The Kacharis are the most widely spread tribe in northeast India, and are said to be the earliest inhabitants of the Brahmaputra Valley. The Kacharis belong to the Indo-Mongoloid (Kirata) group which includes the Bodos and their allied tribes. They have prominent Mongoloid features with high cheekbones; slit eyes, a slight growth of hair in the body and a scant beard. They call themselves Bodo or Bodo-fisa in the Brahmaputra valley and Dimasa or Dima-fisa or ‘sons of the great river' in the North Cachar Hills & Karbi- Anglong district.

The Dimasa family is unitary and patriarchal in character. Only unmarried sons or daughters can live with the parents. After marriage the sons have to live separately in nuclear families. Only the Dimasa tribe confers separate ‘Gotra' for men and women. The boys inherit from his father after his death and the girls from their mother; the boys do not have any right over their mother's property.

An important institution of the Dimasa village is ‘Hangsao'. It is an association of unmarried boys and girls of the village. It is organized for the purpose of creating a worker's pool for facilitating cultivation, and lasts only for one year. Throughout the year, the members of the Hangsao work together in the Jhurms, cultivating by rotation an area of land at every member's field.
Marriage is monogamous and generally conducted by negotiation. Earlier, there was a system of paying bride price ranging from Rs 300/- to Rs 500/- depending upon the economic condition of the groom and the ‘quality' of the bride. According to their traditional law, the males have no rights over the property of the females and vice-versa. Child marriage is absent here.

The Dimasas are a very religious people. Their religion is a mixture of the Hindu and Bodo traditions. The main gods worshipped by the Dimasas are ‘Siva Deo', ‘Rajo', ‘Naikhu' and so on. The Supreme God is ‘Shibrai'. They believe in different spirits and think that the natural calamities are deliberately wrought by the evil spirits. The priest of the Dimasas is selected from the ‘Hojaisa' clan. Buffaloes, pigs, and fowls are offered as sacrifice.

The ‘Pathri', a kind of fortune teller, has a special place in Dimasa society. They believe in the existence of a supreme being – ‘Madai' – under whom there are several Madais including the family deities and evil spirits. The religious practices of the Dimasas are reflected in their ‘Daikho' system. A ‘Daikho' has a presiding deity with a definite territorial jurisdiction and a distinct group of followers known as ‘Khel'. Every Dimasa Kachari family worships its ancestral deity once a year before sowing the next crop of paddy: the ‘Madai Khelimba'. This is done for the general welfare of the family. ‘Misengba' stands for the good of the whole community.

The Dimasas cremate their dead. The dead body is washed and dressed in new clothes; then laid inside the house on a mat. A fowl is thrashed to death and placed at the foot of the deceased so that it might show the deceased the right path to heaven. The widow does not tie her hair till the cremation has been performed. This is usually done by the side of a river or stream. 

The culture and festivals of Dimasa is rich and distinctive. Their cultural foundation was laid in the ancient and medieval period when they were very powerful. Their architectural designs and artistic creations are proof of their rich civilization. ‘Busu', a harvesting festival, is the main socio-cultural festival of the Dimasa. ‘Rajini' and ‘Harni Gabra' are festivals related to productive work. In the ‘Rajini' festival, the village people worship their presiding deity.

Although the Dimasas have their own language, there is no recognized script. Economically, they are self sufficient and agriculture is their main occupation.

The dance form of the Dimasa people is an extremely complex form, based strictly on instrumental music. No songs are used. ‘Khram' (drum) follows the rhythm of the ‘Muri' (fife) and so do the dancers. Although one may find the Muri to be a trifle monotonous, there are variations with noticeable microtones suitable for different dance movements. That is why young men practice their dancing at the ‘Nadrang' (the common houses for the youth) during leisure hours and the village children follow the rhythm and learn the steps from an early age. Music and dance play an important role in the day-to-day life of the Dimasa Kacharis. They sing and dance to express their joy at the common houses or at the courtyard of the ‘Gajaibaou's (female owner of the property) house during popular festivals like ‘Bushu' or ‘Hangsao-manauba'.

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