Exploring Modernity Among the Tiwa People in the District of Nagaon, Assam

Modernization refers to a process, not a position or static phenomenon. It is the process of adjustment through adopting new requirements in life. The Tiwa community is one of the tribal groups that belong to the linguistic family of ‘Tibeto’ and ‘Burma’. The present study aimed to explore modernity among the Tiwa people irrespective of gender and literacy. In the study, the investigator framed four villages within the jurisdiction of Tiwa Autonomous Council as population. 200 Tiwa people were selected as a sample of the study. A questionnaire was used to gather data from the family heads. Descriptive statistics and ‘t’ tests were calculated to know the modernity and their significant difference concerning gender and literacy. Results of the study showed that Tiwa people prefer their modernity in the position of women. Comparing the modernity between males and females shows their preferences in the position of women and socio-religious aspects respectively. However, there is a substantial difference concerning gender in the dimension of socio-religious, marriage, and the position of women and similar in the dimension of education. Furthermore, the results of the study show that there are differences in modernity concerning literacy.