ABSTRACT
Miya poetry originated as a way to express the existence of the Miya community which has always been deprived of human dignity, identity and equality. In Assam, the Miya community was never accepted by the larger community as an equal stakeholder in the mainstream imagination. They have been called bidesi, Bangladeshi, illegal immigrants, encroachers, etc. Miya poetry carried the protest against this otherization through poetry, not on the street. This could have been the most peaceful protest that they started through poetry. Still, it brought a kind of storm in Assam. In this journey, some women poets also raised their voices by representing all the women of the community. Like every community Miya women are also marginalized. In their poetry, they talk about the identity struggle, women's rights, equality, their culture, their language, etc. They face dominance and disregard from the patriarchal society. Through poetry, they are also raising their voice against this patriarchal ideology. In this chapter, we will discuss through poetry how they are fighting for their rights and equality and how it can help in establishing their identity, their culture and their language.
