Continuity and Change in Matrilineal Marriage System: A Case Study among the Garos of Poschim Bosti, Assam

The Garo population is a major matriarchal tribal group of Meghalaya and a small section of them can also found to be scattered in different places of Assam. Being one of the matriarchal tribes of the world here the woman’s side offers the marriage and the houses bear the name of a woman instead of a man and they consider their descent through the female line. Though they have their age old cultural beliefs and practices for marriage, due to some external factors there seem to be a transition in their marriage system. The present paper highlights the continuity and change related to their marriage system and attempts to highlight the probable causes of the transition.