Something that's changed a lot in Shillong is the sheer amount of tourism from the rest of India. The 7 Sisters have always been geographically, linguistically & culturally distinct. In Meghalaya, the Khasi, Jaintia & Garo tribes are matrilineal - property passes to Ka Khadduh, the youngest daughter

April 11, 2026 - 07:04 UTC

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People are largely Christian (Catholic or Presbyterian) or follow indigenous religions. We eat distinct foods: neï iong, jadoh, tungrymbai, doh khleh, tungtap. We'll try to pickle anything. We wear jainkryshah and jainsem. We do not practice arranged marriages and the man moves into his wife's house
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And when this comes into contact with mainland patriarchal Hinduism, strange things happen. There's a tourist industry of offering traditional clothes to dress up in, offering "traditional villages" to visit and eat in, offering tours to places that were previously quiet and known only to locals
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