis always prefer a site at the
foot of a hill to other plain lands. The village consists of a number of
families and the village named after its headman.