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Chapter: 1
Introduction: A remote locality at the end of a bus route that starts from the capital
city Dhaka and ends in a district named Netrokona, bordering India. Missionary
activities are highly seen around the place where the tribal people lives. Durgapur
thana ( ) accommodates two tribal sect, Hajong ( ) and Garo ( ). So
it is obvious you'll see church/mission at Durgapur thana ( ). On the way to
the Bijoypur BDR camp you'll find a church named Ranikhong ( ).
1.1 Background of Tribal Community: As our country (Bangladesh) is a beauty of
nature herself, we have a lot of places here and there to prove that if anyone doubt.
History says that the world’s first ‘Garo’ community of that region went to Dhaka in
the earlier of 20th
century (1909) to take the Christian religion and the missionaries of
that time came at Birishiri, Durgapur to help the community in everyway. Still there
are many symbols of missionaries like as the over 100 year’s old trees and the
beautiful church on the hill besides the river.
1.2 Indigenous / Tribal Cultures: Tribal Cultural located at birisiri of durgapur
upazila in netrokona district. from the time immemorial, the ethnic groups
like GARO, HAJONGS, KOCH, banai, hadi, mandai etc are living in northern districts of
bangladesh with rearing up their own lifestyle and society such as language, religion
and culture.
With the view of development and preservation, practice of culture and lifestyle of
those ethnic groups, the tribal cultural academy was founded in 1977. Sis bibha
sangma was first director of it.
The institution is covered about 3.21 acres of land. it has four sections,
i)culture; ii) research; iii) library and iv) museum. It is an autonomous institution
under the ministry of cultural affairs of the people's republic of bangladesh. its main
responsibilities are upbringing the tribal culture, to connect with our national culture
and to produce it before the mainstream people. presently, the director of the tribal
cultural academy is jatindra chisim.
1.3 Indigenous Habitat, Birishiri, Durgapur, Netrokona: North-east part of
bangladesh, continuation of meghalaya mountain range of assam. The name of
the Indigenous people live there is “garo”. It was very disappointed to discover they
almost left their tradition and became “modern”. the indigenous people along with the
landscape will be destroyed if the invasion continues. Anyway, I am able to find a
village where they still maintain their traditions to some extent. I had my chances and
these photographs are from that village.

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Photo: Garo-habitat, backyard birishiri
Photo: Garo-habitat- front yard
Photo: garo habitat, wall made of mud and bamboo pane garo habitat, bamboo panel reinforced mud wall

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Photo: Garo habitat, cypress vine over the house temple
Photo: An Old Garo Woman Photo: Local Hinduism Kali Mandir

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Chapter: 2
‘Garo’ Cultures Details: Bangladesh is a pluralistic society, where people came
from different religions, races and castes but the majority of the people here belongs
to Bengali culture. Around 30 to 45 ethnic minority/ tribal groups living at different
parts of the country (Rabidas, 2002, ECDO, 2005).
The Garos, a large indigenous community from Mymensingh region, are fast losing
their age-old tradition and culture for a variety of reasons. The Mymensingh region,
once well-known for its ethnic diversity, and harmony among the people of different
faiths and cultures has lost its rich legacy over the years.
Among the indigenous groups living in this region - Garo, Dhalu, Cooch, Khatriya
and Hajong form the majority. The Garos are the leading community in these ranks
and have their homes in Haluaghat and Dhubaura, frontier upzilas of Mymensingh
and Madhupur of Tangail, each with varied traditions. Currently there are some
40,000 Garos living in the Haluaghat and Dhubaura area but this number is on
thewane.
2.1 Garos Location & Family Trends: The ‘Garo’ is one of the largest ethnic
minority groups living in Bangladesh, mostly they lived in Mymensingh, Netrokona,
Tangoail, Sylhet and Sunamgonj districts of the country. The original home of the
Garos was in Assam of India (Sattar, 1971:164).
Bangladesh is a multicultural society because there are various types of tribal and
religious minority groups living with their freedom, though in the constitution of
Bangladesh does not have specific direction about their rights. There are about 45
tribal groups living in the different places of Bangladesh. Garos - were found living at
the feet of Garo hill in northern area of Bangladesh during 9th century, establishing
the empire of Garo at Durgapur from 9th to 13th century (Jengcham, Subash,
1994:1-3).
The original home of the Garos was in Assam of India (Sattar, 1971:164).
But in the Garo and Khasia tribe I found an exceptional traditions of matriarchal
pattern where men does not have the right of property inheritance and men have to
stay with their wife’s house after marriage.Men are neglected in their mother’s family
as well as wife’s family. As an exceptional family tradition there are some complex
types of men victimization exists in the Garo and Khasia tribes, in these regards the
main objective of the study was to explore the situation of discrimination and male
victimization in the Garo and Khasia tribes in Bangladesh.Furthermore, Men have to
manage the domestic works and household while female do the outside works in
most cases.
2.2 Garos Religions: Their traditional religion is Sangsharek; nevertheless, due to
poverty and vulnerability, the majority of the Garos have been converted to
Christianity, and a few of them to Islam. Garos are mainly Christians although there
are some rural pockets where the traditional animist religion and traditions are still
followed.

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2.3 Garo Groups & Origins: The ‘Garo’ is one of the larger ethnic minority groups
living in Bangladesh. Basically, two groups of Garos are found in Bangladesh; namely
Achick or Hill Garo who live in thickly clothed forest areas and Lamdani or plain Garo
who live at the base of Garo Hill in the greater Mymensingh region. They mostly live
in Mymensingh, Netrokona, Taogail, Sylhet and Sunamgonj districts of our country.
The Garos are an ethnic group of ‘ Tibbeti Borman’, belonging to the Mongolian
human race. The original dwelling place of Mongolian is believed to be the adjacent
areas of mid- Asia and most of the ethnologists have opined that the same place is
also the aboriginal dwelling place of Garo community (Das, 2005).
Probably the origin of Garos could be found in Sinkiang, a province of China, located
in northwestern side of China. Lateron, they came to live in the northern side of
‘Tibbet’ and stayed there for many decades. Thereafter, they migrated themselves to
the northeastern area of India through Bhutan. Garos were found living at the feet of
Garo hill in northern area of Bangladesh during 9th century.
Another study shows that the original home of the Garos was in Assam of India, and
the appearance of the Garos indicate that they may be the successors to the Khasis,
Nagas and Manipuris of Assam (Sattar, 1971:164)

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2.4 Garos Culture: The Garos are one of the few remaining matrilineal societies in
the world. The individuals take their clan titles from their mothers.Traditionally, the
youngest daughter inherits the property from her mother. Sons leave the parents’
house at puberty, and are trained in the village bachelor dormitory (nokpante). After
getting married, the man lives in his wife’s house. Garos are only a matrilinear
society, but not matriarchal.
While property of Garo’s is owned by the women, the men folk govern the society
and domestic affairs and manage the property. This gives a solid security to the
Garo women folk. Garo also have their traditional names. However, the culture of
modern Garo community has been greatly influenced by Christianity. Nokpantes are
glory of the past and all children are given equal care, rights and importance by the
modern parents.
2.5 Garos Language: The language that is known to everyone except its own
speakers as "Garo" is spoken by about 700,000 people in northeastern India and in
Bangladesh. Most of these Garos live in a hilly district in the western part of the
Indian state of Meghalaya, but about 100,000 live across the border in Bangladesh,
most of them just south of the Garo Hills. Smaller settlements are found in several
locations in Assam, in the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, in Tripura state, and near
Modhupur in Bangladesh. Most of these people prefer to call themselves "A'chik" or
"Mande" but neither of these terms has gained general acceptance. Two small
enclaves, one with people known as "A'tong", the other with "Ruga", are found within
the Garo Hills. Each of these groups has its own language but they consider
themselves to be Garos and are accepted as such by all other Garos.
A written form of Garo was developed by American Baptist missionaries during the
last decades of the 19th century. The missionaries based the orthography upon the
dialect of the northeastern corner of the Garo Hills. The northeastern dialect on
which the written language is based is sometimes called "A'we".
The dialect that covers the western part of the Garo Hills and that is spoken in
Bangladesh is known as "A'beng" or "Am'beng". Matchi, Chisak and Dual are found
in smaller areas in the central and southern part of the district, but all of these
dialects grade into one another without sharp breaks. Garos compare their dialects
with curiosity and amusement, but they do not correspond to important social
divisions within the larger Garo community.
2.6 Verbs: At its simplest, a Garo sentence requires nothing except a verb base
and a tense suffix. Optionally, one or more nouns, noun phrases, pronouns and
adverbs can precede the verb, and with the help of additional affixes, the verb itself
can be made very complex. Here is a very ordinary Garo verb that can act as a
complete sentence.
A-gan-chak -tai -ja -wa -kon.
speak -answer-again-NEG-FUT-probably
'[He] will probably not answer again'.

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The only obligatory parts of this verb are the verb base a-gan- 'speak' (a two-syllable
morpheme) and -wa, a tense marker for 'future'. The three morphemes that occur
between the verb base and the tense marker are examples of an extensive class
that call "adverbial affixes". A much smaller number of suffixes can follow the tense
marker. I will call these "post-tense suffixes".
In positive sentences the future marker is -gen. -gen and -wa form the only fully
suppletive pair in the language and their alternation is one of the very few genuine
morphological irregularities. In addition to -gen/-wa, the tense markers include -
a 'present, neutral', -a-ha 'past', -gin-ok or -na-jok 'immediate or intentional future', -
bo 'imperative', -na-be 'negative imperative', and -jok a suffix that indicates a change
of state. -jok- can often be translated by a perfect tense: cha'-jok 'has eaten', but a
more literal translation would be 'has changed from the state of not having eaten to a
state of having eaten'.
2.7 Garos Festivals: The common and regular festivals are those connected with
agricultural operations. Greatest among Garo festivals is the Wangala, usually
celebrated in October or November, is thank-giving after harvest in which Saljong,
the god who provides mankind with Nature’s bounties and ensures their prosperity,
is honored.
There was a time when the Garos used to arrange a variety of traditional festivals:
among them 'Wangala' or 'Wanna', a festival celebrating the harvesting in
Agrahayan; 'Rangshugala' on the occasion of sowing grains in Falgun and Chaitra; a
festival on the occasion of 'Jhum' in Chaitra and 'Habaghrita' at Baishakh.
The major factor being the Garo's mass conversion to Christianity. Moreover, the
younger generation is lukewarm to the traditional Garo culture, putting its future in
jeopardy.The Adibashi Shangskritik Kendra, the only cultural organisation for the
Garos in Rangrapara, Haluaghat, is about to down shutters, sources say. As a result,
young Garos are more inclined towards contemporary western and Bengali cultures.
The poorer Garo people to migrate to different places and such migration has torn
them away from their immensely rich culture.
2.8 Music And Dance: Group songs may include Ku·dare sala, Hoa ring·a, Injoka,
Kore doka, Ajea, Doroa, Nanggorere goserong, Dim dim chong dading chong,
Serejing, Boel sala etc. Dance forms are Ajema Roa, Mi Su·a, Chambil Moa, Do·
kru Sua, Chame mikkang nia, Kambe Toa, Gaewang Roa, Napsepgrika and many
others.

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2.9 Christmas: Though Christmas is basically a religious celebration, in Garo Hills
the month of December is a great season of celebration. In the first week of
December the town of Tura and all other smaller towns are illuminated with lights
and celebration goes till about 10 January. People from all religions and sections
take part in the Christmas celebration.
Chapter: 3
Khasia Cultures Details: The Khasi people are an indigenous tribe, the majority
of whom live in the State of Meghalaya which is in the north eastern part of India,
with a significant population in the border areas of the neighbouring state of Assam,
and in certain parts of Bangladesh. They call themselves Ki Khun U Hynñiewtrep,
which means "The Children of The Seven Huts" in their language.
3.1 Language: Their language, also called Khasi, is categorized as the northern
most language under the Austroasiatic family stock. The Khasi language was
essentially oral until the arrival of Christian missionaries. Thomas Jones, who
transcribed the Khasi language into the Roman script. The Khasi people form the
majority of the population of the eastern part of Meghalaya, the state's largest
community.
3.2 Religious: Other religious group practiced among the Khasis include Roman
Catholic Anglican, Unitarian, Presbyterian (largest Christian denomination among the
Khasis), and others. Though the majority of the 85.00% Khasi populace have
embraced Christianity, a substantial minority of the Khasi people still follow and
practice their age old indigenous religion, which is known as "Ka Niam Khasi" and it
is their belief that the rooster (U Syiar Khraw Jutang) is sacrificed as a substitute for
man, it being thought that the rooster "bears the sins of men and by its sacrifice
A small number of Khasis, as a result of inter-community marriages, are also
Muslims. There is also a very small number of Khasi Hindus inhabiting the Jaintia
Hills of Meghalaya, a result of hundreds of years of exposure to the plains of Bengal
and Assam.
3.3 Crops & Production: The main crops produced by the Khasi people are betel
leaf, areca nut, oranges, local rice, vegetables, etc.
Photo: Traditional Khasi Child

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3.4 Dress: The traditional Khasi male dress is a Jymphong, a longish sleeveless
coat without collar, fastened by thongs in front. Nowadays, most male Khasis have
adopted western attire. On ceremonial occasions they appear in a
Jymphong and sarong with an ornamental waist-band and they may also wear a
turban. The traditional Khasi female dress is called the Jainsem or Dhara, both of
which are rather elaborate with several pieces of cloth, giving the body a cylindrical
shape. On ceremonial occasions they may wear a crown of silver or gold. A spike or
peak is fixed to the back of the crown, corresponding to the feathers worn by the
menfolk. The Jainsem consists of two pieces of material fastened at each shoulder.
The "Dhara" consists of a single piece of material also fastened at each shoulder.
Photo: Men dance during the Khasi festival of Shad Suk Mynsiem in Shillong
3.5 Marriage: Their social organization does not favor other forms of marriage;
therefore, deviation from this norm is quite rare. Young men and women are
permitted considerable freedom in the choice of mates. Once a man has selected his
desired spouse, he reports his choice to his parents. The parents of the woman
ascertain her wishes and if she agrees to the arrangement her parents check to
make certain that the man to be wed is not a member of their clan (since Khasi clans
are exogamous, marital partners may not be from the same clan). If this is
satisfactory then a wedding date is set.
Divorce is frequent (with causes ranging from incompatibility to lack of offspring) and
easily obtainable. This ceremony traditionally consists of the husband handing the
wife 5 cowries or paisa which the wife then hands back to her husband along with 5
of her own. Present-day Khasis divorce through the Indian legal system.
Generally, Khasi men prefer to marry a non-heiress because it will allow them to
form independent family units somewhat immune to pressures from the wife's kin. A
Khasi man returns to his iing (home) upon the death of his spouse (if she is an
heiress). These practices are the result of rules governing inheritance and property
ownership.

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Chapter: 4 Natural Beauties of Netrokona,Birishiri
4.1 Netrokona District: Netrakona (Bengali: নেত্রক োেো) is a district in
northern Bangladesh. It is a part of Mymensingh Division. Netrokona is a district
under Mymensingh Division. It is in the Northern part of Bangladesh, Near the
Himalayan border. It was turned into a district in 1984. Netrokona Pouroshaba (Main
City ) consists of 9 wards and 33 mahallas. There are four rivers in Netrokona. They
are Kangsha, Dhala, Magra, and Teorkhali.
4.2 Upazilas
There are 10 Upazilas in this district. They are Atpara, Barhatta, Durgapur,
Kalmakanda, Kendua, Khaliajuri, Madan, Mohanganj, Netrokona Sadar,
and Purbadhala. Durgapur Upazila, near the Indian border.
4.3 Border
The district is bounded by Kishoreganj district on the south, the Meghalaya state of
India on the north, Sunamganj district on the east and Mymensingh district on the
west.
4.4 Geography: Netrakona is situated in the northern part of Bangladesh, near the
Meghalayan border. There are four main rivers in Netrakona: Kangsha, Dhala,
Magra, and Teorkhali. Netrakona Pouroshabha (Town of Netrakona) is a municipal
town, established in 1887 and with an area of 13.63 km
4.5 List Of Top Netrokona Tourist Spots:
1. Netrokona Sadar Upazila
2. Birishiri
3. White Clay Field of Bijoypur
4. Ranikong Mission
Netrokona নেত্রক োেো
Location of Netrokona in Bangladesh
Coordinates: 24.88°N 90.73° ECoordinates: 24.88°N 90.73°E
Country Bangladesh
Division Mymensingh Division
Area
• Total 2,794.28 km2 (1,078.88 sq mi)
Population (2011 census)
• Total 2,229,642
• Density 800/km2 (2,100/sq mi)
Time zone BST (UTC+6)

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5. Tomb of Hazrat Shah Sultan Kamruddin Rumi (R) at Madanpur
6. Atpara
7. Three domed Saramushia-Haripur Mosque (Mughal period),
8. Remnants of Roy Bari (zamindar) of Rameshwarpur
9. Buddhist Math at Krishnapur of Atpara
10. Kalmakanda Upazila
11. Tomb of Monai Shah at village Battala
12. Tombs of seven Freedom Fighters’ at Lengura
13. Baarhatta Upazila
14. Twin Pond at village Amghail Pirijpur,
15. Deva Mandir at Singdha,
16. dilapidated building at Saoudpur (Mughal period).
17. Durgapur
18. Ancient mosque at village Maskandha (Sultanate period)
19. Palace of Maharaja at Susang Durgapur
20. Khaliajuri Upazila
21.
22.
23. Kendua Upazila
24. Roailbari Jalal Mosque
25. Ancient Fort (Roailbari union)
26. Kali Mandir and Dighi at Danachapuri
27. Jafarpur Khoaj Mosque
28. Madan Upazila
29. Mosque built in Mughal period (Chandgaon Union)
30. Tomb of Bura Pir
31. Mohanganj Upazila
32. Ancient fort at village Betham (Sultan Alauddin Hussain Shah period)
33. Shekher Bari Mosque (Hussain Shah period)
34. Daulatpur Temple (876 BS)
35. Others
36. Bathbar Hawor
37. Beder Dighi
38. Garo Hill
39. Kamala Rani Dighi
40. Khoja Dighi (pond)
41. Landscape of Gobindrapur Hill
42. Monument of Tonka Movement
4.6 How to go: Birishiri is a remote place as it is situated at the Bangladesh India
border. As a result all modes of transportation aren’t available here. So the best way
to get in here is by road from Dhaka. You can find direct bus to Birishiri from
Mohakhali bus stand at Dhaka. It will take 7 hours to get there and last half an hour
may get bumpy as the last 30 km road is not well constructed.There is no airport in
this district.

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4.7 Accommodation: Hotels are very cheap in here. Government people are
usually using circuit house. At Birishiri there is a Various Types of rest house.
4.8 Durgapur Upazila: Shusong Durgapur of Birishiri is located at Netrokona
district about 200 km north from Dhaka. It’s not only blessed by charismatic natural
beauty, is also reach in ethnic culture as there are many ethnic groups like – Hajong,
Garo, Achik and Mandi etc lives here. Many people around the world come here to
learn the ethnic culture and livings. (NETROKONA DISTRICT) area 279.28 sq km,
located in between 24°57' and 25°12' north latitudes and in between 90°28' and
90°47' east longitudes. It is bounded by Meghalaya state of India on the
north, Netrokona Sadar And Purbadhala Upazilas On The
South, Kalmakanda Upazila On The East, Dhobaura Upazila on The West. The Garo
Hills and Valleys are on the northern part of the upazila.
Population Total 198326; male 100623, female 97703; Muslim 175753, Hindu
13195, Buddhist 9161, Christian 41 and others 176. Indigenous communities such
as GARO and HAJONGS belong to this upazila.
4.9 Shomeshwari River: A trek along the banks of Shomeshwari in early morning
or at afternoon should make most of the Travelers happy. This is in Shivgong, Cross
the river once you are satisfied with your trek along the bank. This river divides the
Garo Hillsinto two parts You'll have to get on one of the local ferry boats. The fair is
15 tk.
4.10 White Clay Field of Bijoypur/ Ceramic Mountain: There is a hill of white
china clay, you might like to have a look/climb that. This is also a Familiar & Famous
place of local & Travelers. This hill locally known as "Cheena matir pahar". ceramic
(China Mati) mountain of Durgapur and the blue water underneath the mountain
valley (blue lagoon).
4.11 Deserted Coal Mines: Deserted Coal Mines – The Historical Spot of the
Pakistan Period Industrial Pre-development, there is still a Cave which is belong to
the Coal Mines Labour. This site is located Front of the White clay field of Bijoypur.

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4.12 BDR Camp Zero Point/ Bangladesh-India Border: On the way to
the Bijoypur BDR camp you'll find at BD Boarder Site. Near of Shomeshori river’s
side which is close to the Garo Hill mostly local people also called as South Garo hill.
4.13 Ranikhong Mission/ Ranikhong Church: Ranikhong ( ) church was
built some where around 1910-1915. Initially few people from the village went to the
Bishop at Dhaka so that they can have a missionary at their village. But for logistic
support and others, the Bishop wasn't able to comply with them. But he took few
initiatives that helped the next Bishop to establish the church successfully there.
History of the church – The church is located over a small hillock beside the river
shomeshwari( ). The place is tranquil and you'd love to enjoy the picturesque
view of the river beneath the hillock.

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4.14 Garo Hill: Located Bangladesh-Indian Boarder site close to the Shomeshwari
river & Old Place of Garo/Assam Garo Tribal Community location.
4.15 Bangladesh Agriculture University (BAU): In Mymensingh Bangladesh
Agricultural University Campus Inside Botanical Garden 1. Established : 1963 2.
Location: 3 Km South of Mymensingh City & 120 Km North of Nation's Capital City,
Dhaka 3. Area: 485 H. Which is close to the bank of the old Brahmaputra River. This
Botanical Garden still has more than Total 558 Verities of Trees & Thousands of
Exclusive Plants.
Conclusion: Birishiri is a remote place as it is situated at Bangladesh-India border,
in Netrakona district. As a result all modes of transportation aren't available here but,
the Attraction natural palaces are Interesting Point for the local (Domestic) &
Foreign Travelers & Visitors.

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References
1. https://www.alltravels.com/bangladesh/dhaka/netrakona/photos-200131
2. https://www.tripadvisor.com.ph/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g668002-d3654184-
i127477316-Birishiri_Netrokona-Mymensing_Dhaka_Division.html
3. http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Durgapur_Upazila_(Netrokona_District)
4. http://icwow.blogspot.com/2011/12/birisiri-ranikhong-church.html
5. http://pankauree.blogspot.com/2012/03/birishiri-netrokona.html
6. https://www.tripadvisor.co.za/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g668002-d3654184-
i127477316-Birishiri_Netrokona-Mymensing_Dhaka_Division.html
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khasi_people
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garo_people
9. http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Tribal_Cultural_Academy
10.http://searchenglish.com/birishiri-piece-heaven/
11.http://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-104664
12.http://www.panoramio.com/photo/73516874#
13.http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/
14.http://www.google.com
15. Local Area Visit & Collect Data for this Term Paper Assignmrent