They are river people, whose lives ebb and flow with the waters of the Brahmaputra in a timeless rhythm. But now, hydroelectric projects and homogenising exercises raise uneasy questions in the Mising tribe about notions of ‘belonging’.
Fishing nets put out to dry. The Misings are expert fishers.
Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar
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Catching fish in a waterhole in Dhemaji district.
Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar
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A Mising woman tends to silkworms feeding on mulberry leaves, in Dhemaji district.
Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar
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The Misings have a rich tradition of weaving. Seen here, preparing yarn for the loom, in Bokakhat district. Living in flood-prone areas of Assam with no other sustenance options, the Mising women have upgraded their traditional weaving skills and adapted to the needs of the market.
Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar
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A WOMAN sifts crushed rice to prepare Apong, the traditional elixir of the Mising.
Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar
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dried chillies are smoked in a traditional Mising kitchen.
Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar
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Pounding paddy in a ‘kipar’, or wooden grinder.
Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar
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Displaced Mising villagers construct a house with strips of bamboo on the banks of the Brahmaputra in Majuli district.
Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar
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A villager in Bokakhat district indicates the level to which floodwaters rose in 2021. The Mising live in houses built on stilts, to cope with frequent floods.
Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar
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T he catch of the day. A Mising fisherman shows off an Ari, or long-whiskered catfish.
Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar
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