Rabha Tribe of North East India, Bengal and Bangladesh

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The book is a short monograph of the Rabhas. It incorporates chiefly two major genres i.e cultural and linguistic features. Here analysis has been done based on the field- data collected from primary and secondary sources. Materials gathered in this work are divided into two parts: one is cultural elements and the other is linguistic features. The linguistic features have been shown at different levels: phonology, morphology and lexis. Analysis of cultural features has also been made from folkloristic point of view.

This study will help the interested readers and field-workers to have more information of culture and language of the Rabhas. This principal objective has been taken into account in this volume. It is an empirical study where cultural and linguistic items have been described and analyzed from a synchronic point of view. This study demands high academic value and sociological importance in the present day context of the northeastern region of India. This study will carry on the multi- dimensional aspects of the language and culture of the society.

PHUKAN BASUMATARY (b. 1967) by profession a teacher in Boro language and literature, is a scholar of Tibeto-Burman language and linguistics. He has an immense interest and enthusiasm in the field of TB languages and Tribal folklore of the North eastern regions of India. An Introduction to the Boro Language (2005) is an evidence of Phukan's earlier contribution to the TB scholarship. He has been awarded PhD Degree by Gauhati University in 2006 for his research work. A Study in Cultural and Linguistic Affinities of the Boros and Rabhas of Assam. A few books on Boro language and literature have recently been published by different publishers of Assam. He has contributed a lot of articles and research papers in different journals, magazines, anthologies, periodicals and news papers in Boro, English, Hindi, Bangla and Assamese language. A lot of articles on Boro language and folklore have also been translated into Bangla and Hindi.

This is the primary attempt to design a concise framework of the monograph of the Rabha culture and language. Till date no further extensive analytical work has been made by the scholars of Tibeto-Burman scholarship. Here analysis has been done based on the field-data collected from primary and secondary sources. Materials gathered in this work are divided into two parts: one is cultural elements and the other is linguistic features. The linguistic features have been shown at different levels phonology, morphology and lexis. Thus analysis of cultural features has also been made from a purely folkloristic point of view.

This study will help the interested readers and investigators to have more information of culture and language of the Rabhas. This principal objective has been taken into account in this volume. It is worth to mention here that the author is sincerely indebted to all the Rabha speakers, known and little known Rabha scholars who helped me immensely in collecting data and finally to proceed to the proposed aim. The author has never been felt trustee oneself for approximately successful completion of the project. Acknowledgements will always remain to the native speakers, informants and active and passive bearers of language and culture of this community.

This is a descriptive study where cultural and linguistic items have been described and analyzed from a synchronic point of view. The study demands high academic value and sociological importance in the present day context of the northeastern region of India.

I am really grateful to Mr. Krishan Mittal, because he has taken up a bold step to publish this volume only for the greater interest of the Rabha society. I deeply feel that Mr. Mittal's endeavour is, no doubt, a great contribution towards the Rabhas.