Skip to content Skip to navigation

Ethnographical blog on Karbis earning rave reviews globally

In recent times, blogging has touched the lives of every individual one way or the other. During the last general elections, we saw BJP’s prime ministerial candidate LK Advani using this dynamic medium to spread the principle of his party to all the netizens of the country, and even those living abroad. The US presidential election also saw wide use of this medium by the political parties and candidates to propagate their respective issues.

The north-eastern part of the country has also not remained untouched by this ever-growing phenomenon in the virtual world. Today, we can see various blogs on various topics emerging from a section of educated net enthusiasts, most of whom are youths.

Herein, I would like to make mention of www.karbi.wordpress.com - one of the most popular and emerging ethnographical site from this part of the world. This particular site is one of the first ethnographical site from Northeast India and as the name suggests, is based on the Karbi people living in Assam. Today, on an average, this blog receives 40 clicks per day, which is literally unheard of for an ethnographical site. The achievement becomes even more special when one realizes that in 2003 when the blog was first started, the site used to receive a meager four clicks!

The blog has been conceptualized, designed, maintained and the matters resourced by Morning Keey Phangcho – a young ethnographer who has been following his field of study with much passion. The blogsite boasts of having contribution from Dr. Philippe Ramirez, the pioneering social anthropologist from the France National Centre for Scientific Research. Dr. Pascal Bouchery, a senior lecturer of Social Anthropology, University of Poiters, France and also Dharam Singh Teron, who is a noted cultural activist of Karbi Anglong.

Today the blog attracts maximum traffic from researchers and cultural activists from around the world. The blogsite is also recognized by University of Heidelberg, Germany in its SavifaGuide as most trusted Internet Resources on the Culture of South Asia. In the meantime, due to the quality of the field reports published in the site www.karbi.wordpress.com, Morningkeey Phangcho has been able to earn laurels from each and every nook and crevice of the society for his work on the Karbis.

Dr. Philippe tells me: “Having myself worked with Phangcho, I was able to appreciate his high intellectual curiosity, his great knowledge of the Karbi culture and his exceptional mind openness. I consider him as a true professional social anthropologist,” Starting from scratch, today the site boasts of already getting traffic of around 19,500 clicks and has been able to inspire other communities of the State like the Tiwas, Dimasas, Misings, etc to start their own ethnographical websites.

The site www.karbi.wordpress.com is the site you must visit to know everything about the Karbis of Assam as it boasts of well researched article on kinship, political system, rituals, mythology, folklores and tales to the present social behaviors of the Karbis in every aspect, which only a true ethnographer can think of. The site also contain various article of academic values like the meaning of Mikirs, name of all the clans of the Karbis, political system of both the hills and the plains, census data pertaining to the Karbis etc. Meanwhile, the administrator of the site Morning Keey Phangcho continues with his work passionately. Recognizing his intellectual curiosity and credibility as a true ethnographer in the making, he has also been involved by one of the most reputed scientific institution in the world CNRS (Centre National De La Researche Scientifique) within the project on “Languages, Cultures and Territories in Northeast India”.

Author info

Aiyushman Dutta's picture

Journalist and Founder Secretary, Eastern Beats Music Society.

Comments

Anurag Rudra's picture

Kudos to Mr. Phangcho! Keep up the good, nay, great work! Best wishes....
Mosphy M.Taro's picture

KARBIS HAVE ROOMS TO IMPROVE THROUGH ETHNOGRAPHY. KEEP UP, INVITE MORE INTERNATIONAL FIGURES
Joydeep Banerjee's picture

Kudos to all the people who have worked towards this. I being born and brought up in Karbi Anglong have keen interest in knowing everything about my birth place.

Pages

Add new comment

Random Stories

Human traffickers convicted

21 Apr 2016 - 8:31pm | Shajid Khan
In a significant judgment to rising cases of human trafficking cases and demonstrating how seriously police and the courts will deal with people traffickers in state the Udalguri district court of...

Khosla panel to probe boat mishap: CM

2 May 2012 - 3:17am | editor
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Tuesday has set up a one man panel to probe the Dhubri boat mishap on Monday. Addressing a press conference in Dispur on Tuesday, Gogoi said that additional...

Encounter in Karbi Anglong: 6 NDFB rebels killed

18 May 2009 - 1:22pm | editor
Six NDFB rebels were killed during a heavy gun battle with army in Karbi Anglong district on Tuesday.According to information, the encounter took place at Donghap area in the hills district on...

Bee-keeping workshop at Pashighat

30 Oct 2015 - 6:29pm | HK Roy
Training on Bee-keeping (Apiculture) was organized by the District Agriculture Officer today at the GTC Samity Hall to the extension functionaries under Rasthriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) on Friday...

Other Contents by Author

DIMAPUR: Films, music, ethnic food and ethnic game competitions marked Tribal Vaganza – a two-day festival of indigenous games, music and culture – which concluded late last night in Dimapur, spreading the need to promote our dying folk culture amongst the youth of the region for posterity. Organized by Abiogenesis Society, the festival Tribal Vaganza was held with the support of North Eastern Council, Shillong. The festival saw the release of the much anticipated film, ‘Enter My World’, which has been written and directed by Arenla Subong, the popular female vocalist of thrice Grammy nominated band Abiogenesis. Releasing the film, Nagaland Minister for Higher & Technical Education...
GUWAHATI: Internationally acclaimed fusion-jazz band ASIA7 from Thailand will be performing at the Shri Shri Madhavdeva International Auditorium in Sanardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati on the evening of March 7. The band will be performing in Guwahati after their stellar performances during the 8th edition of the Delhi International Jazz Festival at Nehru Park held earlier this year. The performance of the band in the city is being organized by the Guwahati Regional Office of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Asia7 is a jazz fusion band from Thailand. Founded in 2016 by a group of alumni of the College of Music, Mahidol University,...
A rare and unheard case was recorded in Shillong where a woman in her 50s allegedly swallowed an entire toothbrush while brushing which was removed from her stomach without a surgery. The patient had come to see Dr. Issac Syiem, a Senior Surgeon in the Shillong Civil Hospital on January 25 and narrated the whole incident. Prior to this, she had visited other doctors in the hospital, who referred the case to Dr. Syiem. When she was evaluated by Dr. Syiem, he was surprised to know that the patient was in no discomfort and suffered no pain. The patient, a resident of Lower Mawprem, told him that she would have never approached any doctor if not for her daughter’s insistence. The X-ray...
The Digital Literacy Curriculum (DLC) Centre was recently inaugurated by Nur Hussain ACS, ADC (Education) , Golaghat at Letekujan. The DLC Centre is being set up by the Institute of Research & Documentation of Indigenous Studies (IRDIS) in partnership with Microsoft India under the Corporate social responsibility initiative of Numaligarh Refinery Ltd in the premises of the Lattakoojan TE, APPL, at Letekujan, Golaghat to impart basic digital knowledge and skills to the students in and around Letekujan. The Inaugural function was attended and addressed by Nur Hussain as the Chief Guest, PC Saloi IPS, DIG Central Range, Shiladitya Chetia IPS, SP Golaghat, Dr. Deepa Dutt, Executive...
The much awaited first-edition of the North-east section got underway in the 44th International Film Festival of India in Kala Academy, Panjim today. The Northeast section is a first-of-its-kind programme incorporated in the prestigious IFFI ceremony to commemorate filmmakers and films from India’s Northeast region.Popular Naga folk fusion band marked the opening of the Northeast section of the IFFI ceremony where popular actors Adil Hussain and Seema Biswas and Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma were the guest of honours respectively. The Northeast section, which has been curated by National Award-winning film critic Utpal Borpujari, will culminate on November 27. Eminent Assamese...
There seems to be no stopping this young Assamese actress. Mumbai-based Assamese actress Urmila Mahanta who has been in the news for the past couple of years is back in the limelight. Making the entire State of Assam and Northeast India proud, Urmila has shown her mettle by being nominated for the South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) for her stellar performance in the Tamil crime thriller Vazhakku Enn: 18/9.Urmila has been nominated in two categories in the prestigious SIIMA awards – as Best Debutant Actress and Best Supporting Actress. The awards will be given in Dubai in the third week of September. Urmila is the first Assamese girl to be nominated for the SIIMA award, that too...
A Seminar and Talk  on “ Immigration and Conflict Resolution”  was held jointly by Assam Institute of Research for Tribals and Scheduled Castes(AIRTSC) and the Institute of Research and Documentation of Indigenous Studies ( IRDIS), at the Administrative Staff College, Khanapara on March 20. The talk, delivered by  Prof. C. Matthew Snipp, Burnet C. and Mildred Finley Wohlford Professor of Humanities and Sciences in the Department of Sociology, Stanford University,USA, dwelt on the conflicts of indigenous people  and immigrant communities  and the resolution of these conflicts, with particular focus on the experience of American Indians in the United States, as well...
Three days of fun, frolic and non-stop music marked the second edition of the Guwahati International Music Festival. One of the only such festivals in the eastern part of the country, more than 200 artists from as many as 6 countries took part in the mega event. The festival was organized by Eastern Beats Music Society with the support of Assam Tourism, NTPC and NEEPCO.From Jazz to Blues, Classical to Rock – Guwahatians were spoilt for choice as some of the biggest names in the music industry descended in the Northeast. For the visiting artistes too, it was an excellent opportunity to network with the virtuoso musicians of the far-flung region of the country. Bickram Ghosh,...
In keeping with the Silver Jubilee celebrations of Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) of the country, the North East Zone Cultural Centre (NEZCC) is organizing in Jorhat a mega Northeast-centric carnival capturing the mood and brilliance of springtime. With more than 250 artistes participating, the festival will showcase the biggest ensemble of folk dances, folk music, craftsmen, choral singers, tribal folk musicologists and others who will present the best of regional dance, music, culture, et al. The North East Spring Festival, will be inaugurated in the presence of Honourable Chief Minister of Assam Shri Tarun Gogoi, Cultural Minister Pranati Phukan, NEZCC Chairman and Honourable...
The Open Platform, a mobile forum travelling through all the North east States, reaches Shillong tomorrow. The seminar will be held at the State Central Library by 12 pm. The Open Platform is a initiative of writer-activists Susan Waten of Nagaland and Aiyushman Dutta of Guwahati. Both writers are travelling to each town and city of the Northeast. The event in Shillong is coordinated along with the help of local writer Eric Nongkynrih. The Open Platform kick started in Guwahati on December 22, 2011 at the 13th North East Book Fair. Writers and poets, journalists and photographers, students and research scholars participated by reading out their published/unpublished works and by...