By: BHASKARJYOTI BORO
This study explores the interconnection between illness, ritual, and religious belief among the Rabha tribe of Northeast India. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, it examines how deities are conceived as both protectors and sources of affliction, particularly in response to lapses in ritual norms. Illness and suffering are interpreted as manifestations of spiritual imbalance, addressed through elaborate ritual practices involving animal sacrifices, symbolic offerings, bamboo structures, sacred stones, and other materials. These practices function not only as spiritual remedies but also as instruments of social integration and moral regulation within the community. The study further analyses how religious syncretism with Hindu traditions has shaped Rabha cosmology while maintaining indigenous ritual forms. By highlighting the material and symbolic dimensions of these practices, it contributes to the broader anthropological understanding of how tribal communities negotiate health, morality, and spirituality through culturally embedded religious frameworks.
