West Bengal houses quite a number of tribal communities, who have settled down here over the years. Garo is held in place of prominence, located mainly in the heartland of Burdwan district. Some of them even found in other districts, namely, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Bihar also. Many people know them as Achik. Maximum of these Garo tribes are the ardent followers of Christianity.


There are a huge section of Garo populace who has followed Baptism and Roman Catholicism. These Garo tribes follow almost all the rituals associated with this religion. Few of these Garo tribes are `Seventh-day Adventists, Anglicans` and the rest belong to some of the newly formed `denominations`. Following the tradition of most of the tribes of the region, there are several of Garo tribes who still follow their conventional Animist-Hindu norms and customs. The main language spoken by these tribes is Garo, also known as Garrow and Mande.

Multiple dialects also are popular amongst sections of Garo tribes , including , A`beng (A`bengya, Am`beng), A`chick (A`chik), A`we, Chisak, Dacca, Ganching, Kamrup, Matchi. Since the Garo language is not conventionally written down, customs, traditions, and beliefs are being passed on their the generations almost verbally.

Through out the whole of Indian subcontinent, the society of Garo tribes has drawn the admiration of many of the eminent anthropologists. The reason is that the Garo tribal society is considered to be one of the handfuls of matrilineal societies that have existed till date in the world panorama. Similar to the tradition of all the matrilineal societies, the Garo people get the `clan titles` from the lineage of their mothers. Thus, it needs no mentioning that the status of the women in Garo society is quite high. So much so, that they have the rights of inheritance. To be specific, the youngest daughter, locally known as `nakma`, inherits the property that her mother possessed. Dormitory plays an important in Garo society.

At puberty, al the Garo boys, are not allowed to remain in their homes of their parents. They are sent to the bachelor dorms, better known as nokpante, so that they can receive training and education. Marriage is also an important institution of Garo society and as per norm of matrilineal society, after marriage, the grooms go and live in the house of his bride.

The general and customary festivities are, of course, those linked with farming operations. One of the most significant among Garo festivals is the Wangala, which is a festivity of thanksgiving after harvesting. During the festival, the people worship the Saljong, the deity who supplies to the human society with Nature`s amplitudes and assures their prosperity. There is no permanent time for the celebration.

In fact the Garo tribes residing in different villages, fete this festivals according to their own convenience and whish. Generally, the Wangala festival is celebrated in the month of October. Preparations begun beforehand and the `Nokma of the village` supervise the whole arrangement that the Garo villagers have done on their own hands. Feasting is an integral part and a huge quantity of food and rice-beer are being made well ahead. The culmination of the celebration approaches when the colorful Wangala dance is being performed. Both the males and females participate in great enthusiasm in their best of their clothes.