Mech people

The Mech tribe is an ethnic group belonging to Bodo-Kachari group of peoples. It is one of the scheduled tribes of India, listed both in West Bengal and Assam, India.^[1] Hodgson wrote as "Mech is name imposed by strangers. This people call themselves as Bodo" They speak mainly the Bodo language ^[2] a Tibeto-Burman language. Some of them in upper Assam have been influenced by the Indo-European Assamese language.^[3]

Meches, a part of the Bodo-Kachari people that migrated into India and gradually spread themselves into the whole of Assam, North Bengal and parts of East Bengal. It is said that, during their migration to India, they marched towards different directions.one group went along the river Brahmaputra and established themselves in the whole of Assam up to Goalpara district and parts of Jalpaiguri district and Cooch Behar district under the name of Bodo or Bara. Another group went towards the West along the foot of the Himalayas up to the river Mechi, bordering India and Nepal and settled on the North bank of the river known as Mechi or Mechia. Later they spread to Darjeeling Terai, Baikanthpur in Jalpaiguri district again marched further East and settled in the Dooars. It is said that, a group of Mech people, again moved further East, crossed the Sankosh River, and went towards Goalpara in Assam. Due to repeated floods in Dooars and eastern bank of Teesta river, a large number of families migrated towards Assam.^[4]^{[page needed]}

Historical Occupation

Bodo(Mech) and Dhimal tribes of Nepal were erratic cultivator of the wilds.They had advanced to agricultural grade of social progress but They were nomadic cultivators. They were tempted to move from worked soil to high productiveness new soil. They never cultivate same field beyond second year . These erratic habits were result of oppression from rulers. And Kamrupan Bodo were remarkably fine peasantry and have superior cultivation of the permanent kind. ^[2]

Religion among Meches^[5]
Religion			Percent
Hinduism			88.18%
Christianity			11.19%
Others			0.63%

Notes

^ (ST List 2011): The Mech are listed as a scheduled tribe both in West Bengal and Assam; in Assam the Mech and Boro (Bodo people) are listed separately.
^ ^a ^b Hodgson, B.H (1847). Essay the first; On the Kocch, Bódo and Dhimál tribes. Calcutta: J. Thomas. pp. 105, 142, 154, 155, 156. ISBN 9781289414733.
^ Ghosh, G.K. (2008). Bamboo: The Wonderful Grass. APH Publishing. p. 189. ISBN 978-81-313-0369-6.
^ Sanyal, Charu Chandra (1973). The Meches and the Totos: two sub-Himalayan tribes of North Bengal. University of North Bengal.
^ "Census of India - Socio-cultural aspects, Table ST-14" (compact disc). Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs. 2001. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)

References

Annexure - Ib: List of Notified Scheduled Tribes (PDF) (Report). Census of India. 2011. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
Endle, Sidney (1911). The Kacharis. London: Macmillan and Co. Retrieved 20 February 2013. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

[1] (ST List 2011): The Mech are listed as a scheduled tribe both in West Bengal and Assam; in Assam the Mech and Boro (Bodo people) are listed separately.

[:0-2] Hodgson, B.H (1847). Essay the first; On the Kocch, Bódo and Dhimál tribes. Calcutta: J. Thomas. pp. 105, 142, 154, 155, 156. ISBN 9781289414733.

[3] Ghosh, G.K. (2008). Bamboo: The Wonderful Grass. APH Publishing. p. 189. ISBN 978-81-313-0369-6.

[4] Sanyal, Charu Chandra (1973). The Meches and the Totos: two sub-Himalayan tribes of North Bengal. University of North Bengal.

[census2011-5] "Census of India - Socio-cultural aspects, Table ST-14" (compact disc). Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs. 2001. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)

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