Socio-Religious and Political

Morphology of North East

India
Kh. Bijoykumar Singh
SCSNEI, JNU
Mobile: 8800103921
Email: bijoykhaba@yahoo.com
 Formation of North Eastern states
 The ensuing First Anglo-Burmese War resulted in the entire region coming
under British control. In the colonial period (1826–1947), North East India was
made a part of Bengal Province from 1839 to 1873, after which Colonial
Assam became its own province known as NEFA, but which included Sylhet.
 After Indian Independence from British Rule in 1947, the Northeastern
region of British India consisted of Assam and the princely states of
Tripura Kingdom and Manipur Kingdom. Subsequently, Nagaland in
1963, Meghalaya in 1972, Arunachal Pradesh in 1975 (capital changed
to Itanagar) (formed on 20 February 1987) and Mizoram (formed on 20
February 1987) were formed out of the large territory of Assam.[32]
Manipur and Tripura remained Union Territories of India from 1956 until
1972, when they attained fully-fledged statehood. Sikkim was integrated
as the eighth North Eastern Council state in 2002.
 Northeast India, officially known as the North Eastern
Region (NER) is the easternmost region of India representing both a
geographic and political administrative division of the country. Now it
has separate Council Called NEC (1972) under M- DONER
 Religious population of NE States
Religious population in North Eastern Region, according to 2011 Census of India[82]
Religion
Christianit Other
State Hinduism Islam Buddhism Jainism Sikhism Not
y Religions
Stated
Arunachal
401,876 27,045 418,732 162,815 771 3,287 362,553 6,648
Pradesh

Assam 19,180,759 10,679,345 1,165,867 54,993 25,949 20,672 27,118 50,873

Manipur 1,181,876 239,836 1,179,043 7,084 1,692 1,527 233,767 10,969

Meghalaya 342,078 130,399 2,213,027 9,864 627 3,045 258,271 9,578

Mizoram 30,136 14,832 956,331 93,411 376 286 808 1,026

Nagaland 173,054 48,963 1,739,651 6,759 2,655 1,890 3,214 2,316

Sikkim 352,662 9,867 60,522 167,216 314 1,868 16,300 1,828

Tripura 3,063,903 316,042 159,882 125,385 860 1,070 1,514 5,261

Total 24,726,344 11,466,329 7,893,055 627,527 33,244 33,645 903,545 88,499

Religious-Linguistic Composition of NE Region

Religion in Northeast India (2011)

 Hindu (54.02%)
 Islam (25.05%)
 Christianity (17.24%)
 Buddhism (1.37%)
 Jainism (0.07%)
 Sikhism (0.07%)
 Other (1.97%)
 No religion (0.21%)

Linguistic groups: The earliest settlers may have been

Austroasiatic speakers from Southeast Asia, followed by Tibeto-
Burman speakers from China, and by 500 BCE Indo-Aryan speakers
from the Gangetic Plains as well as Kra–Dai speakers from
southern Yunnan (China) and Shan State (Burma)
 Historical Facts of the Past
 No Common History
 No Common language, religion and cultural tradition.
 Two Distinct Environment, Ecology and mode of
production
 Two distinct socio-cultural and religious life
 Two distinct Political system corresponding with Hill
and Valley – Lallup and Paik system Vs Chieftainship
 Religious Evolution also took place in different
historical periods both in Hills and Valley having
different impacts on the peoples and inter-group
relationship (Binary Opposite theory)
 Three monarchical states were rose in Imphal Valley
(Meitrapak), Brahmaputra Valley (Ahom) and Tripura
Valley (Tekhao).
 Hypothesis/Questions
 Questions:
 Why state formation took place only in the valley
communities and the same did not occur among the hill
communities?
 Why Hinduism could not climb the hills of North East
India?
 Hypothesis:
 There is always a binary opposition between Hills and
valley in terms of its socio-cultural, religious, economic and
political institutions
 A particular religious ethics provides the spirit and
philosophical foundation for state formation among the
valley communities of North East India
 The religious evolution that took place in the valley formed
the basis for state formation in North East India.
 (A) Geography, Ecology and
Religion in North East India
 Three oldest Himalayan kingdom of Ahom, Meitrapak, Tekhao apart from
Nepal and Bhutan
 Two distinct geographies in terms of Landscape, resources, ecology and
culture (folk environment)
 Folk environment consists of folk ecology, folk culture, folk mode of
production (primitive mode of production), folk belief and practices, all of
which precisely shape and reshape the uniqueness and similarity among
various folk communities.
 The limited resources available in a specific environment and ecology also
make interdependence between hills and valley communities which need to
maintain both harmony and co-operation among them (Weekly market)
 And the limited resources available in a particular folk environment also
make conflict and competition among various communities in North East
India.
 Thus paradox here is maintenance of both conflict and harmony which is to
confusing for many research scholar to define the relationship between hills
and valley.
 Impact of these two environments
and ecologies
 (A) Harmony:
 Myths of common origin – two brothers, Three brother, etc.
 Common rites, rituals and festivals – Mera Hao Chongba,
Harvesting festival (Common friendship) Etao And Eta
 Seasonal product exchange (Weekly market)
 Conflict:
 Inter tribal conflict- war and witchcraft
 Hierarchy and domination
 myths of hostility, rejection and barbaric - Kabui Keioiba and
Hareima Sampubi, etc.
 Aspect of Valley civilization and negation of hill tribes
 Binary opposite between hill and valley people
 Traditional society and Great
transformation in NE India
 Hinduisation of Valley society
 Islamic invasion and Muslim migration
 Colonialism (Treaty of Yandaboo) and Bengali
and Nepali migration
 Colonialism and Christianity
 Revivalism
 Note: all these epoch of transformation or
religious evolution took place with social
transformation from simple to complex.
 Forms of Society (Social
Solidarity)
 Mechanical and organic solidarity
 Mechanical :
 Likeness in which all the individuals work or perform
similar activities. Difference is little as posible.
 Organic:
 Dissimilar parts working differently for functional of
whole
 Crime and punishment
 Repressive and restitutive corresponding with two forms of
solidarity (mechanical and organic)
 Any punishment is not to eliminate or harm person but to
restore the collective conscience eroded by act of crime.
 Religious evolution
 Elementary form of religious life (Totemism)
 State patronized Religion – From totemism to
Community religion (Ancestor Worship)
 Community Religion to State Patronized
Religion (Kamakhya, Umanglai and Hinduism)
 Revivalism/Institutionalisation of tribal religion.
(Donyi polo, Seng Khasi, Heraka, Etc.)
Thank You