This paper is an endeavour to understand the association of the Karbis to their natural habitat and ecology and explore the meanings and role of Kaziranga National Park in their lives. The Karbis, also known as Mikir, are an ethnic tribal group scattered in Northeast India with a concentration in Assam’s Karbi Anglong District. Racially and linguistically they belong to Mongoloid and Tibeto-Burman group, respectively. The Karbis primarily follow animism called Aronban. They were believed to have lived on the banks of the rivers Kalang and Klopli and the entire Kaziranga region, where the famous National Park is situated now. The word Kaziranga as it is known today has been derived from a Karbi word, ‘Kajir-a;rong’, which means “Kajir’s Village” or ‘Kajiror-gaon’ (in Assamese). Kajir is a common female name among the Karbis. This paper will attempt to trace historical associations of the Karbis to Kaziranga and the changes in the relationship to their natural habitat in the aftermath of the establishment of the Kaziranga National Park. The paper presents empirical findings gathered through fieldwork conducted in the border regions of Karbi Anglong adjacent to ecological corridors connecting to Kaziranga National Park and mainly highlights their indigenous knowledge on biodiversity preservation and wildlife management. This work will explore the complexities of traditional ideologies of the Karbis, ecology and the politics of development. It will analyse the role of the state and the emerging political conflicts over the idea of preservation of natural habitat and traditional ideologies on ecological preservation. This paper will explore these questions in the light of Mark Gottdiener’s ‘themed spaces’ which links between environmental and social change.
