Northeast IndiaNortheastFestivals

Meghalaya

Tribes of Meghalaya

Meghalaya is unusual in India: its three principal communities — the Khasi of the central plateau, the Pnar or Jaintia of the eastern hills, and the Garo of the west — all trace descent and inheritance through the mother's line. Clan membership, family name and, in most cases, ancestral property pass from mother to daughter, with the youngest daughter often holding the ancestral house and the responsibility for elderly parents that comes with it.

The state's geography is just as distinct. The southern slopes above the Bangladesh plain receive some of the heaviest rainfall on earth, which shapes everything from house design to the living root bridges of the Khasi and War villages, grown over decades from the aerial roots of Ficus elastica.

The communities below are the three officially recognised major tribes of Meghalaya, together with the sub-groups travellers hear named locally.

Major communities of Meghalaya

  • Khasi

    Also written: Khynriam, War, Bhoi, Maram (regional sub-groups)

    Where:
    East and West Khasi Hills, Ri-Bhoi, South West Khasi Hills; Shillong and Sohra (Cherrapunji)
    Language:
    Khasi, an Austroasiatic (Mon-Khmer) language — unrelated to the Tibeto-Burman languages that dominate the rest of the region
    Livelihood:
    Terrace and homestead farming, potato, betel nut and broom grass, orange and honey, quarrying, trade

    Khasi society is organised into matrilineal clans (kur) and, historically, into small states each headed by a Syiem chosen by clan elders — an arrangement that still functions in Hima Khyrim, whose Nongkrem Dance is held at Smit each autumn. War-Khasi villages on the southern slopes maintain the living root bridges.

  • Pnar

    Also written: Jaintia, Synteng

    Where:
    West and East Jaintia Hills — Jowai, Shillong's eastern approaches, Nartiang
    Language:
    Pnar, closely related to Khasi within the Austroasiatic family
    Livelihood:
    Farming, limestone and coal areas, weaving and cane work

    The Pnar are culturally close to the Khasi but distinct in dialect and ritual. Behdienkhlam at Jowai, held in July, is their best-known festival — a monsoon rite of driving away plague and disease, with tall decorated rots carried through the town. Nartiang holds the largest cluster of standing monoliths in the state.

  • Garo

    Also written: A·chik, A·chik Mande (self-designation)

    Where:
    West, East, South and North Garo Hills; Tura is the principal town
    Language:
    Garo (A·chik), a Tibeto-Burman language of the Bodo-Garo group
    Livelihood:
    Jhum and settled cultivation, rice, cotton and cashew, forest produce

    Garo society is matrilineal with a nokna system in which one daughter inherits the household. Wangala, the post-harvest festival of thanksgiving to Misi Saljong, is celebrated in November across the Garo Hills, with the large gathering of a hundred drums held near Tura. The Garo Hills also hold Nokrek Biosphere Reserve and Balpakram National Park.

Languages and cultural identity

Khasi and Pnar belong to the Austroasiatic family, making Meghalaya's plateau a linguistic island in Northeast India; Garo belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family and is closer to Bodo. Christianity is the majority religion in all three communities today, while indigenous faiths — Niam Khasi and Niam Tre among the Khasi and Pnar, Songsarek among the Garo — continue to be practised and are central to festivals such as Nongkrem and Wangala.

Crafts, weaving and livelihoods

  • Living root bridges (jingkieng jri) grown across streams in War-Khasi villages such as Nongriat and Mawlynnong's neighbours — living engineering maintained over generations.
  • Cane and bamboo work: khoh carrying baskets, fish traps, stools and the conical knup rain shield.
  • Handloom: Garo dakmanda and daksari, Khasi jainsem and the eri shawls of Ri-Bhoi.
  • Iron smelting history in the Khasi hills, and the monolith traditions of Nartiang and Mawphlang's sacred grove, which is protected by ritual law rather than by fencing.

Community festivals of Meghalaya

Festivals of Meghalaya — full guide →

Etiquette and responsible photography

  • Sacred groves such as Mawphlang are ritual sites: nothing — not a leaf, stone or seed — should be taken out, and entry is with a local guide.
  • At Nongkrem and Wangala, dancers are performing a religious observance. Stay outside the dancing ground unless you are invited in, and never step between dancers to make a photograph.
  • Ask before photographing inside villages that charge no entry fee; several Khasi villages run community tourism committees whose rules are posted at the entrance.

Cultural tours including Meghalaya

  • 8 Days · Assam, Meghalaya

    Wangala Festival Tour — Garo Hills & Assam

    A festival journey to the Garo Hills of Meghalaya anchored by the Wangala 'Hundred Drums' harvest festival, combined with Manas National Park, Bodo villages, the bell-metal craft of Sarthebari and Kulsi river dolphins.

Frequently asked questions

Which tribes live in Meghalaya?
Meghalaya's three major indigenous communities are the Khasi, the Pnar or Jaintia, and the Garo. Smaller communities including the Hajong, Koch, Rabha and Bhoi also live in the state, mostly along its borders with Assam.
Is Meghalaya really matrilineal?
Yes. Among the Khasi, Pnar and Garo, clan and family names pass through the mother, and ancestral property is usually held by the youngest daughter. Political and clan-council authority, however, has historically been exercised by men, so the system is matrilineal rather than matriarchal.
What is the best festival for understanding Garo culture?
Wangala, held across the Garo Hills in November, is the community's post-harvest thanksgiving. The large hundred-drums gathering near Tura is the most accessible version for visitors, while village Wangalas are smaller and closer to the original observance.
Do foreign nationals need a permit for Meghalaya?
No permit is required for Meghalaya. Foreign nationals staying in the state should expect to complete the standard C-Form registration at their accommodation.

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