Assam is predominantly an agricultural state known widely for the richness of its natural beauty and peculiar rural tribal life styles of the indigenous groups. Out of these native habitants of this soil, Chutiya community is one of the most prevailing ethnic numbers. Chutiya is a self-sufficient community capable of meeting their daily needs on their own. They have chosen agriculture as the main way out of living. They get themselves busy with the cultivation of different seasonal crops throughout the year. Paddy i.e. rice is placed as the main agricultural item while mustard, jute, sugarcane and different kinds of vegetables are included as other important varieties for cultivation by the Chutiyas. Ahu and Bao crops; which are a kind of jhoom or shifting cultivation are the most frequent items among paddy cultivations.
Shifting cultivation or jhoom cultivation is the most feasible and essential one for the Chutiyas as their daily lifestyle is designated mostly to unfatourable geographical distributions like-backward and interior places, banks of the rivers, down areas or the areas near by the jungle and so on, which easily get distorted by flood. In such cases, cultivation of Sall crops appear quite impossible and shifting cultivation becomes inavailable.
The cultivation period of Ahu and Bau starts in the month of Puh and
lagh of the Assamese calendar. By ploughing, spading and leveling the soil for more than 3/4 times, the ground is made muddy as required and it becomes ready for planting the Ahu and Boo saplings together. Muddy ground is a must: for the plantation of both the crop types.
Ahu and Bau cultivations are dry cultivations. Water provision is not needed in the cultivated field during the period of growing the saplings and in
the husbandman i.e. the cultivator has to remain quite busy with its cultivation process continuously for sly months.
Besides these, Chutiyas also show their immense interest in growing some common vegetables like- Lai, Lofa, Paleng (kinds of herbs in our regional language), Potato, Ginger, Lady's Finger, Brinjal, Papaya, Cucumber, Radish, Gourd, Pumpkin etc. these vegetables are the traditional numbers of the Chutiyas.
Apart from laborious hard-headed job of cultivation, fishing and hunting are the favourite hangouts of the Chutiyas to make a way out for fulfilling their daily needs. They catch fish from the neighbouring rivers and ponds more often using the traditional angling hook. Moreover there are lots of other tricks too for fishing like-piercing the fish with a sharp pointed stick, then by using the handmade fishing equipments like -Jokai, Poloh, Thuha, Khalaha and so on. For hunting also they use their traditional arms and weapons. They smoke the ccllected fish and meat in their r..Sukatil- (a fire place of the Chutiyas in their common language) for preserving it for a long time.
Besides all these, they highly depend on their domestic animals for meat, milk and for sonic other daily activities. They domesticate animals and birds like-buffalo, cow, goat, pig, duck, hen and so on. They use buffalo and cow or ox for ploughing, carrying the craft and for milk. Pig, goat, duck, and hen are used for meat. Duck and hen arc also used for eggs while goal is used for milk at times.
Handloom and textile is another occupation of this community. Basically the women section gets themselves involved in this profession for every reason and season throughout the year The women prepare the ball of thread from natural product like cotton, silkworm, muga, cocoons etc_ and weave cloth by using the traditional handloom method and finally prepare the dresses they need from it.
Chutiya people are very hard working and instead of sitting idle they always get themselves busy with agricultural works and other household activities to fulfill their daily requirements. Their economic condition is not very sound i.e. Chutiya people are very poor because they are crippled by the natural disasters and calamities quite frequently. As they live in isolated and very remote places somewhere by the banks of the rivers or nearby jungles, the overflowing water of the rivers always affect their agricultural field and habitant places and make their lives hazardous and backward in nature.
Backwardness is witnessed not onlyin the economic scenario of the Chutiyas, but in the field of education too. Unavailability of adequate infrastructure for high education in their interior inhabitant places results in having no any candidate from the community to make spaces for him/her in the civil services whether it is national or state level or in any other services too. Setting apart the issue of civil services, if we go for looking at higher official ranks at central or state level, we can't even find a single member representing the community. This community is always deprived of having its preference in the field of administrative powers which it should deserve as Indian Constitution speaks of equality and overall development of all the backward tribes. For instance, we can never find neither a chairman nor a single member from the tribe in any Slate Board, Corporations, Undertakings, Commissions, Committees, Assam Cooperative Society, Apex Bank etc. and so on. Majority of working numbers can be seen only in the teaching profession inadequate education facilities, economic backwardness, lack of proper exposure to other demanding job profiles and perhaps the insufficient available rights compelled the tribe to limit themselves only to teaching profession or to agriculture I despite of not having necessary amount of land and advanced farming methods and equipments ; they cannot dare to think beyond that because of their crippled condition.