A Cactus Plant Tells The Suitable Place For Foundation: Inside The Traditional Bodo Tribal Home

Bhopal: While cactus usually evokes harsh feelings, for Bodo tribals of Assam, the thorny plant is a virtual foreteller heralding auspicious or ominous days.

If the succulent desert plant thrives inside the humble hutments, it is a divine message that the land is suitable for building a house otherwise, the tribals should migrate elsewhere. Just as a Tulsi plant is essential in the courtyard of a Hindu home, a cactus is a part of every hut for the Bodo tribals. Houses here don't end with two rooms and a kitchen. An entire room larger than the kitchen is dedicated to storing grains.

The tribals from Assam at the National Indira Gandhi Museum in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal are busy building the traditional thatched huts in a bid to save their tribal culture amid the rapid urbanisation.

A Cactus In Every Home
Shrikant, assistant keeper at the Anthropological Museum said that it might sound like a paradox, but a cactus is first planted on the ground by the Bodo tribals of Assam before building a home. “If it flourishes, the Bodos believe that a house can be built on that land”.

“You'll find a cactus in every house. If the cactus grows beyond the height of these houses, it is cut down,” he said while recalling one instance on the Anthropological Museum premises.

A view of the traditional Bodo tribal home (ETV Bharat)

Each Room A House In Itself
The huts made by the Bodo-Kachar tribe are divided into separate sections within a large hall. Bamboo is a permanent feature from the outside to the inside. Here, the house is not a single unit with four rooms and a kitchen. The sections of the house are spaced at a distance. Each room is like a house in itself. The most important is the head of the family's section, called 'No Mano' in the tribal language. This section contains a small kitchen, a prayer room, and a rest room.

Each room in the house has a name. The 'Okhon' is where the husband and wife cook together. 'Khokra' is what you might call their bedroom. In the northeast corner, there's an 'Ishing', their place of worship.

A view of the traditional Bodo tribal home (ETV Bharat)

Married Daughters Can't Touch The Stove
In a unique tradition, after marriage, a daughter of the tribal house can never touch the stove in her father's house. Nilambar, a Bodo from Assam, said, "Our tradition is that a married daughter cannot enter the 'No Mano' kitchen. She cannot touch the stove. Until she gets married, she can stay there and touch the stove, but not after marriage."

Multiple Houses Within a House
'Home' is a single word, but for the Bodo tribals, it's made up of multiple houses and multiple roofs. Because there are multiple houses within a single house, the head's house is the main one. The 'Saurano' is where guests stay, especially married couples. They can also be the daughter or son-in-law of the house. This tribe maintains a joint family system, and after marriage, a separate house is built for the son within the same campus. The place where grain is stored is also a house. This is called 'Bhakri'.

Each Head Prepares His Own Food, Clothing, And Shelter
Assistant Keeper Shrikant said that the uniqueness of the tribe is that, along with family rituals and customs, the corner that supports their economy is also within the house.

“This is called Bhakri, where they store paddy. It's built about two feet above the ground to prevent rats from damaging it. In the 'Dau Cobra', they keep chickens. There's also a house for cattle,” he said.

A view of the traditional Bodo tribal home (ETV Bharat)

“One house is their workstation, where the women of the house sit and weave. So, you see, the basic necessities of life—food, clothing, and shelter—are prepared by the head of each household without leaving the threshold. There's also a tradition in the Bodo tribe that every guest is welcomed with a shawl, which they prepare at home."

Depleting Grass A Challenge For Tribal Homes
Young tribal Nilambar said that the grass that used to grow on the houses was disappearing in the area. “We have to search for the grass a lot. Secondly, the new generation prefers to build tin sheds. Therefore, these traditional houses are no longer there. Everyone is building thatched roofs."

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