The Riangs are primarily an agriculturist tribe. In the past they mostly used to practise the ‘Huk' or Jhum cultivation, like most other Tripuri tribes. But now shifted to modern agriculture practice. Most of the educated are employed in government job and many are occupying very high post in administration. Some are also started doing business also.

Marriage system: The Riang is an endogamous tribe and had very little contact with the Bengali or other sub tribe of Tripuri. But recently there has been some inter tribe marriages and inter caste wedding among them. The marriage system is similar to other Tripuri tribe of Tripura. There is no dowry system but the bride-groom has to spend to father in-law's house for two years before marriage is preformed. There are two types of marriages; Haloksai, and Haloksam. Parallel cousin marriage is prevalent but declining. Cross cousin marriage among the Riang is accidental. Child marriage is not allowed, widow marriage is permitted. Widows are prohibited to wear ornaments before one year is passed after the marriage of husbands. Widow and widower are forbidden to participate any entertaining and enjoying programme or activity or attending such activity within one year of death of their spouses. Remarriage of widow and widower are allowed after one year of death of the spouse. Monogamy is the present day practice of the society.

Marriage is arranged through the matchmaker Andra , who goes to the prospective bride's parent for negotiation. Then the brides party is invited to finalise the marriage in Koksumgma, while pork, fowl, rice, rice bear are served. Marriage is settled to the satisfaction of both the party. The Ochai performs the wedding ceremony on the nuptial day fixed.

The Riang widower is not permitted to get marry to an unmarried virgin girl. The Riang marriage bond is very strong and Riang mean cannot divorce with out the consent of wife. If any Riang is alleged for extramarital relation ship and found to be true then they are dealt with strict punishment and heavy penalty is imposed upon.

Dress and ornaments: The traditional dress of the Riang is simple and plain like other Tripuri people. Traditionally the men wear a hand woven loin cloth and a piece of cloth as a wrapper for upper portion. The women wear a long cloth called Rignai , wraparound; from the waist to down to the knees. A Riha , covering the chest, and Rikutu for covering the whole upper half of the body, wears the upper part of the body. These are woven by the Riang women, which are colourful and very beauty full. But now a days the educated mass are wearing all the modern dresses like any other part of the world.

The Riang women are very fond of personal decoration and take much care for the makeup and hair-do. They love like other Tripuri people, ornaments, flowers, and cosmetics. Silver ornaments especially the necklace of silver coins, the Rangbwtang have a pride of place and status.

Dance and music: It is very much integral part of the Riangs daily life. No other Tripuri people are so fond of dance like them. As a result the Hojagiri folk dance of Riang sub tribe had attained achieved acclaim all over the world.

Customs: most of the disputed and differences are settled by the people of Kotor dofa, that is by the Rai and Kasko of respective sub tribe. It is done through the customary law of the Riangs. Whenever a disputes arise in the between the member of the community, a meeting is called by the Rai. All relevant arguments are heard and then justice is done according to the principle of natural justice. Whatever verdict or punishment is pronounced in the judgment it is implemented with firm hand and payments of penalty etc. are made then and there.

Religious belief and practices: Like other Tripuri people they also belief many god and goddess. The centre figures are those of fourteen gods and goddess of Tripura. Their important festivals are same those of prevailing in Tripura. These are Ker, Gonga mutai, Goria, Chitragupra, Hojagiri, Katangi puja, Lampra wathop. The religious observance are community in nature, and each family has to contribute his part of share of payment. It is called as Khain`.

All the religious festivals are arranged with the prior meeting of chiefs. In such meetings political, social, and religious matters of importance are discussed and decided by the majority of the meeting.

The deities of the Riangs are similar those of other Tripuri people. These are Mutai Kotor or the supreme deity Subrai , Twima- the presiding deity of river, Mailungma -the goddess of paddy, Khulungma -the goddess of cotton, Goria- the god of wealth prosperity well being and war, Kalaia brother of Goria, Sangrongma -the deity of mother earth, Haichuma -the goddess of hill, Burasa -the god of jungle, Thunairok -the god of death, Bonirok -the god of evil spirit, Noksuma -the goddess of house holds.

The worship of different deities are similar to the main stream Tripuri people. Ochai , the priest performs all the ceremony along with his helper. The green bamboo pole is used as deity in most on the cases. Different types of life stock like fowl, pig, goat eggs, etc. are offered in the worship. The place of worship is selected out side of the houses. Where the offerings are dedicated in the names of the deities in front of the wathop, green bamboo pole, the symbol of god. But the Rangtou k and Noksuma puja is held inside the house only. Two earthen pots are filled with newly grown rice and at top of the pot some oval pebbles collected from huk specially. The pebbles are called the fortune stone. And the pots ( Rondok) are decorated with the rice powder, vermilion, and garlands. One is named Mailungma, the other as Khulungma.

Rituals on Birth of the baby: On the birth of the baby many pujas are observed. These are Kebengma, Abu suma, Khongkhonok kama, Maitukma etc. for the welfare of the baby. The fowl, prawn, several leaves of trees are needed. When the child grows up special form of worship has to be performed. Bukhuksini the seven-gurdian deities of witches are pleased with sacrifice of a pig, four fowls, and other things beside.

Ceremony on death: The mortal remains are cremated. The obsequies is done in two stages: Broksakami and Kothainami.

Broksakami: W hen a person dies his corpse is first bathed with the Chakhwtwi that is alkali water or soap, and Mairangtwi that is water obtained from the washing of raw rice. After that he is dressed with new clean Rikutu , head is dressed with another piece of rituku like the headgear. In case of woman rignai and risa. Then a fowl is sacrificed in front of the feet of the corpse. Later on an earthen pot filled with mean and rice placed at the feat of the deceased and it is followed by dance rituals through out he night. Rice bear is distributed to all the mourners excepting the family members of the deceased. The next morning the body is laid to rest on pyre and cremated usually near a stream.

Kwthwinami: It is a ritual connected with the respectful and well wishing offering to the manes. Laotok or the soul deceased remains under the control of the sisi manji , the son of Buraha , for a year and it is said that sisi manji is the protector of the soul. On the day of the kathainaimi the widow of the deceased offers dried rice, meat, fish, fruits, and wine in the name of Laotok and sisi manji on the simangnok , then taking the burnt bones or ashes go to the charinok. It is worshiped for over a period of one year or he next hangrai, when it is immersed in any river or in Gumti River at Dombur , according to the ability of the family.

In short the religious culture of the Riang is similar to that of other Tripuri of Tripura.

Go to Top

NOATIA CLAN

 

 

The meaning of Noatia is newcomer. It is said that the Noatia are the last entrant to the Tripuri race. Noatia are also a hybrid race like the Jamatia and Riang. There are divided into eleven clams these are, Aslong, Murasing, Keowa, Gorjon, Khalicha, Tongbai, Laitong, Deildak, Anaokia, Khaklo, and Totaram. Out of these only first six clans are living in Tripura, remaining five are living in neighbouring country of Bangladesh at Chitagong hill tract area.

Go to Top

OCCUPATION, CULTURE & CUSTOM

The Noatia practice Huk, that is jhum cultivation like most of the Tripuri people of Tripura. But ploughing cultivation and agriculture in conventional method are the practice of the present day. The educated are employed in the government job, doing business, in politics and occupying the ministerial post in the state.

Traditionally they are more or less similar to the Debbarma, excepting certain deviation with regard to the disposal of corpse were they follow the Riang customs. The worship and the festivals of Noatias are in close resemblance to those of other clans of Tripuri people. They also believe one supreme god Mutai kotor, the creator of the world, who in course if time has been identified as Subrai. They believe that there exists an invisible relationship between the deities and the living creature. Besides Subrai, the Noatia recognise a good number of nature deities, spirits like other Tripuri people.

•  Mutai kotor : Supreme supernatural creator of the world, Sibrai.

•  Mutai kotorma : The Consort of Mutai kotor.

•  Bikhitra : The god of sky.

•  Sangrongma : The god of earth.

•  Mailuma : The goddess of rice.

•  Twima : The goddess of water.

•  Akhatra : The god of sea.

•  Khuluma : The goddess of cotton.

Below are the ranks of nature deities

•  Goria : the god of war, fertility, and wealth.

•  Kalia : the spirit of ancestor.

•  Noksumutai : the spirit of the Family.

•  Haichukma : the spirit of hill and mountain.

•  Sirijumdu : the spirit of bareness of woman.

•  Thumnairoko : the spirit of death.

•  Burasa : the spirit of disease.

The Noatias have deep rooted belief in the power of nature, spirit, and ancestors. They believe that disease, famine, scarcity, low fertility of soil and human, low production of crops, and human beings, high incidence of death etc. are happen when the nature deities and the spirits are not properly worshipped and sacrifices are not made in due course.

Lampra Puja:

The purpose of Lampra puja of Noatias is analogues to the other Tripuri people of Tripura. Akhatra and the Bikhitra, the benevolent deities are worshiped regularly by all the family of Noatia. Lampra puja is worshipped on occasion of marriage, ker puja, beginning of all social and religious ceremonies.

Twima Puja:

The nature deity as twima as the goddess of water is worshipped who looks after the welfare of the members within certain individual household and community also. It is said when offerings and sacrifices are not made to the goddess twima, she her role and brings diseases, death, failure of crops, accident and such other calamities or the family or the villages. It is celebrated once a year and the villagers of Noatia community arrange this expensive puja by raising fund from the individual hose hold. Twima puja is arranged by the river or a stream near to the village. The symbolic representation of the deity is made with the aid of the green bamboo poles. A platform raised up on the water level, on the middle of the platform a wathop is prepared. Chanting the mantra Ochai, the priest scarifies he-goat, pigeon, and eggs, and puja is rounded of with feast in which the village takes active part.

Ker Puja: The sacred and the most important Ker puja is celebrated during the months of February March by the Noatias in every year for the welfare of the villagers. The deity of the ker puja is performed on the symbolic wathop constructed green bamboo poles and panted in the ground by Ochai.

When ker puja is performed for the material success in the collective life of the villagers. Series of taboos follows this puja. The rules and regulation is the most strict and difficult to follow. All the pregnant women are kept out side, the diseased, dying peoples are removed from the village, no one is allowed to come in side the village and no one is allowed to move out from the village till the ritual is over.

Goria Puja: The Noatia pay reverence to the lord Goria on the last day of the chaitra, which lasts for seven days. Like other clan of Tripuri people Noatia maintain a common code of the deity with the aid of green bamboo pole tied with a white thread of cotton with flowers and a Risa around it. As usual ochai conducts the rituals and sacrifices he-goat, cock and eggs to the deity. The other ingredients of the Lord Goria consist of the fruits, wine and rice near.

Around 3 . 30 pm the symbolic representation of the deity is carried to the selected houses scheduled village. The companions of the Goria are received by the head of the family earnestly. They move from house to house with symbol of the deity while the drum is beaten rhythmically along with the song and dance of young boys and girls. For the happy ness of the family in the following next year, the householder pays offerings of chicken, eggs, or fowls etc. to the group visiting the house. This type of the joyful rituals continues for seven days. On the last day of the festival the holy symbolic bamboo deity is immersed in the near by river or stream.

Go to Top

MURASING CLAN

There are many opinions about the origin of Murasing clan of Tripura. Some of the accepted are as follows. The police of the royal fore while collecting the house tax found that some villages of Tripura are full of animal heads with the horns. These heads of different kinds of wild animals were hanged in the houses. The people of this village were till than not named. The royal officials who did not know the name of the clans called them ‘ murasing ' meaning people who hanged horns of dead animals. Other opinion is that the then king of Tripura named these groups of people as the ‘ Murasing' meaning by the horns of the hills. It is found that the Mursings are mostly followers of ‘Baishnabisim' a sect of Hindu, are supposed to held as high esteem like the horn of an animal.

It was Bonomali Jamatia who preached Baishnab sect of Hindu religion among he Murasing clans. After his the death his disciples Bolaichand and Harichand took active role in spreading the Baishnabism among the Murasing clans. Since then they have embraced the Baishnabism discarding traditional Tripuri religion. It was said that the preaching of Horichand influenced the king Birchandra Manikya and he also supported to convert to baishnabism, as a result the many Debbarma had converted.

Occupation, Culture and religious practices: Like any other Tripuri people the Murasings are also mostly agriculturist. In the past they were also involved in the Huk cultivation. But now a days the are cultivating the plain lands only. The educated section are engaged in government service and occupying in high post, a good number of them had been fund in literature also, which is very high compare to their total numbers.

Most of the Murasings are follower of Baishnabism, but now many are diverting to prevailing religious practice of Tripura. The founder father of the Murasing community Harichand had set guidelines for good habit and manners for the Murasing community. They had been following this strictly till the recent past. He had formed an association of Murasing youth, which he named ‘Sikla Motha.' In that association youth people he gave the garland of flower to every youth present there and gave them new a name.

Sikla montha: The senior most of the association was named as ‘ Sikla Misip ' or leader. He is equivalent of the president of an organisation. The next senior is named as ‘ Sikla Rai ' or secretary. The next post was ‘ Twifang ' he is comparable to organizer of an organisation. Next to him was ‘ Sikla Chokdiri ' his duty is to resolve any disputes among the members of the association. One more member of the group was Kaitho ; his work is to keep the relation between the senior of the village and the association. The next person is Dagia ; his duty is to direct any special function, as and when organized, he is similar to the modern day Director. Next to the Dagia is Chamrasi ; his duty is to obey the order of the Chokdiri, to give punishment of according to the rule to any offender of the association.

Like the young men's association the young women has also an association. The senior most of the association is called as Nareng , next to her is the Lupjari , and junior to her is the Bengraj . Next to her is the Yongkhati . Komchikon is junior to the fore most. Toksarangi is the most junior in the hierarchy.

Harichand formulated some rules and regulation for the well-being and guidance of the Murasing youth and for building their character and carrier.

Some of the rules and regulation were as follows:

•  One has no call to some one in the new nickname given in the Sikla motha. He should not be called by his real name. If some one calls by the social name of that person than the calling member of the association shall be fined.

•  Whenever any member of the association got marriage he shall be removed from the association. While leaving the association he shall pay some thing to the members of the association.

•  No one shall be allowed to be slang or use obscene language while so in the association.

•  If most of the members of the association got married then the association shall be dissolved and new will be formed.

•  The association has all the power to adjudicate and punish any member of the society for his wrongful act.

•  If any disputes or differences could not resolved by the youths association then the matter shall be referred to the village committee.

•  No member of the association can enter to any young girls home alone with out permission of any of the senior member of the association. He shall do so accompanying the Twifang of the organizer of the association.

•  No young men from out side is allowed enter in to the house of any young girl with out taking permission from senior members of the association. If he does so, then the association has all the power to punish such person.

•  All the rules and regulation of the association shall be in conformity with the Baishnabism and the ochai shall guide in finding the family life.

 

Go to Top

RUPINI

 Origin:

The Rupini is one of the clan of Tripuri People whose mother tongue is Kokborok that is Tripuri or Tiprakok. It is presumed that the initial habitation of Rupini people was at the site of the origin of Twi Rupini, which is supposedly situated at present Asom state. When other clans of the Tripuri migrated towards the present Tripura state, they also migrated along with other clans. It needs to be mentioned that like all other Tripuri peoples clans, they are also part of the great Borok/Bodo race. The Rupini river is still flowing in the state.

The mother tongue of Rupini is Kokborok like all other Tripuri people, but for an unknown reason the Rupini had been included in the group of ‘Halam’ in the census and in many historical documents of Tripura. This is illogical and unfounded by the historical linguistic and anthropological facts. With out verifying these facts, the government of India had also included in the list of ‘Halam’ when they were given the status of Scheduled Tribe under the constitution of India. The inclusion of Rupini in the Halam group must be