FEATURES OF DORMITORIES
According to D. N. Majumdar, the purpose of dormitory is to gather the youths of the village at one place to save the village from the attack of wild animals and the village maidens from the attack of males of other tribes.
Dormitories are youth houses facilitating young people to come and live together and are common among tribal communities.
The following are the important features or characteristics of the youth dormitory:
While some tribes have separate dormitories for boys and girls, and some have the same dormitory.
Every member of the dormitory is obliged to keep secrecy.
Members of a dormitory are divided into two groups of seniors and juniors, and this classification is solely done on the basis of age.
Members of dormitory, after taking their evening meal from their home, gather in the dormitory around a fire and exchange cultural activities.
When a girl becomes a widow, she can again be a member of the dormitory.
After the marriage, the membership of a boy or girl (as the case may be) is automatically dissolved.
The age of membership differs in different tribes. In general, it is four or five years.
Life in the dormitory is regulated by certain norms and traditions. All members must follow these customs and traditions.
In general, dormitories are situated somewhere in the forest away from villages, but in some tribes, they are near the fields, as in the case of Nagas.
Members of the dormitory help the villagers in several ways.
These youth organizations play a very significant role in the life of the tribal and are the centers of cultural performances and mutual exchange.
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