Apatani people

Apatani people
Apatani

Alternative names: Tanii, Apatani, Apa Tani Total population 26,000 Regions with significant populations Arunachal Pradesh, India: 26,000 Languages Apatani (Tanii), English, Hindi Religion Donyi-Polo, Hinduism, Christianity (Baptist, other) Related ethnic groups Nishi, Adi

The Apatani, or Tanii, are a tribal group of people living in the Ziro valley in the Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh India. However more Apatanis live outside this valley, making the total population approximately 26,000 all over the state. Their language belongs to the Sino-Tibetan family (see Tani languages).

History
There are no known written records of the history of the Apatani tribes, but throughout their history the Apatani have had a democratic system of running the society. The village council is known as the Bulyang. One of their oral accounts speaks of their migration from the extreme north of Subansiri and Siang areas following the rivers of Kurung and Kumey. These oral accounts are usually presented in the form of folk tales such as the miji and migung.[1] These accounts on many occasions are supported by landmarks which still exist on the migratory paths of the Apatanis. At the small village of Yangte in Kurung Kumey district, for example, is a stone beside which the Apatanis held a high-jump competition on their way to the present habitat. Therefore, these oral accounts have substance but need corroboration by anthropological and scientific evidence. The miji is a collection of religious chants performed by priests who preside over the sacrifices of mithuns, cows, chickens and pigs during various rituals. A religious song, which may be sung from ten minutes to twelve hours, accompanies all these ritual performances which describes the previous interactions with the spirits or gods, locally known as wui, the content of which explains the origin of the myths among others. The migung is more realistic; it is narrated in prose, and the stories within it explain the origins of the Apatani people.

Apatani people These folk tales include legendary places as well as recent events, such as the downfall of a 19th-century ne'er-do-well. In these two folk tales, both the ritual chants and the prose narrations speak of Abotani, who is reputed to be the original ancestor of the Apatani and the other tribes in central Arunachal Pradesh. These tribes encompass the Tani group, comprising the Apatanis, Nyishis, Sulungs or Puroiks, Hill Miris, Tagins, Adis and Mishmis. The first contact with the Europeans occurred in 1897, when British officials came to stay in the valley for two days; six similar brief visits were later held between the 1920s and 1930s. In 1944, after a temporary government outpost was set up by an anthropologist-administrator, the Apatani came in contact with minimal government presence for the first time. When a second, permanent outpost was constructed by the Assam Rifles in 1948, stationed there to protect the land, the Apatanis attacked. The officer in charge retaliated by burning two of their villages.

Religion
Most Apatanis are loyal followers of the Danyi-Piilo faith, who pray to the Sun (Ayo Danyi) and the Moon (Atoh Piilo). Abotani is revered as the sole ancestor of all Apatani and other tribes in the surrounding regions. When a misfortune occurs, they believe that it is caused by certain evil spirits, and thus they make appeasement by sacrificing chickens, cows and other domestic animals. Myoko, the festival of friendship and prosperity, is celebrated in a grand manner lasting for all of March each year. Dree Festival, celebrated in July, is the main agricultural festival of the Apatanis.
The heads of sacrified animals hanging over the grave (biyu) of an Apatani man in Ziro. Sacrifice of the animals and special rites are performed on death of near ones.

Dress
The dress of the Apatanis is elaborate and colorful, yet simple in style. Jila, the traditional dress of the priests has recently been made into a five rupee Indian postal stamp. Tattooing (Tiipe) and the stuffing of large nose plugs (yaping hullo) were once popular among the women, although this practice has gradually fallen into decline in recent years. This practice is believed to have started because the women wanted to look unattractive to males from neighboring tribes. Apatani women were considered to be the most beautiful ones among all the Arunachal tribes. Younger members of this community have stopped this traditional practice. Traditionally, the men tie their hair in a knot just above the forehead (locally called piiding) using a brass rod (piiding khotu) measuring 12inches, placed horizontally. Strips of fine cane belt painted in red (yari) and bent into the shape of a horse-collar with an elongated end were also worn. These strips of cane are loosely fastened together, with the loop of the horse-collar being tied round the waist. The men also

An Apatani woman with a basket going to field

Apatani people tattoo (tiippe) their chin in the shape of a 'T' under the lower lip. The women tattoo themselves with broad blue lines from the forehead to the tip of the nose and five vertical stripes under the lower lip in the chin. The women bundle up their tresses, which are rolled into a ball (dilling) on the top of the head. A brass skewer (ading akh) may then be inserted horizontally.

Customs and lifestyle

Apatanis trace their descent patrilineally. While the status of men is considered higher than that of women, the sexes share responsibilities in the house and the family. Apatani women carry out the household chores of gathering both wild and kitchen garden vegetables, cooking, fetching water, pounding rice, cleaning houses, washing clothes and utensils, nursing, looking after infants and children, ginning (clothes) and spinning of cotton, and other jobs associated with the household. In the field, the Apatani woman carries out the tasks that include gardening, seeding, transplanting of paddy and millet, weeding of fields, and other activities. At home, the internal family income is controlled by a woman. But the man also has his part of duty in looking after cultivation activities, and acts as the head of family in society. 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 has named the Apatani valley a World Heritage Site for its "extremely high productivity" and "unique" way of preserving the ecology.[2] In July, the agricultural festival of Dree is celebrated with prayers for a bumper harvest and prosperity of all humankind. Pakhu-Itu, Daminda, Pree dance, etc. are the main cultural programmes performed in the Dree Festival.[3]

Bulyang
Bulyang is the traditional council of the Apatanis. There are three categories of Bulyang: Akha Bulyang, Yapa Bulyang, and Ajang Bulyang. The institution still exists, but its functions have been diluted by other similar institutions like Gaon Buras and Panchayati Raj.

Agriculture
The agricultural system of Apatanis is unique of its own, where resources are used judiciously to gain maximum production. For example, every inches of arable land available in the valley is use for cultivation, even the agricultural plot bunds are use for millet cultivation, and limited water resources is use for irrigating all the agricultural plot. The Apatanis are known for the meticulous care they take of their agricultural fields. For example, after the transplantation of paddy seedlings they repeat three cycles of weeding to ensure a weed-free field and healthy crop. The Apatanis have had an intricated irrigation system of canals and channels from the time they started wet rice cultivation. It is impressive to note that the only (small) river in Ziro valley irrigates the whole wet rice fields of Ziro. A relatively modern development of paddy-cum-fish culture was introduced in the 80s with great success. This practice is unique in Arunachal Pradesh and is known to enhances ecological sustainability. The Apatanis, who inhabit Ziro valley,practice wet rice cultivation. The tribes in the surrounding areas - the Nyishis, Hills Miris, and Tagins, practice terrace and shifting cultivation.

Apatani people

Unique Identity
Although sharing a common base Tani language and the Tani religion of Donyi Polo, the Apatani have been known to be distinct in their customs and practices compared to their neighboring Tani tribes. Some of the uniquely identifying features of the Apatani are:

Closely located permanent settlements

The Apatanis live in very closely constructed houses in the villages. Apart from the advantages of living close by, this arrangement has a great disadvantage during fire accidents.

Permanent wet rice cultivation

The Apatanis are one of the few tribes in Arunachal Pradesh who practice ownership of land and cultivate on them, year after year. Most notable of cultivation practice is their wet rice cultivation. While their neighboring tribes practice shifting cultivation, the Apatanis practice wet rice cultivation with an intricated irrigation and channel system in the field as well as across the network of fields.

Housing structure
A traditional Aptani house is identified by its use of tall vertical wooden stilts, tight weave of the walls and the floors, and bamboo roofing. Different parts of the house use bamboos of different sizes and preparations.

Land ownership
An Apatani may have one or more of these land types. Balu (Kitchen garden) Aji (Wet rice field) Yorlu (Kitchen garden located away from the village) Bije (Bamboo garden usually located near the village) Saadi (Plot of woodland located away from the village mainly growing pine trees) Morey (A large plot of woodland located farther away than a saadi Hari, Bulla, Tajang, Diibo, Hong and Hija are the main villages of apatani people.

Plot demarcation
The Apatanis employ unique fencing techniques for land demarcation involving fences made of elaborate structures and living shrubs. Their plot demarcation system is remarkably different from the other tribes in terms of height and density - the Apatanis have very tall and tight fences while their neighboring tribes have short and sparse fences.

Facial tattoo and modification

The Apatanis used to practice facial tattooing and modification until the 1970s. The females used to have two sets of tattoos: one running from the forehead to the tip of the nose, and another set on the chin. The males used to have a less elaborate tattoo on the chin in the shape of a "T". The females were the only one practicing facial modification with the use of a nose plugs, called yaping hurlo in the local language. It was done since old times, to make the women look ugly, in order to protect them from invaders.

Apatani people

The babo and the lapang

The babo is an elaborately structured wooden pole erected in the village as well as in every home of the Apatani.The babo is erected during the festival of Myoko. The lapang is a village platform constructed out of huge wooden planks measuring from one to two meters in width and five to seven meters in length. The village babo is erected close to the lapang. The babo and lapang are reconstructed every alternative four years during the festival of Myoko. The babo and lapang are regarded as sacred; many of the Apatani rituals are associated with them. The lapang also serves as a traditional congregation platform. Aerial acrobatics and daredevilry on the babo were very common till the 70s.

Tapyo, the indigenous salt

Prepared from the ashes of certain plants in Ziro, tapyo is an indigenous salt developed by the Apatanis. Tapyo is used in the preparation of many traditional dishes, and also used as an alternative salt. The Apatanis have been using tapyo long before they were introduced to the sea salt or the iodized salt. The chemical composition of the tapyo is not known but many believe it to be the reason why the Apatanis were free from goitre.

Sangkhang
The Apatanis use sangkhang, a kind of rubber derivative to create water-tight storage vessels.

Shape of carriage baskets

The Apatani carriage baskets are cuboidal, where as other tribes' are conical. These days the cuboidal structure is widely adapted by Nyishis around Ziro.

The Apatani today

Much of the information regarding the Apatani tribe currently available in books or on the Internet is known to be fairly outdated. It is generally based on observations made by Professor Christopher von Furer-Haimendorf in the 1940s. The Apatani have incorporated many ways of the modern world, but the traditional culture and customs still retain their significance. Many of them are high-level government employees, doctors, and engineers and are working far away from their native villages around Ziro. Even so, they make it a point to return to their villages during important festivals, notable among which are Myoko in March and Murung in January every year. Dree Festival, another important festival of the Apatanis are celebrated in all the major towns in Arunachal Pradesh and in some cities outside the state. As in any other developing countries, teenagers have been influenced by Western culture, but the traditional lifestyles are still maintained.

References
[1] M. D. Muthukumaraswamy (2002). Voicing Folklore: Careers, Concerns and Issues : a Collection of Interviews. National Folklore Support Centre. pp.1501. ISBN8190148125. [2] "Unique Apatani impresses Unesco" (http:/ / www. telegraphindia. com/ 1050617/ asp/ northeast/ story_4877612. asp), Rajeev Bhattacharyya, The Telegraph, 17 June 2005. URL last accessed 21 October 2006. [3] NEZCC - North East Zone Cultural Centre (http:/ / www. nezccindia. org/ arunachalpradesh/ StateFestival. asp?State=Arunachal)

External links
Apatani Script (http://script.apatani.org/) Apatani Career Guidance Forum (http://apatanicgf.com/) http://www.arunachaldiary.com/search/label/Apatani%20Society http://friends-of-ziro.blogspot.com/

Apatani people http://savetanii.blogspot.com http://learntanii.blogspot.com http://www.speakapatani.blospot.com Colonia contact in the "hidden land" (http://tribaltransitions.soas.ac.uk/publications/sblackburn1.pdf) http://www.pcedindia.com/peoplescomm/tribes_10b.htm Frer-Haimendorf's Apa Tani films (http://www.digitalhimalaya.com/collections/haimendorf/apatani.php) Anthropological articles of the Apa Tani (http://tribaltransitions.soas.ac.uk/publications/home.html) Ethnologue profile (http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=apt) "Illicit Staple" (http://www.downtoearth.org.in/full6.asp?foldername=20050115&filename=news& sec_id=50&sid=13) Photographs of the Myoko Festival (http://www.flickr.com/photos/neil-lindfield/sets/72157624614346779/) Selected pictures of Apatani people (http://www.fotopedia.com/en/Apatani) *

Article Sources and Contributors

Article Sources and Contributors

Apatani people Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=458758540 Contributors: AbangPaath, Apatani, Apatani33, Balthazarduju, Bart133, Chan Han Xiang, Cst17, DVdm, Danir, David Kernow, Deepak, Diggidiot, Drew R. Smith, Edward, Fayenatic london, Giraffedata, IndianGeneralist, Jjdon, Jmhullot, Jupiter singh, Kanno, Kwamikagami, Languagehat, Mr Tan, Naniriniyo, NeilofLindfield, Nimur, Nono64, Pectore, RafaAzevedo, Rich Farmbrough, Rjwilmsi, Robthomas, Roland zh, SGGH, Sanscrit1234, Seb35, Shivap, Takutara, Tallo-g, TempusFugitive, Tim1357, Uanfala, Vgranucci, Weregerbil, Xufanc, Y, 51 anonymous edits

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Image:Apatani tribal women.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Apatani_tribal_women.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Contributors: Doniv79 at en.wikipedia Image:Sacrificed animal skulls on apatani grave.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Sacrificed_animal_skulls_on_apatani_grave.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.0 Contributors: Arif Siddiqui Image:Apatani tribal woman.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Apatani_tribal_woman.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.0 Contributors: Arif Siddiqui

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