POPULATION
The population of the state is unevenly distributed and
is determined by physiographic factors and accessibility. The population of the
state is mainly concentrated in:
(1) The area around Shillong urban agglomeration,
Jowai, Nongstoin, Williamnagar, Tura and Baghmara.
(2) The neighbourhood of Cherrapunji and Dawki and
(3) Northern, western and southern fringes of the Garo hills
The sparsely populated areas of the state is found in the
northern and southern Khasi hills, most of the Jaintia hills and the interior of
the Garo hills. The population of the state can be classified into tribal and
non-tribal population.
HOUSES
Most of the houses are constructed in accordance with the
people's tastes. There is a great variation which ranges from the old Khasi type
to the modern types found in Shillong and other important towns of the state.
Each dwelling structure has a compound and in some cases cattle sheds are
occupied by each household irrespective of the number of members and income. The
old type of houses are oval shaped. The foundation as well as the roof are oval
shaped. These buildings are usually raised on the plinths. The house is usually
divided into three rooms. A porch, a centre room and a sleeping room. The floor
of the centre room and sleeping room are covered with planks. The floor of these
rooms are much higher than that of the porch. The walls of such buildings in
this area are generally made of wooden planks. The roofs are covered with
thatch.
In such houses, there is only one door in front and a window or a small
opening on one side. The fireplace made of earth and stones is always in
the middle of the centre floor. Now-a-days, most of the houses are much improved
except those in very interior part of Khasi and Jaintia hills. Thatch and
wooden planks are replaced by flattened kerosene oil tins, plain sheets, and conjugated
iron sheets (plate numbers).
In the old Khasi types, the porch is used as the store room in
which the inmates keep their agricultural tools and implements and
firewood. The centre room serves as the kitchen as well as the sitting
room. Two sides of the building are usually separated from the centre to
serve as sleeping compartments while part of the remaining sides is used as the
washing place where water containers are kept and the remaining wall in this
side is converted into a shelf for hanging the utensils. The hearth of the
room in these houses is in the middle of the room. It is an open one with
no arrangement for the smoke to leave the room. Above the hearth is a
swinging frame where articles are put to be dried up such as firewood, crops,
dry fish and cane or bamboo articles. The improved Assam type of houses
are usually divided into two or more rooms. One is used as a kitchen and
others are used as sleeping compartments.
The centre room is furnished with short wooden stools
and higher cane or bamboo stools (Mula). The sleeping compartments
are always provided with wooden bed steeds and boxes where clothes are kept. In
the modern type, the arrangement of the kitchen is more or less like that of the
centre room of the old Khasi type houses. In some of these type of houses,
a separate room is attached where water container are kept and washing is performed.
The other rooms are furnished with bed stead's, boxes both steel and wooden
almirahs. Benches, stools, tables, and chairs are properly arranged
side by side. The Khasis prefer to entertain their friends in their
kitchen, even in cases where a separate sitting room is provided. In this
case, the sitting room is meant only for strangers.
Each house is attached with a compound. Generally, houses
are in front of the compound. The chicken-shed and the pig-sty are always
at the back of the building. The sty consists of a small shed and open
space and fenced by strong wooden poles or planks. The cow-shed is also
behind the building at the far end of the compound. The remaining part of
the compound is used as the kitchen garden where fruit trees, maize and other
vegetables are grown. When people realized that the old Khasi type of
houses are uncomfortable and unhygienic, they replaced the old building by
modern type, which consists of more windows and doors.
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