Different regimes in power have commodified the rivers in Assam by converting the fluid spaces to permanent ones by imposing laws to generate revenue. Embankments have been built to tame the river. Currently, the process of extracting revenue from the rivers has taken the shape of the dams. This historical process of commodifying the rivers has shaped people's lives in rivers. The article will explore the ideas of the Misings as a 'riverine tribe,' their understanding, and their relationship with the Obonori (Subansiri) in contemporary times. It will problematize the idea of Misings as a ‘riverine tribe’ in the presence of extractive regimes like the upcoming dam, quarries, and forest department. The article will further argue that in the commodification of the river, the Misings became a part of the process for various historical reasons. Additionally, it acknowledges Indigenous communities' aspirations to engage with the river to make a living and become rich. In this process, the paper will illuminate the intricacies of the Misings and tussles within them along the Obonori. Thus, given the context of the Misings' involvement in commodification, the article explores the debates of tribes/indigenous people's relationship with nature. In doing so, the paper attempts to dismantle the linear ideas associated with tribes having a cordial relationship with nature and argue that the relationship is dynamic.
