'Koch' is one of the oldest ethnic communities living in Bangladesh. The Koch left their motherland Kuch Bihar and settled down in the district of Mymensingh. They now live in Jhinaigati, Nalitabari, and Shribordi Upazilas in the Sherpur district in Bangladesh. At present, the number of their population is nearly five thousand.
The Koch community consists of nine ethnolinguistic groups. They identify each of these groups as division. Each division has several clans, and they are called Nikini. The Koch society is patriarchal meaning that the sons inherit the entire family property, while their mothers' clan title identifies the children. Inter-nikini marriage is prohibited. Although both the joint family and single-family systems are in vogue, the single-family system is now predominant. The Koch people generally resolve their disputes through social arbitration. Koch girls move to their respective husbands' houses after marriage. Women apply vermilion in the parting of their hair and wear conch bracelets along with bangles on their wrists. Although monogamy is the norm, taking more than one wife by a man is quite common.
The Koch people in this group are those who have preserved their languages, their animistic religions and follow non-Hindu customs and traditions.They are related but distinguished from the empire building Koch (the Rajbongshi people) and the Hindu caste called Koch which received converts from different tribes.
Rice is their staple food, and most of them are non-vegetarian. They eat vegetables, lentils, fish, eggs, and meat. They like the heart of rabbits and porcupines, tortoises and turtles. They use oil, alkali, soda, and dried fish in cooking. They are very fond of pork cooked with rice powder and alkali or soda. They make rice cakes at different festivals. But people receiving initiation from a guru voluntarily avoid wine and meat. They have the usual liking for milk and milk products. On festive occasions and marriage ceremonies, they entertain people with condensed milk, sweetened porridge (payesh), curd, sweetmeat, etc., along with rice and fish.
Men in Koch society wear dhoti, lungi, shirts, and singlets. Women have traditional dress called life, which they wear in a domestic environment, and other types of clothing or undergarment.
The literacy rate among the Koch community is nearly 25%. the Koch people speak a Sino-Tibetan language. Agriculture is their primary means of living. Since they do not have landed property, most have now turned into marginal farmers. As they depend mainly on agricultural work for their livelihood, the Koch people are hard up.
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