The A·chiks, according to the folklore and history, are said to have engaged in trade and commerce since the time of their fore fathers. The A·chiks were traditionally cultivators and relied on agricultural activities for self sufficiency of food and other produces. In A·chik society, the main responsibility of each man is usually for his own patch of land and one can enjoy the result of his own work upon it. But there is a system of organizing labor among them in the form of work exchange during cultivation and harvest, construction of building and even in performing sacrifices that are for the benefit of someone else. The A·chiks were renowned for producing best quality cotton which drew the traders from other region to the market. The cotton produced was most sought after in the neighboring districts for spinning it into threads and making clothes, for making quilts and pillows. The merchants from neighboring districts were as eager to buy the cotton as the A·chiks were to barter for their daily needs.  For A·chiks, from a purely economic view, the market as a place of trade and commerce is very important because it supplied goods which were essential and available in no other place. Apart from bartering their goods in exchange for other necessary household materials and other items of everyday uses, they also pawned their commodities in advance with other tribes and exchange for money and hence it can be seen that economic exchanges has always been a part and parcel of the A·chik folklife. This practice is evident in many A·chik folklore and A·chik history. 

The first ever A·chik person to trade, according to the folklore, is Gonga who had an economic exchange with Bamon Racha-Sojon-Gitel, the man of upper region.  Harendra W. Marak, in his story of ‘Gongani Kilbolma Su·pea’ mentioned the first ever commercial venture undertaken by Gonga who bartered cotton for gold biscuit and for coins with Bamon Racha Sojon Gitel (A·chik Aganbewalrang 24,25). Gonga was a demi god. During his time people did not have good clothing. Hence, Gonga felt that people should have proper attire and went looking for a giant cotton tree from across the earth.  When he found the tree, with the help of Jaru Me·a Jabal Pante , the god of  storm, he felt the tree. In that very moment, when Bamon Racha Sojon Gitel was having a feast, Gonga’s pet dog Irijajatongrak went to the courtyard with a bunch of cotton stuck on its tail. Having seeing this, Bamon Racha Sojon Gitel was so pleased that he took the cotton and in its place ties a gold biscuit and few coins.  That is how Gonga became the first person to venture into trade and economic exchange among the A·chiks.

        Dhoronsing K.Sangma in his short story ‘Do·po’also mentioned about ‘Dimrimbri Palwang A·ding’s market. This market is also known as Dimbil-Biri, Palwang A·chu, and according to Jobang D. Marak, this is the first market that the A·chiks exchanged their goods. After that Adil-Biri Te·ka Anti market was established from where they eventually shifted to Rongsimpang A·chu (The Garo History Part 1 34, 35). In the story ‘Do·po’ a mother owl made all her six children carry a heavy basket of cotton to the   market   Dimrimbri  Palwang A·ding. With the money

they get by selling cotton, the mother owl promised to buy her children dresses, clothes, pelted rice, dried fish, salt and all other necessary commodities. Though it was a back breaking task, the children carried those heavy bags moaning and groaning all the way to the market. But after reaching the market, on seeing‘ Adil’ a kind of horns, she was overawed and exchanged her six bags of cotton with six numbers of horns. Here, we can see that when the A·chiks had to exchange among themselves they use the goods they have but when they had to exchange with the outsiders they use the coins.

        The use of coins as a medium of exchange can also be found in a famous A·chik folktale ‘Tengton’. Tengton was ingenious, canny and witty since his childhood days. Because of this nature, the boy was aptly given the name ‘Tengton’ by his parents. His parents died when he was still just a little boy and was left a destitute. When he came of age, he left his own village and settled in some other village and got married there. As he had no means, he resorted to theft and provided for the family but was never caught and one could testify against him as there wasn’t any evidence. So one day out of anger and frustration, the whole villagers hatched a plan to burn alive the whole family with their house. Tengton somehow got wind of the plan and moved the family and all the possessions to another safe place. In the morning, he came back to his burned out house and in the presence of some onlookers, pretended to collect the ashes. On being asked, he told the villagers that he is taking the ashes to the market to sell. On his way he came across an old man and a woman who were laboring on their field and in order to con them, asked for a glass of drinking water. As they did not carry drinking water with them, they asked Tengton to go to their home which was at a calling distance and to have water to his fill. He went to the house but instead of asking for water, told the children that their parents wanted them to hand over their savings buried hidden inside the house. As the children were not convinced, Tengton called out the parents and in response, the father, without realizing that they are being conned, threatened the children with a stick from the distance to give him what he was asking for. This folk story also indicates that A·chiks used coins as a medium of exchange and valued it and hence, usually kept it hidden buried under the ground or was kept at a secret location where they felt it was safe. 

        The story of Tengton also shows that there was a fair amount of trading with the outsiders in these regions. They used to frequently visit these areas for selling and buying of goods and there was a regular exchange of goods and coins between the A·chiks and outsiders. This can be known from the story when one day the villagers out of anger and vengeance decided to have a feast with Tengton’s fat cow and killed it. They only handed over to him the four hoofs, the skin and the head of the cow as he pleaded with the villagers at least to give him those portions. This time, he took away a bagful of money belonging to a businessman who was relieving himself in the nearby bush from nature’s call and replaced it with that portion of the cow that was given to him. He came back to the village with that bagful of money and whole night counted it by throwing it on a stone and making a jingling sound. This story also shows that the A·chiks had traded with the outsiders and that they used to come to these regions quite often for trade and commerce. According to researcher’s view the A·chiks had to make use of coins when they needed to buy necessary items that were not available locally and that is how, apart from practice of bartering, use of coins as a medium of exchange took place in the A·chik community. 

        The history of origin and migration of the A·chiks tells us that the A·chiks were originally settlers of Tibet. They migrated from Tibet because of famine as they had no other choice but to flee the natural calamity by migrating to other region leaving behind their ancestral homeland. They gradually settled at Koch Behar for about 400 years. From that place, they moved on to Dhubri, Jogighopa, Guwahati, Boko and Goalpara. Though they prospered under the kingship of Abrasen while they were in Habraghat Pargana, they could not stay there for long and had to migrate once again and gradually settled at the present place. They came to the present place under the leadership of Abong Noga to settle at Nokrek peak range (History and Culture of the Garos 4). During that time of settlement in Tibet, the people were economically well off and prosperous it says ‘mina banal rike, danggana jengbong sike, rangna jenggi wate man·e-dange cha·ani ringani gimin mingsing minggamaha’  They had barn for grain and provision for safe keeping of their wealth because of which the people were renowned in the region.

        The A·chiks most probably carried coins when they migrated from Tibet and used those coins to buy necessary things during the course of their migration. While they were settled at Koch Behar for nearly 400 years, they engaged in trade and commerce with other native people.

        As the A·chiks were basically an agrarian society, they were self sufficient in agricultural produces like food grains and vegetables but dependent on others for salt and condiments, items of daily usages like cloths and utensils are needed to buy them. 

        Jobang D.Marak in his ‘The Garo History Part-1’ mentioned that the A·chiks, after leaving Kameka hill in Kamrup, they went and settled at ‘Matcha Melaram’ in Boko which was under the kingship of Arambit Raja. They stayed there for nearly 129 years and during that period for the first time a market was established and was referred to as ‘Songkadik Wakmetom, Matia Panchia’ market. The proprietor of this market was said to be Nangre Me·chik Dise Tira and her husband Ering Raja Desing Gitel. After establishing this market, the economy of these people improved and as because the people from outside came to trade and exchanged goods in this market for the first time.

        In the history books in reference to the history of India, it can be seen that the Aryans came to India at about 1500 B.C. and at around 1000 B.C. came in contact with the tribal people of Himalaya mountain range and north eastern part of India. The Aryans showed a special interest for medicinal herbs and plants like chirata, tezpata which were available in these regions and traded with these tribal people of Himalaya range and the plain belt of Brahmaputra.

        Milton S.Sangma in his book ‘History of Garo Literature’ mentioned that the reason for conflict with Zamindars and raiding of plain belts and head hunting are not entirely due to the ferocious nature of the A·chiks but mostly because of provocations due to malpractice in trade in the form of unfair payments for the wares and collection of exorbitant taxes levied on the goods (2).

        From the A·chik folklore, it can be seen that engagement in trade and economic exchanges has always been a vital part of A·chik society. There are undeniable evidences that because of this that the economic condition and living standard of the people improved. There are evidences in history that the use of coins as a medium of exchange has always been a part and parcel of A·chiks. During the time of migration, the A·chiks settled in different places and in different provinces, and they traded with

 other people and amassed. But after coming to A·chik’s motherland Garo Hills, the use of coins diminished and many people who had a lot of money preferred to bury and hide the money for a safe keeping in future.

        Till today A·chiks are engaged in trade and economic exchanges and people are seen selling their agricultural and horticultural products like corn, melons, betel nuts (areca), pineapples, oranges, jackfruits, gingers, vegetables and even livestock like pigs, cows, chicken and eggs are also very popular in the market. In early days, white cocks or capons were very highly prized because their feathers were used for donning and also for decoration. Therefore, a market is a very important place from the economic point of view as because it is the place where they are able to sell their products and buy commodities of their basic need which are otherwise not easily available. Because of trade and economic exchanges, the whole round development of the A·chik has been brought about.