A Study on the Agricultural Festival of the Assam’s Mising Tribe

Abstract

The tribal communities in North-East India celebrate many festivals associated with
agriculture. Some festivals are celebrated at the beginning of the cultivation. Some traditional
festivals are celebrated wishing the growth of the crops after the farmers are done with
plantation. On the other hand, many post-harvest festivals are also celebrated. These festivals
reflect the unique culture and tradition of every tribe. Misings are one of the remarkable tribes of
Assam. They belong to the Mongoloid ethnic stock. Similarly, from the linguistic side, they are
part of the Tibeto-Burman linguistic family, the second largest linguistic family of the world.
The Mising tribe primarily depends on the agriculture for their livelihood. Therefore, like all the
agrarian societies in the world, the Mising society also revolves around the rituals, beliefs and
tradition associated with the agriculture. The festivals of the Mising tribe derive from such
popular beliefs and rituals. Ali-Aye-Ligang and Po:rag are two major festivals of the Misings.
Ali-Aye-Ligang marks the beginning of the cultivation. On the other hand, Po:rag is a postharvest festival. This paper analyses these two festivals of the Mising tribe.