Bodo culture

The culture of the Bodo people of Assam in India is influenced by the land where they currently live. For a long time, Bodos have been farmers, with a strong tradition of fishing, keeping poultry, piggery, rice and jute cultivation, and betel nut plantation. The Bodos also cultivate mustard and corn. They make their own traditional attire. In recent decades, they have been influenced by social reforms under Brahma Dharma, Assamese Sarania, Islam and the spread of Christianity. They are deeply independent and proud of their Bodo identity, which has given rise to political assertion in recent times. The Bodo linguistic ethnic group arrived the earliest and settled in the region, and have contributed to the cultural traditions of the Assamese and others in the north east of India.

Music and dance

The Bagurumba

The Bodos traditionally dance the Bagurumba. It is practised and performed usually by young village girls and also evident in schools and colleges dominated by the Boro community. This dance is accompanied by the Bagurumba song which goes like this<blockquote>Bagurumba, Hai Bagurumba<br>Bagurumba, Hai aio Bagurumba<br>jat nonga bwla khun nonga bwla<br>thab brum homnanwi bamnanwi lagwmwn kha<br>hwi lwgw lagwmwn kha...</blockquote>

Musical instruments

Among many different musical instruments, the Bodos use:

Siphung: This is a long bamboo flute having five holes rather than six as the north Indian Bansuri would have and is also...
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