S O C I E T Y & R E L I G I O N

Society

The Boro society is patriarchal, father being the fountain head, solely authority and the owner of the family property. However, the mother and other female members are also not neglected. In fact, the patriarchy of Boro society is intrinsically interwoven with matriarchal traits in it. In other word, the Boro society has an egalitarian character, so far as, sharing of property, access to education and other developmental opportunities are concerned.

The Boro society is divided into a number of Mahris or clans based on their profession totemic beliefs. According to traditions, originally, there had been altogether twelve Maharis or clans in the Boro society. The twelve clans still exist even till date. These clans are Basumataroi, Mosaharoi, Daimaroi, Borgoaroi, Hajoaroi, Narjiaroi, Sorgiaroi, Sampramaroi, Lahroi, Kerkataroi, Khakhlaroi and Laharoi. The Boro clan system, as stated above, developed from their totemic beliefs on the professions they were attached to. For instance, the Sorgoarois were priestly group of people who devoted themselves to the priestly activities. The Basumatarois were the owners of lands; whereas the Daimaris were the river-folk who took up fishing as the profession for their livelihood. The Mosaharoi clan, on the other hand, was the tiger-folk, who claimed themselves to be kindred with the tiger. Therefore, it was their tradition to mourn over the dead of a tiger. The Narzaroi were the jute clan, which held jute in special honour and on occasion of religious ceremonies; its members were bound to chew certain quantity of jute. The khakhalroi were the ‘Khangkhla-folk’, members of which used a jungle shrub as vegetable at religious ceremonials and at festive gatherings. However in the present day Boro society, those clannish titles signify only the surnames of a group of people. The members of the clans, no longer engage themselves in those professions of ancient times. The clan system has otherwise no other implication on their inter-marriage, inter-dinning and other social activities. It has no caste implication of the Hinduism.

Various forms of marriages are prevalent among the Boros. The most common one is the swngnai haba or marriage through negotiation, in which, the guardians of both the parties negotiate for the marriage. In another form of marriage, known as the kharsonnai haba, the bride herself willingly goes to the house of the groom she loves, who is later on socially married to the person. The ghwrjia thanai haba is another form of marriage in which the man goes to live in the house of the woman and remains there till he is financially sound enough to begin a new establishment of his own. The marriage by capture is also prevalent, though more commonly, among the Boro belonging to the Hindu society. Widow re-marriage is socially permitted. A widow can re-marry her late husband’s younger brother, but not the elder one. Similarly, a widower can re-marry his deceased wife’s younger sister, but not the elder. In the dongkha habnai haba, another form of marriage, the widower goes and stays at the house of the widow where the marriage is performed. According to the traditional custom, marriage is performed in front of the Bathou altar, erected in the yard of the homestead. Both the bride and the groom are made to seat in front of the altar, while the priest recites mwnthwr or verses, invoking the Bathou Bwrai, the supreme god of the Boro. Thereafter, he declares them to be wedded, entitled to co-habit as the husband and wife.

The Boros observe a number of socio-religious festivals, of which the Kherai is the most significant one. The word Kherai is collectively used for as many as 30 forms of Boro dances which are performed in the months of October-November to worship the Bathou Bwrai and the Mainao Burwi. They worship the couple praying them for bumper crops and for the welfare of the village. Along with the Bathou Bwrai and Mainao Burwi, other village deities are also worshipped in the Kherai festival. The observation usually takes place at night, performing Kherai dances throughout to please the Gods and Goddesses, with an expectation of abundant grains and welfare. A female priest, known as the Doudini plays the key role through whom oblations are offered to their deities. She becomes an oracle and advises the villagers to live righteous life. In this regard P. C. Battacharjee observes, “The function of the Male Oracle (Oza) and the Female Oracle (Doudini) as priestly dancers at the time of Bathou worship and Kherai festival is an essential requisite. Kherai is their national festival which also provides with ancestral and hero worship.” The Bwisagw is another socio-religious festival which is observed with great jubilation by the Boro to celebrate the advent of the new year. It is observed from the first day of the Bengali month Baisakh for about one week. From the first day to the seventh of Baisakh, Boro people irrespective of their age and sex celebrate Bwisagw with gaiety. They drink Zou (rice beer), sing and dance to their heart’s content. At the end of the celebration, the whole village populations partake in a community feast. Once the Bwisagw celebration is over, it is once again time for them to prepare themselves for the year’s cultivation.

Religion

The opinion of the European writers that the religion of the Boros was animistic in character appears to be a case either of over generalization or their limited access to the related sources. In the recent writings on Boros religion, authors have revealed the existence of a well developed religious philosophy, constituting the main tenets of Bathouism, which is the umbrella religion of this community. Buthouism has its concept of creation and teachings based on five moral and spiritual messages.

The gods and goddesses of the Boros are largely divided into two categories namely, the household gods and the village gods. The household gods are worshipped in the homestead, while the later, by the whole village collectively outside in a selected place called Thansali. Jiw Bwrai or Siw Bwrai, also popularly known as the Bathou Bwrai, is the supreme of all Boro gods, after whose name the religion of Bathouism developed. Bathou Bwrai and his consort Mainao or Bhuli Burwi belong to the group of homestead deities. Apart from them, Asu Mainao and Sali Mainao are two prominent homestead goddesses, representing two main varieties of harvest. Of all, Bathou is pre-imminent and considered to be the guardian of family interests and family honour. He is never represented in idol form, but is well in evidence through his living symbol, the Siju tree (Euphorbia splendens), which is often to be seen in the Boro homestead surrounded by a circular fence of split bamboo. In the olden days, Boros said to have observed three great annual phujas, which were directly connected with the ingathering of three chief rice crops of the year, that is, Asu, Pharma and Sali crops. The dates of these annual phujas were not rigidly fixed, but decided by the village elders according to the convenience of the villagers. There was no prescribed form of religious worship; whole gathering was rather the nature of village merry making than a religious ceremony. There was invariably a large consumption of rice beer, which is a national beverage of this community, at all these gatherings. The religious ceremonies are usually performed by the Male Oracle known as Ozha or Deodai. But in times of emergency, like plague, pestilence and famine etc., the services of the possessed woman known as Doudini, are called into action. A large scale phuja is organized by the affected village community, where the Doudini, a somewhat weird looking figure, with disheveled hair, and vermilion-stained forehead, wearing a long petticoat, dances up and down to and fro before these figures, keeping time roughly with the music of cymbals and tom-toms played by four or five men, who act as her assistants. The Doudini, as she begins her prayer, gradually attains the state if excitement and frenzy, who now cuts off the head of a goat and offers the blood to the Mwdai (deity). It is at this stage of the ceremony that the Doudini is possessed, enabling her to know the name of the offended deity who has caused the plague, pestilence and famine etc. thereafter, the offended deity is pacified by making offering of goats, pigs and fowls etc. The expenses of such ceremonies are usually met by the contribution of the whole village community.

S O C I E T Y & R E L I G I O N

Society

Religion

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