CHAPTER- 1

1.1 Brief Introduction

Field studies are research projects that are conducted outside of a lab or office
setting, in the actual environment of the user. There are many different activities
and approaches that can be used during a field research. The degree to which the
researcher engages (or does not engage) with participants in a field study also
varies considerably. Field work enables students and researchers to examine the
way scientific theories interact with real life. Field work is important in both the
social and natural sciences. Social sciences, such as economics or history, focus on
people, culture, and society.

Face-to-face interviews, questionnaires, and direct observation are all methods

used in field studies to gather unique or unorthodox data. Due to the fact that the
data gained is solely relevant to the research goal for which it was gathered, this
technique is typically regarded as an initial kind of research

As the term suggests, field studies are learning experiences outside of the
classroom. Field studies allow students to gather their own (primary) data, provide
opportunities to extend classroom learning through direct observation and
experience, and allow for scientific research through field experiments. Field study
trips can range from short walks in the schoolyard or nearby neighborhood to
vehicle excursions over some distance for several hours to a full day. Whatever the
destination, the purpose of the field study trip should be to address specific
outcomes in the curriculum. Field studies should be designed as learning
experiences that are integral parts of a unit or theme being studied in the
classroom. From the pedagogical perspective, field study trips should be viewed as
any effective learning experience that includes Activating, Acquiring, and
Applying Strategies. Thus, students should be involved as active participants in
learning rather than as passive spectators on a trip. An effective field study requires
careful planning for meaningful learning experiences before, during, and after the
field study trip.

The field study trip should focus on the activities prepared in advance, and students
may need prompting to begin making observations or to gather information.

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Working with a partner or in small groups gives students opportunities for
interactive learning. Scheduling should allow adequate time for expected tasks as
well as for dealing with questions students may have during the course of the field
work. Photographing students in action in the field may provide additional
motivation. More importantly, photos are relevant components of field work as
they provide a visual record that can be included in follow-up discussions and
reporting in the classroom.

1.2 Importance of field study.

Students benefit from first-hand experiences that foster critical thinking, long-term
memory, transferability, favorable attitudes toward science, appreciation for
nature, and enhanced scientific interest through field studies. A field research is an
investigation carried out in actual circumstances. In the social sciences and in
education, it is a widely utilized study. This study provides examples of actual
circumstances and typical conduct. In order to observe and conduct a direct study
on chosen research samples, the researcher must be present at the study site during
a given time and under specific conditions.

Fieldwork is important because:-

1. It is of great pedagogical importance as it lets students experience the

geography of a particular region which theoretical texts can't do.

2. Field surveys enhance our understanding about patterns and spatial

distributions, their associations and relationships at the local level.

3. Field surveys facilitate the collection of local level information that is not
available through secondary sources.

4. It is very important as it helps to gather required information so as the

problems under investigation is studied in depth as per the predefined
objectives.

5. Field studies enable the investigator to comprehend the situation and

processes in totality and at the place of their occurrence.

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 6. All the geographical skills are used in practical during field work. We get to
learn and apply the skills of sampling, data collection, data processing,
making questionnaires, map making, statistical techniques to derive results,
observational skills and skills of interviewing etc.

7. It helps us understand the theoretical concepts better.

8. It gives us a chance to enjoy a wide variety of environments and landscapes.

9. Develops an understanding and sensitivity about the culture and people of

field area. This may change your biased views about that community.

10. And most importantly, it is enjoyable and gives us a great memorable

experience.

1.3 Physical and Human

Physical geography is the study of the science of spaces; it explores the built and
natural environments around us, as well as the processes that shaped them. Human
geography examines how people move through space and how they use different
environments. Physical geography is what we are more familiar with as it involves
earth's land areas, bodies of water, plant life etc. Physical geographers help in
making decisions about managing different types of resources such as water,
forests and land. Human geography is more about people's religion, culture and
way of life. Some examples of human and Physical geography are -Physical
features like seas, mountains and rivers are natural. They would be here even if
there were no people around. Human features are things like houses, roads and
bridges. Physical geography looks at the natural processes of the Earth, such as
climate and plate tectonics. Human geography looks at the impact and behavior of
people and how they relate to the physical world. Physical features of the Earth's
surface, such as the air, water, and soil, are studied in physical geography. Human
geography examines population trends, patterns, and the effects of human activity
on the environment.

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CHAPTER- 2
2.1 Location
Mayong (or Mayang) is a village in Morigaon district, Assam, India. It lies on the
bank of the river Brahmaputra, approximately 40 km (25 mi) from the city
of Guwahati. Once considered the cradle of Tantra Kriya in India, Mayong is a
tourist attraction because of its history

Fig -2.1 Location of Mayong

The name may have its roots in a number of places, such as the Sanskrit term maya
(illusion), the Chutia/Tiwa/Deori word ma-yong, which means mother, the Kachari
word miyong, which means elephant, or from maa, which is the name of Mother
Shakti, and ongo, which means portion. According to some, this region used to be
home to Manipuris from the Moirang clan, hence over time the name Moirang
changed to Mayhong. Mayong finds its mention in the mythological
epic Mahabharata, along with Pragjyotishpura (ancient Assam).

2.2 Physiography Background

Located on the banks of the Brahmaputra in the beautiful Morigaon district, this
untouched village has been the centre of black magic and sorcery in India for
centuries. Here witchcraft, sorcery, and necromancy were not just practised but
passed down over generations

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There are all sorts of famous, creepy stories about the place, like, people
disappearing into thin air, men being turned into animals, wild beast being tamed
magically, etc. though there’s no clear evidence to all this, the locals and elderly
people here claim that they themselves have seen such things happen in Mayong
and therefore, regard these stories to be true. One such story is of Muhammad Shah
and his army. It is said that during war times in 1330’s, Muhammad Shah 100,000
horsemen disappeared near Mayong due to black magic and wildcraft and not a
single trace was left behind. Since time immemorial, Mayong has been the centre
of wizardry and witchcraft in India. And thus, a number of practices were carried
out here, out of which Narbali, or human sacrifice, was the most prominent one. In
this practice, as a part of the rituals of worshipping Goddess Shakti, humans were
sacrificed to attain various powers of black magic. Recent excavations in Mayong
have found swords that were used to kill humans, centuries ago. As well Mayong
is full of vegetations, greenery along with river, and a plain area. The best time to
visit Mayong is the winter season when the weather is cool and pleasant.
Witchcraft, sorcery, and necromancy were not only practised there; they were also
handed down the centuries. Ancient texts like the Mahabharata and local legend
support Mayong's association with dark magic, while archaeological discoveries of
weapons and sharp artefacts raise the possibility of human sacrifice.

The magic of Mayong : A vast majority of the population of Mayong knows and
practices black magic. When you visit here, the locals will offer you palm reading.
Some of the people here work as fortune tellers and claim to predict a person’s
future using seashells and broken glass pieces.There are many doctors in Mayong
as well, often known as bez or ojaa. They do not use any medicines to treat illness,
but black magic and most probably have ghosts working for them as assistants.
Locals say that these doctors use copper plates to treat pain. They place the plate
on the injury, chant a few mantras and wait for it to ‘eat away’ all the pain. In case
a person is suffering from severe pain, the plate would then overheat and smash
onto the ground. People here also claim that many chronic diseases have been
cured in Mayong by black magic. The witch doctors also use their magic to locate
a lost property. According to the local people, when someone loses their
possession, they go to the doctor, who places a flower inside a metal bowl and
starts chanting mantras. With magic, the bowl starts moving on its own on the
ground, all the way to the place where the lost item is kept.

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CHAPTER- 3
3.1 Socio-Economic status of Mayong Revenues circle, Morigaon,

Assam.

Culture as a way of life comprises the totality of a community’s heritage of ideas,

language, beliefs, customs, social organizations, symbols, crafts and material
artifacts. As a system of values and norms, it shapes and influences people’s
perception of themselves, their relationships with each other and with the rest of
the world. Culture is necessarily dynamic rather than static, often changing as
people respond to the contingencies of time and history. Ecological settings
determine many aspects of social and cultural practices and a community develops
adaptive strategies to satisfy their needs for clothing, food, and shelter. A. Kroeber
explains as thus: “Culture consists of patterns explicit or implicit, of and for
behavior acquired and transmitted by symbols constituting the distinctive
achievements of human groups including their embodiment in artifacts; the
essential core of culture consists of traditions (i.e. historically derived and selected)
ideas and especially their attached values; culture system may on the one hand, be
considered as the products of action, on the other a conditioning element for future
action”. Oral traditions are a major component of culture that comes from living
close to a certain landscape, they are often shaped and built on various stories from
the land; either about the creation of a mountain, a previous event or even a
possible future event. Such principles and values encourage a spirit of harmony
between people, their natural environments and their spiritual identities. Culture in
relation to tradition links the past to the present. Therefore, an analysis of culture
requires understanding of the historical context since the continuity of culture is
generally related to traditions. Assam is inhabited by many ethnic communities and
Mayong may be said to exemplify this multi-cultural ethos which is the result of a
long history of migration of people within Northeast India and also in the larger
ambit of Southeast Asia. The process of acculturation between the Brahmanical
tradition and the indigenous folk tradition is evident in the cultural life of Mayong
although they have largely preserved the indigenous way of life. It must be noted
that the inhabitants of the erstwhile Mayong kingdom belong to various ethnic
groups such as the Kacharis, Karbis, Keots, Naths or Yogis etc. and this was the
result of the ecological setting of Mayong, being situated near the Brahmaputra
river which has impacted the lives of the people in many ways including land
erosion which necessitated movements of people. Their folk traditions are woven
in the tales of their place of origin or cultural aspects of their history. These

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narratives when used critically are useful particularly for Northeast India since
majority of the ethnic communities do not possess a written script of their own and
their histories will have to be reconstructed from such myths and legends. The
Kacharis who are believed to be the original autochthones of Assam and have
settled in different parts of the Brahmaputra valley comprise a large section of the
population of the erstwhile kingdom of Mayong. The first superintendent of
Cachar, Captain Fisher opined that, “…the original seat of this rude tribe was at
Kamrup, but gradually acquired an empire over Assam, Sylhet, Mymensingh and
valleys to the east of the Brahmaputra. They belong to the Bodo family of the
Tibeto - Burman branch of the Tibeto - Chinese group of languages’. It is
important to note that the Kacharis did not attempt to unite all the various branches
under one political fold. S.K. Bhuyan in the introductory chapter of the Kachari
Buranji had observed that the Kacharis living in upper Assam would not transfer
their allegiance from the Ahom monarch to the Kachari king at Dimapur or
Khaspur, though the latter belonged to the same ethnic group. The Kacharis
scattered in different parts of the Brahmaputra valley, in fact, owed their allegiance
to the kings under which jurisdiction they lived. The villages like Manaha Kachari
Gaon, Bahakabori Kachari Gaon, Kalbari Kachari Gaon, Pabhakati Kachari Gaon,
Burha Pabhakati Kachari Gaon were inhabited by the Kachari people and the name
of the village itself indicates their ethnic identity. The Karbi population living in
the area claim themselves as the original inhabitants of the area.They are mainly
settled in the Burhamayong village of the area where Suinat Singha had established
his capital. The Vamsawali records that there was a ruling king named Jaysingha in
Mayong at the time of arrival of Suinat Singha but nothing more is known about
him. The Karbis have assumed important posts in the administrative structure of
the Mayong kingdom and they include Patar, Patar Senapati, Thakuria, and
Bangthai. They have twelve phaids or clans among the Karbis and the Karbi
Bangthe is considered as the

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3.2 Map of Mayong

Fig 3.1 Geographical Map of Mayong

3.3 Education Status

Fig 3.2 – Pie diagram for education status

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 Fig 3.2 Educational status

Here we can see that in mayang most of the people have secured primary education
and securing UG has improved.

3.4 Permanent Domicile of the Village

Fig 3.3 Graphical representation of Permanent domicile of the village

So here we can see that most of the people are permanent domicile of Morigaon,
Mayong.

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3.5 Household yearly income

Fig 3.4 Pie diagram for yearly household income

So the income of the people are not very strong. 39% of the people has less than
80k income and 3.8% of the people has more than 5 lakh income yearly.

3.6 Sex ratio

Fig 3.5 Pie diagram for the sex ratio

In Mayong number of females are more than male.

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3.7 Household Type

Fig 3.6 Graphical representation for the household type

Maximum people of Mayong live in nuclear family than others.

3.8 Source of income

Fig 3.7 Pie diagram for the source of income

So in Mayong maximum people are enagaged in primary activity like agriculture

over secondary and tertiary activity.

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 Fig 3.8 Graphical representation for the source of drinking water

Fig 3.9 Graphical representation of the financial support from government

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CHAPTER- 4

4.1 Finding and solution

From the survey on Mayong Revenue of Morigaon, Assam we can see that the
educational status is not improving as well as most of the people are engaged in
primary activity, the facilities engaged for those are also at a back stage. The
medical facilities are very much poor over there and status of the people are also
not rising.

4.2 Summary
In this field study we came to know what is field study and what are its importance
on day to day life or in the field of geography. As we had choosen the place or area
of Mayong (Morigaon, Assam), we could learn the physical and socio economic
nature of Mayong, its location, significance and its speciality. We were even
successful in knowing or examining the socio economic status of Mayong
Revenue. We propagated the educational status, the health status, the source of
income, occupation etc of the people living there. We could also see that some
condition of the people there are not proper so we are trying to look for a solution
over there.

4.3 Suggestion
 We can suggest people there to secure more and more education to improve
them as well as their living.
 Also we can see that the health facilities are not very strong over there, so
government should improve it.
 Even, people should try to engage themselves in other economic sector
rather than in agriculture for more income and better living.

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4.4 Conclusion
The education scenario in Raja Mayong has undergone a lot of changes with the
establishment of higher school and colleges. A remarkable change that has
influenced the life of the people of the area is the self growth.

Though erratic electricity supply is also available in the village for some quite
reason. Thus with all these changes in different spheres of life Mayong is striding
ahead in the face of all odds.

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