The Apatani people are an
ethnic group
An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...
who live in the Ziro valley of Arunachal Pradesh's Lower Subansiri region.
Customs and lifestyle
Their wet rice cultivation system and their agriculture system are extensive even without the use of any farm animals or machines. So is their sustainable social forestry system.
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
has proposed the Apatani valley for inclusion as a
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
for its "extremely high productivity" and "unique" way of preserving the ecology.
The Apatanis, one of the major ethnic groups of eastern Himalayas, have a distinct civilization with systematic land-use practices and rich
traditional ecological knowledge
Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) is a cumulative body of knowledge, practice, and belief, evolving by adaptive processes and handed down through generations by cultural transmission, about the relationship of living beings (including humans ...
of natural resources management and conservation, acquired over the centuries through informal experimentation. The tribe is known for their colorful culture with various festivals, intricate handloom designs, skills in cane and bamboo crafts, and vibrant traditional village councils called ''bulyañ''. This has made the Ziro Valley a good example of a living cultural landscape where humans and the environment have harmoniously existed together in a state of interdependence even through changing times, such co-existence being nurtured by the traditional customs and spiritual belief systems.
Apatani tribal woman.jpg, An Apatani woman with a basket going to the field.
Apatani Tribe.jpg, An Apatani woman in traditional attire during Murung
Murung is the Festival of Prosperity, celebrated by the Apatanis of Lower Subansiri district in Arunachal Pradesh, India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependen ...
festival.
Festivals
They have two major festivals – Dree and Myoko. In July, the agricultural festival of
Dree is celebrated with prayers for a bumper harvest and prosperity of all humankind.
Paku-Itu,
Daminda, Piree dance, etc., are the main cultural programmes performed in the festival.
NEZCC – North East Zone Cultural Centre
Myoko is celebrated to commemorate the intervillage friendship that has been passed down by the forefathers for generations until present. This special bond is carried forward in the succeeding generation by the current members. The main celebration occurs in the mid of March but the rituals associated with the festival starts much earlier in the preceding month and ends in next month of April. During this period a huge amount of food and drinks are being served and distributed by the host village.
References
External links
Apatani Language in endangered list.
Further reading
* von Fürer-Haimendorf, Christopher. (1962)
The Apa Tanis and Their Neighbors
'. New York: The Free Press of Glencoe.
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Tribes of Arunachal Pradesh
Lower Subansiri district