Tea World

Lesson 027

Tea Tribe of Assam

Print,PDF and Email

Tea-tribe of Assam   is a term used to denote those active tea garden workers and their dependents who reside in labour quarters built inside  the tea estates spread across Assam while "Ex-tea tribe"   to those who were once active as labourers but now have left the job and labour quarters for other employment opportunities after retirement. So the contradictory terms "Tea-tribe" and "Ex-tea tribe" are collectively used for those set of people who are the descendants of both tribals and backward caste Hindus who were brought by the British colonial planters as indentured labourers from the predominantly tribal and backward caste-dominated regions of central India into colonial Assam during 1860-90s in multiple phases for the purpose of being employed in the tea gardens industry as labourers.The total population is estimated to be around 6 million of which estimated 4 million reside in residential quarters built inside tea estates.

Jhumur-A folk Dance of Tea Tribe Community

Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Leave a comment

 

Other Lessons