Agartala, June 24: Once upon a time a king was passing by a paddy field where a Karbong tribal was harvesting his crop. The king was mighty upset as the husks flew off the paddy and hit his face. Livid, he cursed the tribal: “If ever the number of families in your tribe crosses 12, either they will die or languish in poverty”.

Down to 20 families, the Karbongs of today are simply living out the curse. Nestled in a tiny hilltop hamlet in Tripura’s Barmura ranges, with neither electricity nor any other modern amenity, the 17 families are counting their days. In addition, six Karbong families live in Khasiamangal area under West district's Teliamura police station.

Officially, according to the gazette notification of 1940, there are 19 tribal groups in Tripura with the Karbong community included in the generic Halam group, much to their resentment. Only last year were they granted Scheduled Tribe status by the Centre. What distinguishes the Karbongs from other indigenous tribal groups is their language, which is different from Kokborok, the lingua franca of the tribals in Tripura though in terms of religion, they are Hindus.

Experts on Tripura’s life and society say the major tribes of the state had entered Tripura in the eighth or ninth century from the Bodo-inhabited areas of Assam. But the origins of the Karbongs are still shrouded in mystery. The Karbongs are mainly jhum (shifting) cultivators. The men wear dhotis above the knees and the women are clad in riya and pachhra (blouse and skirt) made of homespun cotton.

During princely rule, the kings would invite them to the palace at Agartala for Durga Puja. “I still remember visiting the royal palace at Agartala thrice during Durga Puja when Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya was king,” said octogenarian Karbong elder Bishurai Karbong.

In fact, Kishore Manikya even tried to educate the Karbongs by sending a teacher, but it did not work. In 1989, the Autonomous District Council set up a primary school in the Karbongpara village but it started functioning only in 1993. Three teachers and 15 students make up the school but most of the children drop out midway.

The Karbongs, however, share one important aspect of life with the Reangs — Tripura’s second largest tribal group — that of forcing a would-be groom to work in the bride’s place for five long years. After that, the bride’s parents would decide whether to give their daughter in marriage.

Historian Harihar Debnath, who has studied the life and society of the Karbong tribals, says if steps are not taken to protect these people, the Karbong tribe may head towards extinction.