Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has has vowed to patronise indigenous and tribal faiths and cultures in the State.
- Earlier, the Assam Cabinet had approved the creation of a directorate and posts under the newly-established Department of Indigenous Faith and Culture notified in September 2021.
- The directorate would be tasked with preserving indigenous faiths such as Bathou of the Bodo community and Heraka of the Zeme Naga community, considered to be endangered because of conversions to mainstream religions.
Bathou of the Bodo
- The Bodo community worships Bwrai Bathou as the supreme god. In the Bodo language, the word ‘Bwrai‘ refers to the ‘eldest’ man concerning power or knowledge which also indicates the supreme one.
- Hence, Bwrai Bathou represents the supreme soul, who is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent.
Heraka of the Zeme Naga
- Heraka has a few thousand adherents in Nagaland besides Assam and Manipur.
- Heraka was a socio-religious movement that arose in the 1920s in the Zeliangrong territory. Heraka, which literally means pure, is a monotheistic religion where the followers worshipped Tingkao Ragwang.
- It was started by Jadonang to resist the infiltration of Christian missionaries as well as the reforms imposed by the British government.
- Rani Gaidinliu was at the forefront of the Heraka movement, which was first started by her cousin Haipou Jadonang.
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