Rites And Rituals Of The Bodo In Agricultural Operation

Abstract

The Bodos are agriculturist. They cultivate different kinds of crops like Bawa, Ashu, Sali etc. during the time of summer season.1 No doubt, the Bodos are good cultivator and they are self dependent. In this regard Rev. Sydney Endle says that the Bodos are especially skillful in the construction of irrigation canals and earth-work embankments for diverting water from river beds into their rice fields and their efforts in this direction are very largely aided by their closely ethnic organization.2 It is stated that when they proceeded and settled in the valley of Assam and some parts of North East India, they had crossed their earlier stages of life and became nomadic farmer.3 In earlier time, when they practiced Jhum or shifting cultivation they always tried to find out virgin land which could provide more productivity. With the passage of time, they gave up Jhum or shifting cultivation and started settled agriculture with ploughshare and other allied agricultural implements. However, concrete evidence has not been found so far when the practice of pre-agricultural activities and Jhum cultivation had been abandoned by the Bodos and when they have started agriculture with ploughshare and other agricultural implements. Even today the majorities of the Bodos are cultivators and inhabited in the village. Whenever the rainfall threatens to be below the average, the cultivators with their elders go to the field to bring the water to the paddy field from the nearest river.4