The
dwellers of Majuli are mostly tribal
folk. These tribal are the mishing
tribes from Arunachal Pradesh and who
immigrated here centuries ago. Apart
from them, the inhabitants are also
from the Deori and Sonowal Kacharis
tribes. Languages spoken here are
Assamese, Mishing, Deori. The island
has twenty-three villages with a
population of 150,000 and a density of
300 individuals per square km. The
only mode of association to the
outside world is through a ferry
service which operates only twice a
day. Despite inherent drawbacks faced,
modernism has touched this island,
with the setting up of power, medical
centres and educational institutions.
Housing too, has segued from
traditional bamboo and mud
construction to ones made of concrete
The heart of all villages is the
namghar, where villagers episodically
gather to sing and pray. It is usually
the temple of the village. After the
rituals are complete, members decide
on issues concerning the village such
as auctioning of fishing rights, what
to do with money raised, and other
topics of significance to the
community.
The inhabitants are expert navigators
by boat; their expertise is most
visible during the monsoon season when
they navigate the turbulent waters of
the Brahmaputra. Extremism is also a
major concern in the region. The
insurgent group the ULFA, has a wide
network in the region and was
responsible for the execution of
social worker Sanjoy Ghosh who was
trying to uplift the people of the
island.
Population
As per
1991 Census, total population of the
island is 1.35.578 Nos of which
Schedule Caste is 19278 Nos and
Schedule Tribe is 57,357 Nos with
total house of 20,040 Nos and houses
of 19,955 Nos.
