ABSTRACT
This chapter tries to understand the region designated as Northeast India in the context of trans-regional flows of commodities, ideas, and people. The argument is that such movements contributed to constituting the region, creating the identities of the various communities therein. Such an interpretation goes against the grain of popular and contemporary historiography, which largely views historical developments within isolationist frameworks. The circulation of cowries, horses, metals and, later, firearms suggests the wide networks of which Northeast India was a part. The intra- and inter-regional exchange of brides as well as religious ideas, besides commodities, also complicates the matter. The chapter thus explores the myriad ways in which the insularity and givenness of the region can be challenged.
