Farmers, Wild Rats and Broom Plants: Livelihoods and Cultural Beliefs and Practices
(A. K. Nongkynrih: North Eastern Hill University, Meghalaya, India) 21 May 2002

To any reader the above subject seems to be funny or unreal. What kind of relationship would possibly be between these three (farmers, wild rats and broom plants?) How can they be related to livelihoods and culture? The purpose of this article is to highlight and to understand the village life from another angle. This article will relate the field-based experiences relating to the above topic to enlighten the readers.

In the state of Meghalaya there are three major ethnic groups(Khasi, Jaintia and Garo). The centre of community life in these communities is the village. The social relationships is based on the principles of customary traditions. There are different customary beliefs and practices regulating their interaction, management of their economic activities and others. This article is a narration from an experience in a Khasi village (Kongthong).

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A. K. Nongkynrih
Department of Sociology,
North Eastern Hill University,
Mawkynroh-Umshing, Shillong -793022,
Meghalaya,
India
aknongkynrih@nehru.ac.in