Traditional historiography, as we have seen in the Indian subcontinent and elsewhere, lays no stress on oral historical data preserved orally from generation to generation in what the folklorists call the oral tradition or folk traditions. Oral tradition in the words of Vansina are "Verbal messages which are reported statements from the past beyond the present generation" (1985: 27). The verbal messages in this plan must be oral statements in sharp contrast to written messages and other sources. There is no doubt that oral traditions are potent sources of history as these contain unwritten messages preserved by generations of people. These oral traditions beyond doubt are the faithful repository of past experience. These can explain the how and why of present day happenings. The mythical narratives, legendary accounts extent among the ethnic groups embody meaningful messages from the past. The unwritten messages embodied in the oral traditions of the people constitute an important source of history. They provide evidence of the past as well as the 'inside information' of the community concerned. Rightly does observe Jan Vansina. "Without oral tradition we would know very little about the past of large parts of the world and we would not know them from inside. We also could never built up interpretations from the inside. The historian interprets from perspectives he knows" (1985, 198). The oral traditions told, sung in the present day context constitute an important source of history as this can "fill the gap in historical records" (Dorson, 1973, 75). As these traditions preserve the unwritten messages of the past, these have proved to be the fountainheads of ancient writings in many countries of Asia and Africa. It is on the basis of oral traditions that African people have constructed or reconstructed their history. African oral historians like Kwame y Daaku and Barbo Klein and few others have shown the way for us by relying on their respective oral traditions as sources of their history. The North-East region of India as the habitat of traditional ethnic communities or oral communities provide us an interesting area for the study of oral tradition as a source of history. The ethnic groups like the Bodo, Rabha, Karbi, Mishing, Dimasa have rich traditional narratives recounting the tales of creation of the universe and the origin of the tribe concerned, of migration and of their kings and legendary heroes and heroines. The present paper has made an attempt to throw flash of light on the oral traditions of the Bodos as sources of history and on the possibility, if there is any, of reconstructing their history on the basis of deconstruction of their oral traditions.
  
The oral traditions of the Bodos consist of memorized speech, narratives, about origin and migration, legendary accounts heroes, heroines and chieftains and fragments of ballads. Memorized speech or messages transmitted from generation to generation are different from normal speech. The mantras or hymns of Kherai worship of the Bodos are believed to be true and to contain codifield message to be followed by every member of the community. It is believed that the socio-culture history of the Bodos can be constructed or reconstructed on the basis of the memorized speeches and accounts related to the Kherai worship (Bhaben Narzi :1993). The mythical accounts extent among them recount the origin of the tribe from Sibrai (Lord Siva). Who was created by Lord Anan Gosai. Sibrai then created his consort Sibrui. Monsingsing, the first man was born from Sibrui (Narzi, 1991, p. 16). The mythical accounts of the Bodos justify the bases of existing social order and function as social charter. As these belong to a timeless past it is difficult to ascertain the date of actual occurrence. The available history writing since the Ahom period and literary evidences (Epics, Puranas and Royal genealogies) contain some references to the Bodos who have been referred to as Kirata, Asura, Danava, Mlecha and so on. The Bodos indentify themselves with the Kachari kings who ruled over the entire Kamrup or ancient Assam before the advent of the Ahoms. The oral tradition of the Bodos do not contain references to Bodo Kings as such, but to heroes, heroines and chieftains. The legendary accounts extent among them recount the heroic exploits of legendary heroes like Zaolia Dewan, Zoholao Daimalu. Shikhna Bir and heroines like Birgoshri, Gambari Sikhla. Personal traditions of these sort emerged as these heroes or heroines exerted a tremendous impact on the lives of the people and began to be memorized as group traditions. The legendary accounts of Zaolia Dewan tells the story of a legendary hero of the Bodos who was appointed Dewan under the king of Bijni in Goalpara districs. At that time the king of Bijni was made to pay tributes to the kings of Bhutan. The King of Bijni entrusted Zaolia Dewan to collect gold and other valuable materials as revenue or tribute to be deposited in the treasury of Bhotiya King. But Zaolia Dewan decided to stop paying tribute to the Bhotiya King. He was courageous and energetic and a hero with an independent bent of mind. This legendary hero of the Bodos declared himself sovereign and stole a bronze plate from the royal Court of Bhutan. As a result thereof ensued a heavy fighting between Zaolia Dewan and the king of Bhutan. It is said that the soldiers of the Bhotiya King were defeated in the battle. The legendary account of Zaolia Dewan is also closely intertwined with the place name legend of Zamduar, a place 60 Km. Away from Gossaigaon town. Legend goes that a trench was dug out near the bank of the Sankosh river and extending upto the bank of Raidak River in North Bengal in the foolhills of the Bhutan Mountain. The trench dug out by the legendary hero to help him in fighting the Bhotiya soldiers as known as Zamduar (i. e. the gateway of death). (K. Brahma, Few Informations about the Bodo legends in 'The Bodo', 13th Issue, 1998, p. 5). A second version of the legendary account says that Zaolia Dewan had his education and training in Bhutan. He was deputed by the king of Bhutan under a charter to rule over the Sidli area unde Bijini kingdom. He entrusted Bijni Narayana (Bhima Pharia) the king of Bijni with the charter handed over to him by the Bhotiya King. But Bijni Narayan betrayed him. He was on the look out for a chance to snatch away the Sidli Kingdom from Zaolia Dewan. He wanted to take revenge on Zaolia Dewan for more reason. He did not like Zaolia Dewan's love affair with his daughter. As Bijit Narayan refused to return the charter Zaolia Dewan became enraged and declared war against him and laid seize on the capital. The King of Bijni sought help from the Bhotiya King. Zaolia Dewan fought a heroic battle against the Bhotiya soldiers for seven days and nights. He was mercilessly killed by the enemy soldiers while he was drinking water from a stream laying his arms aside (P. C. Brahma, Boroni Zoholao-Zoholaozophor, in Khonsai Bidang, Part IV, 1989, Pp21, 22).
  
The legendary account of Chikhnabir current in the oral tradition of the Bodos recount the heroic exploits of a legendary hero who ruled over a kingdom towards the North of Kokrajhar. The name of this legendary hero is associated with a place name legend. A dense forest known as Chikhnajhar (Chikhna Zahar) is believed to be the past capital of this hero. The Koch Rajbangshis, however claim this place to be associated with a Koch King (Haria Mandal). The history of Cooch Behar i. e. Cooch Beharer Itihas (First Part, 1936, p. 90) supports this view. This historical writing testifies that there are historical remains of the ancient capital around Chiknajhar.
  
Similarly, the legendary account of Daimalu, a legendary hero and warrior of the Royal Court of the King of Dimapur tells of the hero's heroic exploits and conquest of Burma and Manipur. Legend goes that the hero went on a military mission to Burma and Manipur where he was received well and was offered presents including a white elephant. On his return the officials in the Royal Court hatched a conspiracy against him and brutally killed him. The legendary account of Daimalu (Dimalik in Dimasa) has historical basis as the kings of Dimapur had external relations with their counterparts in Burma and Manipur. (Sonaram Thaosen, Introduction to Dimasa History published in the Souvenir, G. D. B. S. S., 1993, Pp. 91-98). The oral tradition centering this legendary hero functions as active group tradition which is satisfied by the term "The curse of Daimalu" (Daimaluni Sao). The rayal tradion of the Bodos also contains legendary accounts centering round the heroic exploits of Bodo legendary heroines. Legendary account of Gambari Sikhla tells heroic exploits of Gambari Sikhla, believed to be the Queen of Bijini area. Like Zaolia Dewan she fought a heroic battle against the Bhotiya King. Another variant to the legends says that Gambari Sikhla was atimber merchant who dealt in timber supply in the Gambaribil area of Kokjhar. She used to supply timber to Cooch Behar and helped the poor and the needy. She fought heroic battle against the Moghul invaders. Her preoccupation with business and social work compelled her to remain a spinster. Some fragments of Bodo balleds still recount the heroic battle she fought against the Moghals.
  
Like the legend of Gambari Sikhla the legendary account of Birgoshri Sikhla recounts the heroic battle she fought against Moghalgeneral Ramsingha near Bongaigaon. Her name is associated with place legend of Bageswari where a temple is located. A variant of this legendry narrative indentifies Birgoshri as a mouzadar deputed by the British to collect revenue from the tenants. Under her worked twelve 7 months of stout figure who carried the valuable goods along with revenue to British office at Goalpara. But the British officers imposed fine on her as she failed to deposit the amount of revenue fixed by them. So, she determined not to pay the revenue. She fought tooth and nail against the British soldiers till the last breath. The British soldiers attacked and killed her while she was drinking water from a stream near Bongaigaon (K. Brahma, op. Cit, p. 76).
  

Some balled fragments recounts the exploits of legendary heroines like Birgoshri Sikhla and Gambari Sikhla.
  
These balled fragments unlike those related to Kherai and Phucli haba (which are woven round the mythical narratives related to the origin of Kherai and Phucli haba and embody messages from the past) constitute an important source of history. If a historian asks us what is historical in this traditional oral narratives, the answer would be : these oal traditional may lack in historical evidence and chronology but these constitute an important source of history. The first composer (be it an individual singer or a group of singers) of the balled fragment may be a historical being or she or they may sing it without any explicit or implicit historical intention. But the later generations of singers and audience may attach historical meaning to it as the hero the heroine glorified the eulogized in the balled is identified as a historical character who exerted tremendous impact on the lives of the people of a region or the community as a whol. The historical evidence of the balled fragments tally with external evidence as referred to above. It is not difficult therefore to clean historical message and data from the ballad fragments extant in Bodo oral tradition. What Dorson said about the oral tradition of Gaelic speaking Highlands and western is lands of Scottland and their historical validity can be equally true in case of the oral tradition of the Bodos and other authoctones of N.E. India. In the words of Dorson,"Folklore and history visibly meet in this romanticized, lonely and defeated country......." (Folkore and Traditional History, Mounton, 1973, P. 75).
  
If the oral communities are to find a place in the historical paradigm of the Indian sub-continent or even in regional historical paradigm, the historians must pay due attention to "the oral traditions which is many places still remain the vehicle for the transmission of history...." (Kwame y. Daaku, in Dorson, 1973, P. 54). Oral traditions of the people as strong weapons for reconstruction of political and social histories are the best evidence the histories can use for understanding the people and their way of life and word view. They convey messages or informations about events of the past, but the intention in them may not be directly historical. As Vansina writs, "history plays no role in all in this (telling a story, singing in of a song or prayer in the church) but whatever snippets of historical importance are gleaned are precious because they are unintentional (1975, 93)". The international material of history embodied in oral tradition, however, are not trustworthy. Many of the oral narratives current in tradition, as we have found above, are historically significant and relevant; but they need to be fitted "into the pattern of rational explanation and interpretation". (E.H. Carr, What is history, 105) before they can be regarded as authentic history.