The people are simple, hard-working, straightforward and honest with a high standard of integrity. In the social front the Darlong code of ethics is based on the concept of ‘
tlawminngaina’. Tlawminngaina to a Darlong stands for self-sacrifice, selflessness, kindness and love. A Darlong (
Hriam) must be hospitable, kind, unselfish, compassionate and helpful to others. The whole village is involved in important occasions like celebration of birth of a newborn child, marriage in the village and death of a person in the village or a community feast arranged by a member of the village.
The village The Darlong tribes traditionally live in villages and prefer
joint family. The village is a closely knit unit consisting of households of different clans. As of 2021, there are 24 Darlong villages in
Tripura.
Darchawi is the largest village and Boitang is the oldest village, among all the villages. The Darlong villages are roughly scattered around the Northern parts of Tripura in three districts, viz.
Unokoti,
Dhalai and
North Tripura. According to 2021 Census there are 1840 Households in Darlong villages, the population is 4764 males and 4852 females (according to 2021 Census). Research into the traditional Darlong family shows that women played key roles in household management, weaving, food preparation, and childcare.
Physical attractiveness was one among several qualities considered in the selection of marriage partner including skills such as weaving or dancing were also highly valued.
Horticultural activities Traditionally the Darlong people practised shifting cultivation. Many of their traditional values, songs, dance and hunting activities revolved around the cycles of shifting cultivation (
jhum), called as ‘
loi’. The principal crops grown by the tribe are
pineapple,
litchi, and
mangoes although a majority have switched over to
rubber plantations in the past few years.
The Bukpui system The
Bukpui, or the bachelor dormitory system, used to be an essential part of Darlong life. In Lusei which is called as
Zawlbuk . Apart from the family, it was the most important educational system of the people. It was mandatory for all the youths over 15 years of age to stay in the
Bukpui, where they received training in 'tribal welfare, wrestling,
hunting and village government'. These
Bukpuis are often of great size, and are on much higher platforms than the other houses. To reach the platforms, notched logs of wood serve as staircases, and long pieces of cane are often suspended from an overhanging beam close to the notched logs to assist the inmates to climb up and down. The boys who went to the
Bukpui emerged as complete men. The
Bukpui began to lose its importance after the appearance of the British on the scene. With the onset of modernity, the
Bukpui system is no longer in practice among the tribe.
Marriage The Darlong people prefer
exogamous marriage system. They prefer to marry someone outside their own
clan. Sibling incest is legal among the Darlong people. Traditionally
polygamy was allowed, but
monogamy has been strictly enforced by the various churches. The wife or husband moves permanently to the husband's or wife's village upon marriage - depends on the individual.
Teknonymy It is a cultural tradition of the Darlong tribe and it is still occasionally used. The parents of a child named X will generally be known as ‘
X-Pa’ and ‘
X’Nu’. If
Mr. Liana and his wife have a son called
Nema,
Mr.Liana will be called ‘
Nema pa’, and his wife as ‘
Nema nu’. In most villages, parents are addressed by the name of their first-borne child. ==Religion==