The Dibongiyas: Social and Religious Life of a Priesthy Community

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The Dibongiyas are one of the territorial groups of the Deuri- Chutiyas of Assam. The Deuri-Chutiyas are ethnically affiliated to the great Tibeto-Mongolian tribes of the State. The other groups of the Deuri- Chutiyas are the Bargonyas, the Tengapaniyas and the Patargonyas. The last group has reportedly become almost extinct. These four groups again constitute the Deuri-Chutiya sub-division of the Chutiyas. Formerly they were a priestly section among the Chutiyas. They conducted magico- religious rituals in the royal temples of the Chutiya Kingdom. Now they are recognised by the Constitution of India as one of the scheduled tribes of Assam. They sparsely inhabit the districts of Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh, Sibsagar and Darrang.

The basic kin groups of the Dibongiyas are Eke Gochaya and Mitura Gochaya. The Nujoya relationship plays an important role in the Dibongiya socio-ritual life of these two kin groups, the Eke Gochaya plays the dominant role, while the Mitura Gochaya plays a subordinate role. The Mimo-Hareruba ritual consolidates the solidarity among the members of the genealogically related groups. In keesing's words. "Kinship has been called the core of the social organisation".

The author who worked on this research project for his Ph. D. degree has studied all important aspects of the religious and social life of this community. It is an excellent anthropological study and should go a long way in furthering research in ethnology in Assam and elsewhere.

Paban Chandra Saikia, (born 1932) is serving as a Curator in the Deptt. of Anthropogy, Dibrugarh University, Assam, since 1970. Formerly, he worked as a Curator in the Deptt. of Anthropology, Gauhati University from 1959 to 1970.

He graduated from Calcutta University in 1956 and qualified for his M.Sc. in 1958 and Ph. D. in 1973, from the University of Gauhati.

The present study was undertaken for his Ph.D. degree from the University of Gauhati. He has contributed a number of papers and articles to several journals of repute, apart from writing a book in Assamese-Deuri- Chutiya'-which was published by Asom Sahitya Sabha in 1974.

This book is a revised version of the thesis entitled "Socio- Ritual Structure of a Dibongiya Village in Assam", for which I was awarded a Ph.D. degree by Gauhati University in October, 1973.

Dr. R. Burling, Professor of Anthropology, Michigan University, U.S.A. and Dr. K.S. Mathur, Head of the Department of Anthropology, Lucknow University, were the examiners of the thesis. Prof. M.C. Goswami, Professor and Head of the Department of Anthropology, Gauhati University, was the guide. I am really indebted to these renowned anthropologists for considering my thesis a standard work. I offer my deep sense of gratitude to each of them. I am grateful to the villagers of Sissimukh for their help and co-operation during my field investigation work.

My wife, Kumudini, has been an immense source of inspiration and help in my work.

**Contents and Sample Pages**