MISING VILLAGES

The Mising are the largest community on the island of Majuli. They are recognized in the Indian Constitution as a scheduled caste, or tribal population. Descended by the Brahmaputra from Arunachal Pradesh, no one knows when they settled on the island of Majuli. They perpetuate an ancestral way of life and a walk in a Mising village is a guarantee to bring back many pictures. They live in bamboo houses mounted on stilts and cover the roofs with rice thatch. Farmers, they also raise animals. The women still weave their traditional clothes and those of their husband. Women are often seen pounding rice into a fine white flour. They are also the custodians of the rice wine recipe that accompanies all festivals, including the Ali Ayé Ligang, which celebrates the new agricultural season for 5 days on the second Wednesday of February. On this occasion, each head of the family sows rice in his field. This festival is also an opportunity to sing and dance in the evening, to the sound of drums and cymbals.

The Mising have their own cult, the Donyi Polo, which honors the sun and the moon. Animists, they believe in the supernatural powers of the gods. But as missionaries have worked among the tribal populations of the northeast, many are now Christians.

The people live by the rhythm of the sun, working in the fields and doing household chores. The men cultivate rice and fish. The women take care of the family nest and the animals.