The Rabhas - A tribe of Assam

Introduction: This article tells the details about the Rabha tribes of Assam. The writer, Nikhil Khasnabish, is from Assam, and this original article is from his research on the Rabhas. This article is written for a wide variety of readers, including scholars, travel enthusiasts and students.

The ancient beliefs of the Rabhas

The Rabhas believe that billions and billions of years ago, there was only water and water in the vast emptiness of what people now call the world, and above that endless vastness of water, existed a vast rankarang having no beginning and no end and in that rankarang resided all ancient gods, of whom Krimichung was the Great-God while Numil or Nomal was the youngest powerful god. When, being irritated by the constant and enormous noises produced by the tumultuous water, some gods approached Krimichung to control the water so it stopped making such loud noises, he advised them to go to Numil for the redemption of the problem, and eventually as advised and requested, Numil, with all grace and kindness, descended from rankarang to brood for a time without end by sitting above the tumultuous water. Then, when he thought that he should create a world in the formation of rankarang, he loudly called out to Khen (the crab), and the moment Khen emerged from under water and obsequiously stood in front of Numil to know the reason why he’d been summoned, Numil, who was pleased with Khen’s obedience, gave him the responsibility to travel into the depth of the vast water and dig up what he found in the bottom. On Khen’s request, once Numil added six extra legs to four legs that he had—two of them pinchers—Khen travelled into the depth of the vast water to find himself in the bottom, where he dug lumps and later deposited them on the surface of the water. After the completion of the job Khen had been assigned, Numil called out to Khrangsing (the earthworm) and when he appeared, Numil ordered him to tightly join the lumps to together so they didn’t loosen and become separated. And before long, Khrangsing, no less obedient than Khen, engaged himself in his duty for an eternity: twisting his body, he rolled right and left over the soft lumps, producing jagged creases, deep and wide cracks; jagged creases in course of time stood as hills and mountains; cracks, rivers and streams; level lumps, plains and valleys. After those duties were over, Numil called Khusung (the tortoise) and ordered him to bear the lumps on his back for all time to come. Then, to dispel darkness, Numil created ransang (the sun) and set it midway between the lumps and the rangkarang above. Because the sun was extremely hot, Numil commanded it to move from the east to the west and then sink in the west so that the day and the night came into existence. Then Numil created ranggre (the moon) for respite from dark and gloomy nights. When Khusung, being unable to put up with the ache caused by the weights of the lumps later called the Earth, shifts the weight from one side to another one, earthquakes occur.

The origin of the Rabhas

A distinguished and primitive Tibeto-Burman tribe of Indo-Mongoloid Kirat group, the Rabhas, who have distinctive and attractive socio-cultural heritage, belong to Sino-Tibetan sub family and live in the districts of Goalpara and Kamrup in the southern bank of the Brahmaputra and in the districts of Nalbari, Darrang, Bongaigaon, and in the Bodo Territorial Autonomous Districts in the northern bank. The Rabhas are divided into eight gropus: rongdani, maitari, pati, dahuri, kocha, bitolia, hana, and chonga. Rabha, a Sino-Tibetan language of the Northeast India, is comprised of two main dialects: Maitori and Rongdani, which are spoken on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra in the Goalpara district and on the northern slopes of Meghalaya—Kocha dialect is spoken on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra.

Rabha society is traditionally made up of village communities, each led by a chief. The chief of a Rabha village is traditionally called the Nokma. Most Rabha people work in agriculture and rely on farming for their main source of income. Some groups still follow matrilineal inheritance, but their social and property rules usually balance both paternal and maternal lines. Women play equal roles in the community and take part in both economic and cultural activities. Polygamy does not occur, and people closely follow community rules.

The religious beliefs of the Rabhas

The Rabhas believe in the supernatural power that regulates the material universe, including all natural phenomena: plants, rocks, and so on. Many Rabhas practise animism or vaishnavism relating to Hinduism. However, over time, many Rabhas have adopted Hinduism, and some have also converted to Christianity, blending new beliefs with their original customs.

The food habits of the Rabhas

Though rice is staple food, the Rabhas eat meat, local fish, and local herbs. Though some of them have no aversion to bugs, silkworms, and other edible insects, some have aversion to them. Their favourite drink is rice beverage, called choko or chokot.

The traditional dress of the Rabhas

The Rabha women’s traditional koum kontong, which is a skirt-like dress and is handwoven on a domestic loom, comes in bright colours and eye-catchng florid designs. Their kambang, similar to a stole, is a piece of clothing that covers the torso. Labok, a belt or cummerbund made of shells or pearl balls is tied around the waist.

The Rabha men’s traditional preferences are dhoti, gamosa and turban called khopong along with buksll, hand-woven cotton shirt, and parsa, worn on one side of the shoulder.

The Rabhas have unique dance forms. They have unique music and festivals. The Rabha community celebrates more than a dozen traditional festivals that focus on agriculture, nature worship, and bringing people together. Some of the main festivals are Baikho and Dodan Mela. Dodan Mela, in particular, honors their first king, Dodan, who represents strength, pride, and cultural identity for the community. Dodan mela happens every year in Goalpara district of Assam.

The famous festival of the Rabhas (Religious Festivals, Rabha Dance and Rabha Song)

Baikho is an auspicious pre-harvest festival celebrated by the Rabhas, in mid-April, to welcome harvest season and to ward off evil spirits and diseases and to propitiate Baikho, the goddess of wealth and crops for good harvest, rain, and prosperity. During Baikho, people experience exuberance of cheers and colourful rituals according to their customs; they wear traditional clothes in the afternoon and dance to drum beats; in the evening, people set fire to a high construction made with bamboo and the priests offer prayers to the god of harvest; after prayers, the priests dance Bar Nak-Kai dance barefoot over simmering charcoal, in honour of the harvest deity; women wash the feet of the priests and serve them food. On the second day of Baikho, fowls and pigs are sacrificed in front of deities. Villagers drink choko. They sing Hoymaru, the longest song, sung in this festival. In another custom, Rabhas smear their faces with rice powder and pour choko for others. Baikho is also known as Khoksi Puja.

The Christianity among the Rabhas

Christianity among the Rabhas is represented by the Rabha Baptist Church Union (RBCU), which was established in 1959 and controls the churches. It was introduced to the Rabhas between 1930 and 1932, with two young Rabha converts—Kamakya Rabha and Ganesh Rabha, whose names were recorded in the text of the RBCU history. Inspired by those two converts, the church in Kalbhandari was established, and those two Rabhas took help from the Glasbys Australian missionaries to revitalize the church after some families had returned to Hinduism.

The formation of Rabha Hasong

It was a liberating experience of travelling in Rabha Hasong from Jayramkuchi in Goalpara District to Rani in Kamrup District on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River – it extends upto Garo Hills in Meghalaya.

When the Rabhas realized that they might one day be marginalized and forced to lose their socio-economic, cultural, and linguistic identity to the powerful Assamese and Bengali influences though a distinguished tribe of Assam, they launched their movement for the preservation of their existence denoting their unique status and dignity. They became successful in 1995.

The languages the Rabhas speak

The Rabhas speak Tibeto-Burman language: Rangdani, Moitori, and Kocha with aspirated and unaspirated sounds. It is a tonal language, which is difficult to understand if not properly trained. The language is smooth and musical and pleasant to ears.

The population and literacy rate of the Rabhas

The estimated population of Assam is around 37 million as of 2025. Of them, 0.25 million Rabhas live in Assams. The literacy rate among the Rabha community in Assam is estimated at 60-65% as of 2025.

The behavioural analysis of the Rabhas

The Rabhas are very simple and hospitable people; their simplicity is observed not only in their manners, but also in their clothes and health food – they try to avoid cooking oil and spices, and despite this their food is tasty.

Except petty offences, hardly any crime is committed in their society, and most of the disputes are locally settled. They find it difficult to tolerate dishonesty. The village headman is a dignified arbitrator in their society. They are basically agrarian people and love to live in natural ambiance. Pork and poultry are their favourite meat, and choko, which is homemade, is their first choice as a drink.

Modern Rabha boys and girls, who are now highly educated, have excelled in various fields of competitions, along with others of the state and the country.

Some photos of the Rabha tribes are available in this link.