International Journal of Research in Social Sciences Vol. 6 Issue 10, October 2016, ISSN: 2249-2496 Impact Factor: 6.278 Journal Homepage: http://www.ijmra.us, Email: editorijmie@gmail.com Double-Blind Peer Reviewed Refereed Open Access International Journal - Included in the International Serial Directories Indexed & Listed at: Ulrich's Periodicals Directory ©, U.S.A., Open J-Gage as well as in Cabell’s Directories of Publishing Opportunities, U.S.A 1007 International Journal of Research in Social Sciences http://www.ijmra.us, Email: editorijmie@gmail.com TRADITIONAL RURAL SELF-GOVERNING SYSTEM OF THE GAROS IN TRIPURA: A STUDY Pradip Dey  Shyamal Das  Introduction In Tripura there are nineteen tribal communities who constitute about one-third of the total population of the State. They have similarities as well as differences with respect to language, religion and a number of other ways of life. The self-governing institutions were different in different tribes, but, they were almost self-sufficient in their working and solving problems of social, administrative and judicial nature. Their social, economic and political lives were guided by the age-old customs enforced by those organizations. In ancient Tripura, there were indigenous democratic institutions like Panchayats in which people would participate for discussion, deliberation and solution of problems. Those institutions were sui generis by origin. Justice in those self-government institutions was cheap, direct, immediate, face-to-face and simple. Though the history of Tripura had come across various ups and downs but those institutions atrophied, but did not wither away completely. Those rural self-governing institutions survive even today in the peripheral zones, hills, and tribal settlements of Tripura. A glimpse into the village administration of the tribal communities of Tripura, will give a fairly clear idea of this institution. The village administration and governance system of the Garos are unique in nature since time immemorial. They are held together by social, political and religious bonds within the village unit. Every village is an independent and self-contained administrative unit. In Garo village, administration is democratic by nature and it is as old as its society itself. Each Garo village is democratically administered by a traditional village council headed by a Nokma. 1 The Nokma also known as Aking Nokma and the village council was the earliest administrative systems of the Garos. 2 Administration is indigenous and independent. Origin Of The Word ‘NOKMA’ The word ‘Nokma’, in common parlance, means a ‘rich man’. But it has two literal meanings. First, ‘Nok’ means ‘house’ and ‘ma’ is both an affix and suffix, which in some context means ‘big’. Thus, according to this etymology, Nokma means a ‘big house’. 3 Though it is used to refer to the man of the house, it carries some meaning as the house of the Nokma’s is generally bigger than other houses of the village. Secondly, the word ‘ma’ means also ‘mother’ and in this sense, it means the ‘mother of the house’. Though it variably refers to the man of the house, but since the man owns the  Research Scholar, Tripura University  Research Scholar, Tripura University