Women of Exceptional Courage and Virtue in Garo Oral Narratives

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the Garo women who act courageously to overcome the situation. This paper will also help to draw an attention how the women of this generation know the importance of self-confidence and live a virtuous life. The Garo society is a matrilineal society. However, even though women inherit the property and position from mother, men are always regarded as the sole authority of the Garo household. The main occupation of the Garos is agriculture in which womenfolk share an equal workload, in their daily household chores. In the course of their work in the jhum field and in their daily life at home, the Garo women face many hardships and troubles. 

Representation of such women in Oral Narratives handed down through generation have been documented and published by folklorists such as Jobang D. Marak, Dhoronsingh K. Sangma, D. S. Rongmuthu, Llewellyn R. Marak and others. These representations are a part of the bigger canvas depicting of panorama of Garo society since the ancient past. Epic poetry of Dikki Bandi, Jingjang, the two sisters ‘Awil and Singwil’ shows us through adventures of the heroes and their ladyloves, the ideals in the Garo culture. The ideal men and women held upon models of moral, mental and physical strength fill the narratives sung to a tune, by the bards in a typical recitation of epic poetry. In ‘Dikki- I’ Giting, the daughter of Bamindru and Salgijing has genus up to be a young woman of courage, presence of mind, resourcefulness, form of the cultural valves/ethos of the Garo society. Giting’s wisdom and resoluteness are manifest since the first time she beheld Dikki as a slave. Her heart is drowned towards Dikki, the handsomest young man, who happens to be her father’s nephew, a perfect match for her. In the Garo culture, a girl has to struggle to win her beloved, or the man eligible to marry her, includes as the father’s nephew or even other eligible man. She has to prove herself above any blemishes in her character, must be humble, patients, loyal, skilled and efficient in work, long-suffering, and intelligent. In this paper, the author will mainly focus how virtuous and wise the women are in Garo oral narratives.