Who Are the Garo?
The Garo are a Tibeto-Burman people primarily inhabiting the Garo Hills of Meghalaya state in northeastern India, with communities extending into Bangladesh's Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions. Numbering approximately 1.3 million, they are one of India's few remaining matrilineal societies, where descent, inheritance, and residence follow the female line. Living in one of Earth's wettest regions—some areas receive over 11,000mm of annual rainfall—the Garo developed distinctive adaptations to their challenging environment while maintaining cultural traditions dating back millennia.
Matrilineal Society
Garo matriliny operates distinctively: property passes from mother to daughter, children belong to their mother's clan (machong), and after marriage, men move to their wife's household. The youngest daughter typically inherits the family home and cares for aging parents. This system creates household structures where women exercise significant authority over property, children, and domestic decisions while men maintain roles in village politics and external affairs.
The matrilineal principle also governs marriage through a practice called "nokrom." A married woman selects a successor—typically a younger male relative of her husband—who will marry her daughter and inherit the household responsibilities upon the husband's death. This ensures continuity of the male line within the matrilineal household structure. While modernization has modified these practices, matrilineal principles remain significant in Garo society.
The Garo Hills
The Garo Hills form the western portion of Meghalaya (literally "abode of clouds"), a plateau region receiving extraordinary rainfall as monsoon winds rise over the hills. This rainfall supports dense subtropical forests, though much has been converted to agriculture. Traditional Garo economy combined jhum (shifting/slash-and-burn) cultivation with hunting and gathering in the forests. Rice, millet, vegetables, and fruits were grown in clearings used for a few years before the forest was allowed to regenerate.
The challenging terrain kept the Garo relatively isolated until the 19th century. Villages occupied defensible hilltops, and different clans controlled distinct territories. This isolation preserved Garo language and culture even as neighboring plains populations experienced waves of conquest and cultural change. The hills provided refuge and sustenance for a people who valued independence above integration into larger political systems.
Traditional Religion and Christianity
Traditional Garo religion centered on a complex spirit world. The supreme deity Tatara-Rabuga created the world, but daily life was influenced by numerous spirits (mite) inhabiting natural features and requiring propitiation. Shamans (kamal) mediated between humans and spirits, conducting rituals for healing, agriculture, and life transitions. The Wangala harvest festival, featuring distinctive drums and dancing, honored the sun god for agricultural bounty.
Christianity arrived with American Baptist missionaries in the late 19th century and spread rapidly. Today, approximately 90% of Garo identify as Christian, making them one of India's most Christianized groups. Conversion brought education, literacy (Garo was first written using Latin script for Bible translation), and connection to global Christian networks. Yet traditional elements persist: Wangala is now a cultural festival celebrated by Christians; traditional dress and music continue; and some animist practices blend with Christian observance.
Music and Dance
Garo music features distinctive instruments, especially drums of various sizes and the dama (a type of two-stringed instrument). The hundred-drum festival (Wangala) brings together drum orchestras in performances that shake the ground. Different drum patterns accompany different occasions: war drums, funeral drums, celebration drums. Dancing accompanies the music, with men and women forming lines and circles in coordinated movements.
Traditional songs cover themes from mythology to courtship to historical events. Epic songs (a·galak) narrate the origin of clans and heroes. Work songs coordinate group labor. Love songs, exchanged between young men and women, were traditionally important in mate selection. Contemporary Garo musicians blend traditional elements with modern genres, creating fusion styles that maintain cultural connection while appealing to younger audiences.
Contemporary Challenges
Modern Garo face pressures common to indigenous peoples worldwide. Deforestation and population growth have made traditional jhum cultivation unsustainable in many areas. Young people migrate to cities for education and employment, weakening village communities and language transmission. Relations with neighboring Assam involve border disputes and occasional communal tension. In Bangladesh, Garo face land encroachment by Bengali settlers and lack the protected status Indian Garo enjoy.
Yet the Garo adapt and persist. Their matrilineal system, though modified, continues to distinguish them from surrounding patrilineal societies. Language and cultural programs work to preserve heritage. Political mobilization through tribal councils provides voice in Indian democracy. Christianity, rather than erasing identity, has created new forms of Garo expression through church music, literature, and community organization. The people of the world's wettest hills continue their distinctive way of life in the 21st century.
References
- Burling, R. (1963). Rengsanggri: Family and Kinship in a Garo Village. University of Pennsylvania Press.
- Marak, C.R. (1997). Traditions and Modernity in Matrilineal Tribal Society. Inter-India Publications.
- Sangma, M. (1981). History and Culture of the Garos. New Delhi.