The Impact of Christianity among the Misings of Majuli - A Research Study

Christianity, as perceived in India, has been associated with Western culture and civilization. Since the preachers of the Christian faith were originally from the West, the Indians who embraced Christianity gradually adopted and imbibed, together with the Christian faith, certain external aspects of their life style such as food, names, etc. The people of Northeast India had been exposed to the Christian faith even before the arrival of the British in Assam. The small percentage who embraced the Christian faith, lived that faith with attitudes which were quite different from that which they had earlier maintained, namely that everyone counted, that every individual mattered and that everyone had the right to life, property and, above all, a separate identity that is unique in culture, tradition and habits. Like many other tribal communities of Northeast India, the Misings of Majuli too have been introduced to Christianity in the recent times. A few of them have embraced the Christian faith. This research study looks into the main aspects of their life that have been impacted by their new faith. The research target included the Christian Misings and Misings of other faiths living in the same villages and localities, and thus arrived at the inside and outside perspectives of the effects of embracing the Christian faith.