ABSTRACT

All houses are classed according to two categories–Kutcha and Pakka. Katcha construction implies impermanence: bamboo, thatch, reeds and even timber are the materials used in them. Brick or stone, and sometimes the sturdier timber construction, especially if with a strong plinth, are Pakka. The fully nucleated settlement pattern is found in the Haor Basin and the Hill Tracts District. The Jhumia Moghs, Chaks, and Tipras live mostly near the streams, whereas the Mrus, some of the Tipras, Kumis, Lushais and other small tribes live on the ridges. Sylhet District has a distinctive half-timber type of houses that is common to many parts of Assam. The floor and sometimes part of the lower walls, are usually of brick construction. The tribes of the Hill Tracts build their houses of bamboo. The standard pattern is a hut on stilts, with an open platform on one side. For climbing up, there is a notched log.