Dr. Das Gupta's study unveils a panorama of tribal life on the sprawling, southern slope sof Meghalaya-the home of clouds Sponsored by the Anthropological Survey of India, it focusses on the Wars (a sub-group of the Khasi tribe), their history, goegraphical environment, material culture, economy, politics, religion and social structure in an effort to highlight the salient features of the life and culture of the trbe. Relevantly, therefore, the author seeks to demonstrate hwo the matrilineal, endogamous Wars, despite their certain similarities withthe Khasi tribe are different in dialect, political organisation, social customs and manners, and broadly, how they compare with the other matrilineal tribal cultures of the world. The outcome of the author's painstaking extensive fieldwork, this ethnographic study of the War Khasis embraces almost every facet of the tribe's life and culture, describing the characteristic War Khasi village, home agriculture, livestokc, tools, dress, ornaments, vocations, domestic chores, hunting pursuits, armoury, means of travel, recreatioins, pastimes, family, clan, marraige, divorce. kinship, rules of inheritance (which are of great theoretical importance to social anthropologists), social practices, beliefs, muths superstitions, funeral rites, and a lot more.

The state of Meghalaya, formed on 21 January 1972, is a state of fascinating socio-cultural significance. Its heritage can be traced from the prehistoric times of Stone Age up to the present. Though comprising mainly of the matrilineal Khasi, Garo, and Jaintia tribes – the state also houses many other lesser known communities such as the Hajong,Sakachep, Biate, Koch, Dalu, Margnar and the Nepali. All these communities find voice in this volume. This book looks at the state of Meghalaya exhaustively from the perspective of heritage documentation and maintenance. The 38 chapters written by anthropologists and independent researchers, present the rich traditions found in the region. This volume will be of great help to academicians, researchers, students, and laymen interested in a comprehensive study of the region. Please note: This title is co-published with Manohar Publishers, New Delhi. Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in South Asia.

Tribal societies in India observe a diverse set of religious practices which are a quintessential part of their community life. This handbook explores rituals, beliefs, ceremonies and festivals, liturgy, knowledge and traditions that tribal people practice today and traces the history of their interaction with other religions, communities and cultures. The book provides analytical, intellectual, and cultural insights into the religious tradition of tribes within the interactive space of a pan-Indian civilisation. It examines contemporary religious practice within tribes while also exploring changes either brought on by interactions or political interventions. The volume reflects on the intersections of cultural or political life of communities and their religious worldviews. The book also discusses the processes of assimilation or adoption of different religion or religious traditions by tribes and the challenges of detribalisation and shrinking populations of vulnerable groups. It explores both established and emerging dynamics in the field of tribe and religion and provides a look into the unique systems of kinship, worship and life within many different tribal communities in India. This and its companion handbook, The Routledge Handbook of Tribe and Religions in India: Contemporary Readings on Spirituality, Belief and Identity, provide a comprehensive look into the religious life and practices of a very diverse group of tribes in India. It will be of interest to academics and researchers working in the fields of religion, anthropology, indigenous and tribal studies, social and cultural anthropology, sociology of culture, sociology of religion, development studies, history, political science, folkloristic, and colonialism.

This book presents the results of Heide Goettner-Abendroth's pioneering research in the field of modern matriarchal studies, based on a new definition of «matriarchy» as true gender-egalitarian societies. This new perspective on matriarchal societies is developed step by step by the analysis of extant indigenous cultures in Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

Contributed articles chiefly with reference to rural development in Northeastern India; includes articles on cultural history of the region.

A group of friends journey to aremote part of West Khasi Hills to witness Ka PhorSorat, the Feast of the Dead,an ancient Lyngngam funeral ceremony that lasts six days. Concluding with thecremation of a beloved elder, a woman whose body has been preserved in a treehouse for nine whole months, this may well be the last time Ka PhorSorat isperformed. By mistake, however, the grouparrives early. So they wait, stuck in the jungle, spendingtheir nights around a fire in the middle of a spacious hut built forthem especially, sharing stories in what proves an unexpected journey ofdiscovery. Funeral Nights is avast collection of tales both big and small, less about death than it is aboutlife in all forms. It teems with admirable men and women, raconteurs andpranksters, lovers and fools, politicians and conmen, drunks and taxi drivers;it abounds with culture, history, gods, religions, myths and legends. Inspiredby Boccaccio's Decameron and The Arabian Nights, this isintimate access to a whole world, spectacular in its documentation of a tribe'slife and culture, and lush, warm, and entirely delightful in its telling.

Traditional institutions in the Khasi-Jaintia society are “living organisms” which have existed for centuries and internally evolved from one phase to another. Despite having come into contact with newer and more modern forms of administration, they continue to exist, backed by local public opinion that has called for their continuity amidst diminishing responsibility and utility. This collection of papers explores the landscapes of traditional institutions that exist in the present Khasi and Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya, India. The chapters blend oral tradition with historical records and available sources from secondary literature. They examine the interplay of power and functions between the constitutional authorities, such as the state government, and the Autonomous District Councils and traditional authorities represented by the traditional institutions.