Youth Dormitory (Deka-chang)

The youth dormitory (Deka-chang) is an important and interesting feature of the tribal life, which is the common sleeping place for the young and unmarried members the society. There was prevalence of separate dormitory for the both sexes in many of the tribal societies. However, presently no tribal community of the Brahmaputra valley possess the girl’s dormitory. Though the institution is for the unmarried members of the society, the married and elderly members remain actively associated with the institution through their frequent visits and different activities. The dormitory life begins early in the childhood and extends until the marriage of a member. The institution is of great social and cultural importance in the communities as a knowledge imparting institution that gradually trains and prepares the members for their future life.

The Deka-chang is a characteristic architecture as well as institution prevalent in many of the tribal societies of Assam. Through the institution, the young generation of the society gradually learns and acquires social, cultural, technical, physical, and psychological training deemed necessary as a member of the society. Traditionally, the institution was an integral element of the social structure and society administration. The youths not simply stay here from their adolescence until the starting of their family life but this institution plays role of a training cum capacity building workshop. It is the place where the young generation receives training of the traditional social folk customs, songs, singing and music, performing arts, art and crafts, learns the social behaviour, acquires different skills and techniques relating to different fields. It is also the training place to learn and establish himself as an apt and ideal member of the society, acquiring the necessary skills and training in every relevant field. Similarly, the youth dormitory also plays significant role in the village administration and protection from different threats. The youths of the dormitory collectively plays the role of the protection force to defend threats ranging from the wild animal to the external enemy and rivalry. Hence, it is in a sense the garrison with fighters, every moment alert and ready to cope up threats.

Concept of Culture and Institution:

Culture is the aesthetic and intellectual achievements of a society, which presents as well as conveys the identity of the society. Malinowski defines culture as “an instrumental apparatus by which man is put in a position the better to cope with the concrete specific problems that face him in his environment in the course of the satisfaction of his need” (Malinowski:1961:150). The shift from nomadic life to permanent settlement was the crucial step behind the gradual development of the culture among a group of people. Thus, the settled life and culture is the outcome of the organization which “implies a very definite scheme or structure, the main factors of are universal in that they are applicable to all organized groups, which again in their typical form, are universal throughout mankind” (Malinowski:1961:39).

Malinowski proposes the term “institution” for such human organization and elaborates it as:

This concept implies an agreement on a set of traditional values for which human being come together. It also implies that these human beings stand in definite relation to one another and to a specific physical part of the environment, natural and artificial. Under the charter of their purpose or traditional mandate, obeying the specific norms of their association, working through the material apparatus which they manipulate, human being act together and thus satisfy some of their desires, while also producing an impression on their environment. (ibid)

Every culture traditionally develops various institutions to cater their necessities and demands. Bose said, “Men do not live alone; and in order to meet their needs of food and shelter, companionship and love, recreation and play, they form into associations, build institutions through which such needs are satisfied” (Bose:1971:50). The youth dormitory is such an organization or institution that turns to be a very important and functional in the tribal society and culture, though the institution gradually lost its previous glory and relevance. Apart from performing the active or destined functions, the institution plays a pivotal role for the continuation of the culture of the group.

The Origin and Distribution of Bachelor Dormitory:

There is ample scope to assume that the bachelor dormitory is an ancient cultural legacy of the tribal culture. Dongre’s remark, “The dormitory institution in Assam, Indo-China and Indonesia belongs to a complex of closely related cultures of Neolithic type which spread both cast and west” (Dongre:22) is corroborative to this assumption. The concept as well as development of the institution might have origin in the practical-necessity led system of the community living. Such system of community living was in prevalence in Assam at least till the beginning of the last century as mentioned by Waddell.

The institution of bachelor dormitory is also prevalent among different tribal communities of India apart from Assam and NE India. Thus, Bose said:

The tribal folk of Chotanagpur, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Assam share a certain institution, unrelated to the family, but which has a great bearing upon the sexual life of tribes like the Oraon, Juang, Maria Gond, Naga and the like. These tribes have an organization of the youth of the village where they club together, and have certain rights and duties in relation to the rest of the community. (Bose:1971:53)

Ruivah holds the existence of dormitory system is a worldwide phenomenon and quoting S.E. Peal{GL_NOTE::} said,

“from Bhutan to Newzeland and from the Marquesas to the Niger, the system existed” (Ruivah:1984:170).

Nonetheless, it can safely said to be a common cultural feature of entire South East Asia, substantiated by Dongre. He said:

Community-houses of similar type flourish in Sumatra, Sulawasi, the Philippines and New Guinea, and occurrences of this cultural element in widely separated areas-areas which share, however, a common cultural background-are consistent with the current theories of the ethnological structure of South East Asia and Oceania. (Dongre:4)

Functions of Deka-chang:

The Deka-chang used to play important roles and was very functional in the tribal societies. The Deka-changs were not merely some architecture to accommodate the youth of the society, but it was a centre of different functional activities contributing immensely to the life and the culture of the society. It at one hand ensures the smooth functioning of the society through its imposing role, while on the other hand, ensures the continuity of the traditional culture by handing down the traditional culture to the young generation as well as to the posterity of the society.

Despite certain individualities of the Deka-changs of different communities, it shares certain common characters as well as functions.

Dongre’s some remarks are very noteworthy in this connection. He said:

Despite considerable local differences all these institutions have certain elements in common, and their present distribution in India and South East Asia can best be explained by the hypothesis that it was a Neolithic agricultural civilization of South East Asiatic type which favoured development of community houses in the one or other form, and that the spread of this civilization was instrumental in carrying the dormitory institution into widely separated areas on the Asiatic mainland as well as in Indonesia. (Dongre:17)

The functions of dormitory are well described in some remarks of Bose:

The youths’ dormitory serves several purposes in the village. The hut in which it is housed may serve to accommodate guests, while the old and the young frequently meet there for gossip and recreation. Riddles are often exchanged, while the ancient lore of the tribe may also be passed on from one generation to another in the evening. The dormitory thus serves as an informal kind of school. (Bose:1971:53)

Thus, the common functions of the institution can be identified as follows:

1. Village Defence,
2. Centre of Education,
3. Workshop of Traditional Art and Crafts,
4. A Lodging place for an Outsider or Guest,
5. Centre of learning the Traditional Skills such as Hunting,
6. Centre for acquiring Understanding, Behaviour, and Manners.
7. Centre of Assistance, Help and Co-operation for the needed one,
8. A Community Meeting Place, Court of Justice, discussion and arriving at Consensus.

Thus, it is noticed that the youth dormitory is or was a vital part of the tribal societies. This informal education imparting institutions not only provided education of different types, but also simultaneously played some other major role to prepare the young generation of the society.

Functions of Deka-chang: Defending the Threats:

Though the Deka-chang is primarily a sleeping place for the youths of a community, it does not imply that its primary function is to inculcate sex discipline upon them. The tribal societies had some practical functional necessities behind the development of the institution. The protection and security of the village and the community comes out to be the prime reason behind its development. It was the means to keep the young and capable youths unified and ever prepared for any external threats. Thus, the necessity to protect the village people and animals from the threats of wild animals and attack of the rival enemies was perhaps the prime reason behind the development of the institute.

Thus, the youth dormitory of Dimasa Kachari, namely Nodrung too, had similar primary function of village defence as mentioned by Duarah (1998) and corroborated by Bordoloi (1984). However, it is interesting to note that, while the Dimasa, of the North Cachar Hills have the bachelor dormitory of Nodrung, the Barmans, who are a branch of the same tribe, living in the Cachar of Barak valley, do not possess the institution.

Thus, the reason of the absence of the Nodrung among the Barmans as mentioned by Bordoloi and Sharma Thakur is noteworthy. They stated:

The need for bachelors” dormitory in the plains might not have been felt, since the sudden attack from neighbouring tribal communities and from wild animals as well which was rather a common feature in the hill areas was absent in the plains of Cachar. Such a defence as well as protective strategy was not felt necessary. (Bordoloi & Thakur:1988:14)

Thus, the non-appearance of the necessity of the village defence and subsequent abolishment of the Deka-chang hints to its primary function of the defence.

A common feature especially of the tribal societies is the community-based approach based on a deep co-operative relationship among them. It is due to the habit of organizing their habitations mostly in small habitat away from the din and bustle of the cities and towns as observed by Khashim Ruivah.

What Ruivah said in connection with the Tangkhul dormitory Long-shim is noteworthy:

It is, therefore, worthwhile to study and examine their village organizations and its pivotal structure, which influences their life-ways. This organization had its halcyon days in the context of an isolated near-sufficient tribal economy which generated and sustained it as a life-giving cultural force so that speedy current of modern civilization should not wash away the ancient social institution … (Ruivah:1984:170)

Functions of Deka-chang: As a Training Centre:

Though the institution was crucial for the village defence and was functional from this perspective, it simultaneously served as an informal training centre, where the youths of the communities were trained and prepared for the various activities of social and cultural life of the community.

The dormitory life apparently provided the opportunity to the younger members to practically imitate the elders as well as learn many aspects of the socio-cultural life from them. Since the dormitory is the place of rest, there had ample leisure time to spend together. In addition, in those days when they had no exposure to modern mechanical means of recreation, definitely, the items of traditional folklore genre like jokes, riddle, tongue twister, proverb, folksong, folkdance, music, and so were the sole means of recreation available before them. In such a situation, the institution virtually turns into a training centre for the members. The aural and practical training helped not only to train the young generation and posterity to remember the texts of the items, but also helped to acquire the textural aspects of the items performed. Thus, it ensured the continuity of the nuances of culture through generations in a precise form.

The dormitory simultaneously is the common meeting place, where the elderly people used to assemble often to discuss various issues of the society. Thus, the common issues of the society, obviously relating to the regulations and functioning of the society, were discussed there to come to consensus. Thus, the institution plays the role of village assembly house in certain occasions. This definitely provided the opportunity before the next generation to get acquainted with the political and judiciary system of the society. Thus, the Deka-changs of the tribal societies were a complete organization to train and prepare the posterity in different affairs of the society. Simultaneously, it is the Deka-chang, where “the younger ones learn the art of making bamboo and cane articles and the art of hunting and fighting as well” (Bordoloi:1984). Moreover, the members of the institution provide labour and assistance in different activities, including agricultural activities or construction of a house, if asked for or voluntarily to a needy one.

Thus, some remarks of Bahadur in connection with the Karbi Deka-chang, well expresses such functions:

The Mikirs have few amusements and games, but the villages used to have deka clubs which apart from assisting in agricultural operations, had evening of cultural shows and activities in which dancing and singing and various ceremonies take place…They would eat together and combine in carrying out ordinary tasks like fetching midday meals for its members from their houses. (Bahadur:1977)