Ancient artefacts that could help in identifying the spatial distribution of the indigenous Garo tribals and their culture have been unearthed recently.
Labourers engaged in a road project at Rongkhon Songgital village in Meghalaya's West Garo Hills district stumbled upon those pre-historic artefacts which included earthenware, materials made of iron and smoking pipes.
It has been reported to the Archeology department of the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) and a team led by Prof Tilok Thakuria has examined the artefacts.
"The discovery is significant for the study of ancestral sites in the region. Preliminary observation suggests that the indigenous Songsarek Garo tribals used earthenware," Thakuria said.
"Iron artefacts like 'dao' and other blades indicates that they had knowledge about metallurgy. We even found a metal bangle from the site," he said.
Smoking pipes made of clay, a century-old glass bottle and articles made of iron have also been found.
"Unearthing of such ancestral sites will help us get information on the spatial distribution of the indigenous Garos within and outside of Garo Hills," Thakuria said.
The NEHU team is now preparing for more excavation.
"It is exciting as these discoveries will help us link our history and culture and the evolution from thereof especially in view of a lack of written history among the Garos," Serimchi, one of the team members and a student said.
Like the Khasis, the Jaintias or other tribes of the state, the Garos do not have a written history until the British set foot here in the early 18th century.
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