Tribes of Sub-Himalayan Region Meches, Rabhas, Totos And Garos

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This book deals with the tribes of Mech, Rabha, Toto and Garo of Sub- Himalayan North Bengal region from the days of antiquity to the first decade of the twenty-first century, in order to understand their origin, religion, culture, diseases and medicine, tradition, different social institutions like family, clan and marriage, social and economic structure and social stratification.

This book focuses on traditional folklore, art and crafts, customs, rituals etc. It also discusses at length the socio- economic and political changes and its impact on the said tribes. This work is to explore their changing livelihoods and the real problems they face. It is a new interpretation as a whole. The positive role of Central, State Government, Social organization plays for the development of the underdeveloped tribes of this region. This study will convey the multidimensional aspects of the religion, culture, folk medicine of the society. This book will help the teachers, the interested readers, research scholars and field workers to have more information about the Mech, Rabha, Toto and Garo tribes.

ANIL KUMAR SARKAR (b. 1973) is a Professor of History, University of Kalyani, Nadia, West Bengal. Earlier he had worked as Head and Associate Professor of History, University of GourBanga, Malda, Assistant Professor in History, Acharya B.N. Seal (Govt) College and University B.T. and Evening College, Cooch Behar, West Bengal, India. He is working as editor, Journal of People's History and Culture from 2015. His recent publications:

1. British Paramountcy and the Cooch Behar State (A study of the Anatomy of Indirect Rule in Cooch Behar).

2. Ethnicity and Regional Politics of Eastern and North East India.

3. Historians and Historiography of Bengal and North East India: Dimensions and Perspectives.

4. Reflections on the History of North Bengal.

5. Women in Indian Society: Essays on Hisoriography and Politics.

He obtained his M. Phil Degree (Bengal in the Persian Chronicles of the 13th and 14th Centuries) from the University of North Bengal. He obtained his Ph.D. Degree (2010) "Revisiting Anglo- Koch Relations 1773-1947 (A study of the Anatomy of Indirect rule in Cooch Behar" from University of North Bengal, Darjeeling. He has published more than 40 articles in National, Inter-National and Regional Academic Journals and Edited Books. He has completed UGC Major and Minor Research projects (2016, 2011). At present, he is engaged in the studies on Princely states, Ethnicity and regional History of North Bengal and North East India.

This book focuses on the little known Meches, Rabhas, Totos and Garos tribe of Sub-Himalayan North Bengal region from the days of antiquity to the first decade of the twenty-first century. This book is an exercise on the changing life of these tribes and to the new interpretation of their origin, religion, culture, diseases and medicine, tradition, different social institutions like family, clan and marriage, social and economic structure and social stratification.

We are familiar that the North Bengal region has multi- ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-cultural characteristics. The British administrators, missionaries, travelers and other anthropologically oriented individuals collected data on tribal and rural groups and wrote about them. After independence, many researchers have spent their precious time towards the tribal study and brought a lot of insights into this, on various aspects of tribal life, issues and challenges. However, no in-depth study has so far been made on the said tribes of Sub-Himalayan North Bengal. Moreover, no one has attempted to look into the process of transformation that took place on the overall socio-cultural life of the Mech, Rabha, Toto and Garo tribes. The craft weaving and basketry underperforming art along with dance, music, and musical instruments, with decorative arts which include body decoration, dress and ornament etc. are valuable technic they have. But their traditional art and craft are passing into difficult times. Our responsibility is to preserve it. The indigenous people of North Bengal consisting of both the aboriginals and the immigrant population had developed their own medicinal system based on traditional beliefs and practices. Every community had developed its own system of medicine to get rid of diseases in its own way. The treatment of disease varied from community to community. When we are passing through the COVID-19 phase, all modern treatment is failed to lit the hope then their folk medicine can open a new vista to fight this disease.

And last, analysis of the changes in the social stratification and the processes of social mobility, the nature of demographic changes of this region in the context of urbanization and globalisation.

I am indebted to the staff for their kind service- West Bengal State Archives, Bangiyo Sahitya Parishad Library, National Library, Asiatic Society, North Bengal State Library, Cooch Behar, ABN Seal College Library, National Library, Alipurduar Edward Library, North Bengal University Library, GourBanga University Library, Kalyani University Library etc.

**Contents and Sample Pages**