Page 86 - Changing Living Spaces

Haruhisa Asada

the interaction between them is examined based on the author’s field
observations.
The Ahoms and the Mishings have different livelihood patterns. This
difference has led to the Mishings working in Ahom villages, where trans-
planted rice (known locally as sali rice) is the main monsoon crop (Asada
2011). The main agricultural working season is from May to August, when
ploughing and transplanting are done, and from October to November,
when rice is harvested. In contrast, broadcast rice (known locally as ahu
and bao rice) is the main crop in Mishing village. The peak season of ag-
ricultural activities here is from January to March, when ploughing and
harvesting (e.g. mustard) is done, and in June, when ahu rice is harvest-
ed. Mishing women come to the Ahom village to do agricultural work for
daily wages in July-August and October-November during the low season
in their own village (figure 3).
Because most of their villages are near towns, the Ahoms have more
opportunities to earn off-farm income than the Mishings. Nowadays,
more and more Ahom villagers work in towns, so they have less time to
engage in agricultural activities on their own farms. In addition, during
the transplanting or harvesting seasons, it is difficult to find wage labour-
ers for agricultural activities, so they rely on agricultural labour from
other villages. Mishing people have fewer opportunities to find work in
towns, and most villagers still practice traditional farming with low pro-
ductivity. They therefore go to work in Ahom villages to earn cash income
needed for their children’s education and daily expenses.
The difference in land use between the villages of the two groups also
plays an important role in their interaction. In the Ahom village, which is
located in the middle lowland zone, a back swamp is used as a rice field.
There is little land available for cow herding on the natural dams, so the
cows have to move to the roads even during the rainy season. Therefore,
some Ahom villagers keep their cows in Mishing villages, where sufficient
land and pasture is available near the river bank or rice fields after harvest-
ing ahu rice (figure 4). Those who take care of the cows in Mishing village
receive milk and newborn calves in return. The milk produced in Mishing
village is sold in the market of a nearby town. When the cows are able to
provide sufficient draft power to plough the fields or are large enough to be
sold at the market, they return to their owners in Ahom villages.
In return for caring for their cows, the Ahom sometimes care for the
children of the Mishing. Primary and secondary schools in riverine are-
as such as Mishing villages are often closed during the rainy season be-

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