By: JIRKEN BOGO, AMIT KUMAR, SIMON JOHN
This paper explores how marriage ritual taboos are associated with women’s well-being and everyday experiences among the Galo tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. It focuses on the taboos of the Layap Agam marriage ritual, viewing them more as a belief system than as restrictions. The body serves as a center for the ritual, through which the divine is experienced. Furthermore, the traditional space inside a Galo house is seen not only as a living area but also as a spiritual environment inhabited by particular spirits such as Agam. Within this context, the body acts as a medium through which relationships between humans and the unseen world are shaped. At the same time, the organization of space within the house reflects gender roles and positions in the family and society, where both spatial divisions and spiritual associations influence everyday behavior. As a result, these taboos become part of a lived system that meaningfully connects body, belief, and space.
