Volume 18, No. 6, 2021
The Bodo Folksongs: Articulating Their Rice-Culture
NISHA MONI DAS
Abstract
The Bodos, one of the largest tribal groups of Assam, have a population of nearly 2 million (Census – 2011). They constitute 5.5% of the total population of Assam. The Bodo or the ‘Bodosa’ people are belonged to the Bodo-Kachari community and their language belonged to the Tibate-Burman language family. The Bodo language is a Sino-Tibetan language using Devanagari scripts for writing. The Bodos of Assam are culturally rich having their own language and culture, traditions and customs, unique life style, festivals, rites and rituals, songs and dances, cuisines, dress codes etc. The Folksongs of the Bodo people in relation to their agricultural practices, especially paddy cultivation, are one of the original assets of this region. These folk songs usually narrate some features of nature in general and agriculture in particular, and help in understanding the comprehensive life experience of the people. The Bodos of Assam as one of the Bhumiputras, assumes their role as being one integral part of greater Assamese society and culture. The unique Bodo folksongs loudly utters how close the lives of the people to the phenomenon of nature and how rich the cultural heritage of this region conserved and expressed through these songs. The Bodo Loka Geet of Assam is unique in their folk flavor. They are integral part of their Folkliterature expressing their life experience amidst nature and their agricultural surroundings. This paper tries to understand how the folk-life of the Bodos of Assam helps in formulate their Folk-music and to highlight some aspects Bodo folk songs inspired by their livelifood behavior which also narrates as pacts of their nice culture. The study is basically a discussion on the Bodo Folk-songs relating to their agricultural behavior.
Pages: 2081-2086
Keywords: Folksongs, Bodo, Culture, Dance, Assam.