D A K B E W A L

About Us

DAKBEWAL is synonymous to 'culture'. Its a combination of two Garo words. 'Dakka' means 'to do', 'habituating in doing', 'continue practicing'; bewal means 'the rites and rituals', 'the rules and regulations', 'the custom', 'sum total of doings'.  So DAKBEWAL elaborates its meaning 'the thinking, the deeds, the rites and rituals, the belief, the social systems, the customs, the doings of the fore-fathers of the Garos' that is 'culture'.

The Garos is one of the indigenous people group of the world. They call themselves A'chik or Mande. They don't use the term Garo among their conversation. Actually they don't like the term to be used. As they are widely introduced as Garo to the world, so they had been using the term to introduce themselves to other people. The Garo of Meghalaya, India widely used the term A'chik addressing themselves, whereas the Garo of Bangladesh used the term Mande, for their introduction. They are the member of the Greater Mongoloid Race. They are mainly distributed over the Kamrup, Goalpara and Karbi Anglong Districts of Assam, Garo Hills in Meghalaya, in the state of Tripura and substantial numbers, about 200,000 are found in Bangladesh. It is estimated that total Garo population in India and Bangladesh together were about 2 million in 2001.

The Garos are also found in minority number in Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling and Dinajpur of West Bengal, India and also found in minority number in Nagaland, India but many of the young generations are unable to speak their own mother tongue.They have been living in these areas from the time immemorial before the Aryans.

According to the oral tradition of the forefathers of the Garos, they first came to these areas from Tibet about 400 B.C. years ago under the leadership of Jappa Jalimpa, crossing the Brahmaputra River and tentatively settling in the river valley. Besides these subcontinent, they had been scattered in different countries of the world. They have their own language, literature, folklore and folktales, food, clothing, tools, festivals and culture. So they belong beautiful, colorful, attractive and enriched culture. Its our little effort to make known and introduce the Garo culture to you. 

Language:

The Garo have their own language. The name of their language is A'chik Ku'sik in Meghalaya, India but in Bangladesh mande ku'sik. The Garo language belongs to the Bodo branch of the Bodo-Naga-Kachin family of the Sino-Tibetan phylum. As the Garo language is not traditionally written down, customs, traditions, and beliefs are handed down orally. It is also believed that the written language was lost in its transit to the present Garo Hills. But now they used to write with Roman Scripts. It is the tradition of near about 150 years.

Garo language has different sub-languages or dialects, Viz- A'beng or A'mbeng, Matabeng, Attong, Me'gam, Matchi, Dual [Matchi-Dual], Ruga, Chibok, Chisak, Gara, Gan·ching [Gara-Gan·ching] A·we, Brak etc. In Bangladesh A·beng is the common dialect, but A·chik is used more in India. A'we is used as literary language in common in Bangladesh and Meghalaya of India. The Garo language has some similarities with Boro-Kachari, Rava, Dimasa, Koch and Kok-Borok (Tipra) languages.

Clothing:

Alike other communities of the world, the womenfolk of the Garo community have more decorative articles than those of the menfolk. A few of their clothing are: Dokbanda/Dokmanda, Doksari, Koping, A.npeng, Ganna/Gena, Dolajin, Tops, Blouse etc.

Ornaments:

Both men and women enjoy adorning themselves with varieties of ornaments. Some of those ornaments are:

• Nadongbi or sisha – made of a brass ring worn in the lobe of the ear.
• Nadirong – brass ring worn in the upper part of the ear
• Natapsi – string of beads worn in the upper part of the ear
• Jaksan – Bangles of different materials and sizes
• Ribbok – Necklaces made of long barrel shaped beads of cornelian or red glass while some are made out of brass or silver and are worn in special occasions.
• Do'mi - feathers of fowl worn on the head which specified the Garo people in a festive dress.
• Jaksil – elbow ring worn by rich men on Gana Ceremonies
• Kokasil - made of silver worn on the forehead.
• Penta – small piece of ivory struck into the upper part of the ear projecting upwards parallel to the side of the head
• Seng'ki – Waistband consisting of several rows of conch-shells worn by womenPilne – head ornament worn during the dances only by the women

Weapons:

Garos have their own weapons. One of the principal weapons is a two-edged sword called millam made of one piece of iron from hilt to point. There is a cross-bar between the hilt and the blade where attached a bunch of cow’s tail-hair. Other types of weapons are sepi, selu, bra, chri, rua, mongreng, jatti etc.

Jhuming Tools :

They used many tools for jhuming. some of those are: katchi, gitchi, kok, tora, kokjeng, kokreng, rua, mongreng etc.

Food and drink:

Their staple food is rice. They also eat millet, maize, tapioca etc. Garos are very liberal in their food habits. They rear goats, cattle, pigs, fowls, ducks etc. for meat. Different kind of fishes and dry fish also are a part of their food. Their jhum fields and the forests provide them with a number of vegetables and root for their curry but bamboo shoots are esteemed as a delicacy. They use a kind of potash in curries, which they obtained by burning dry pieces of plaintain stems, mustard trees, young bamboos locally known as Kalchi or Karitchi. After they are burnt, the ashes are collected and are dipped in water and are strained in conical shaped  bamboo strainer named gengreng. These days most of the people use soda from the market in place of this ash water. Apart from other drinks country liquor plays an important role in the life of the Garos.

Some of their favorite foods are: Mimil, Mi-brenga, Brenga, Karitchi, Tabolchu, Ta'a, Pura-ka'ri, Nakam-ka'ri, Utepa, Song'kapa etc.

Music and Dance :

Some mentionable traditional Garo song are:  Ku·dare sala, Hoa ring·a, Injoka, Kore doka, Ajea, Doroa, Nanggorere goserong, Dim dim chong dading chong, Serejing, Boel sala etc.

Some dances are Chame mikkang nia, Kambe Toa, Gaewang Roa, Napsepgrika, Gure roa, Chambil mesa'a, Ajema Roa, Mi Su·a, Chambil Moa, Do·kru Sua and many others.

Festivals:

The greatest  festivals is the Wangala, usually celebrated in October to November, is a thank-giving ceremony after harvest in which Saljong, the god who provides mankind with Nature’s bounties and ensures their prosperity, is honored.Other festivals: Gal·mak Doa, Agalmaka, rongchugala, Ahaia etc.

Musical Instruments:

The traditional Garo musical instruments can broadly be classified into four groups.

• Idiophones: Self-sounding and made of resonant materials – Kakwa, Nenggilsi, Guridomik, Kamaljakmora, all kinds of gongs, Rangkilding, Rangbong, Nogri etc.
• Aerophone: Wind instruments, whose sound come from air vibrating inside a pipe when is blown – Adil, Singga, Sanai, Kal, Bolbijak, Illep or Illip, Illongna, Tarabeng, Imbanggi, Akok or Dakok, Bangsi rori, Tilara or Taragaku, Bangsi mande, Otekra, Wa·pepe or Wa·pek.
• Chordophone: Stringed instrument – Dotrong, Sarenda, Chigring or Bagring, Dimchrang or Kimjim, Gongmima or Gonggina.
• Membranophone: Which have skins or membranes stretched over a frame – Am·beng Dama, Chisak Dama, Atong Dama, Garaganching Dama, Ruga and Chibok Dama, Dual-Matchi Dama, Nagra, Kram etc

PLEASE KEEP IN TOUCH TO KNOW THE GARO CULTURE.