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The Aka are Tribal group of people living in the East Kameng & West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh, Popularly know as the Koro of East kameng and the Hrusso of West kameng District. Both the Koro-Hrusso aka have different linguistic practices otherwise basically identical culturally, and they both are considered by themselves to be part of the same tribe of
Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (, ) is a state in Northeastern India. It was formed from the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and became a state on 20 February 1987. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south. It shares int ...
. Their language belongs to the
Tibeto-Burman The Tibeto-Burman languages are the non- Sinitic members of the Sino-Tibetan language family, over 400 of which are spoken throughout the Southeast Asian Massif ("Zomia") as well as parts of East Asia and South Asia. Around 60 million people spea ...
family.


Lifestyle

For the convenience of administration, the Aka people elects a chief, who often acts the role of the village headman.
Polygamy Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is married ...
is widely practiced in their
patrilineal Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...
society, and cross-cousin marriages are accepted. Like most tribes, the Aka have an elementary caste system, the aristocrat Kutsun and the commoner Kevatsum. The Aka practice
shifting cultivation Shifting cultivation is an agricultural system in which plots of land are cultivated temporarily, then abandoned while post-disturbance fallow vegetation is allowed to freely grow while the cultivator moves on to another plot. The period of cul ...
and rear domestic animals such as the Mithun. Temporary huts, accommodated by young boys, are built near the field to guard the crops from the animals. The staple food of Akas is maize and millet. They plant leaves, pulses, potato and rice. Drinks locally made from fermented maize and millet include Lao pani, Mingri and the Aarah. The Aka live in elongated houses made from bamboo, wood and cane leaves. Raised on platforms about 6 feet above the ground, the Aka house are further nisub-divided into three sections. The granary is built away from the main house.


Culture

The Aka share strong cultural affinities with the Miji, and intermarriage with the Miji is prevalent. Centuries of Vaishnava and intermittent Tibetan influence from the
Sherdukpen The Sherdukpen are an ethnic group of Arunachal Pradesh state of India. Their population of 9,663 is centered in West Kameng district in the villages of Rupa, Jigaon, Thongri, Shergaon, to the south of Bomdila. All of these are at elevations be ...
has shaped the Aka culture into its modern form. Handicrafts, basket weaving and wood carving are the principal arts among the Aka tribe. Intermittent Tibetan contacts is evidenced by the fact that the Aka and Mishmis are known as "Khakhra" (meaning barbarians) to the Tibetans. One of the most notable features of Aka arts is the Chinese design of the Jana flower, which can be often found on many of the indigenous haversacks. It is a known legend that the Jana flower represents the commemorate an ancient Tibetan king, who was believed to have led his entire life through daily reincarnations. It was also believed that he lived in an open giant palace that grew the Jana flowers every time the sun sets. Indigenous festivals under the guidance of a village Chieftains such as those of Nechido festival celebrated by the Hrusso-aka and Sarok Festival celebrated by Koro- aka which involves the affiliation with the natural world and community.


Dual language

Among the Aka shares different language, the
Koro Koro may refer to: Geography *Koro Island, a Fijian island * Koro Sea, in the Pacific Ocean * Koro, Ivory Coast *Koro, Mali * Koro, Wisconsin, United States, an unincorporated community Languages *Koro language (India), an endangered language spo ...
. They are culturally integrated with the Hrusso-aka, but have somehow maintained their separate, only distantly related
Tibeto-Burman The Tibeto-Burman languages are the non- Sinitic members of the Sino-Tibetan language family, over 400 of which are spoken throughout the Southeast Asian Massif ("Zomia") as well as parts of East Asia and South Asia. Around 60 million people spea ...
language. Koro has more similarities with the Tani language group, in easternmost
Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
. There are thought to be 800 to 1200 remaining speakers of Koro, and 4,000 to 6,000 speakers of Aka.


Costume

The Aka costume deeply reflects its indigenous culture. While both male and female keep long hair, there are distinctions in the dress within the Aka. These restrictions involve the use of the
Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
ese silk and the Tibetan knobbed hat, which are worn among the aristocrats. Generally, most men wear a silky Assamese toga, while the women wear a long, dark-red garment that covers the entire body. Indigenous lingchong cream manufactured from the pine-resin ñ as the cosmetics for the Aka women. However, the interesting cane cap reaching three inches high inserted with two bird-feathers serves the highlight of the Aka costume. Silver ornaments play another important role in the female Aka costume. Vase-shaped earrings and for the richer ones, a fillet of silver chain is worn around the head. The rich Aka women wear a pretty filet of silver chain-work round the head. Jade beads are also made into necklaces. Face tattooing is another notable feature among some Aka. Especially in the case of the women, they tattoo their faces in a straight line from the forehead to the chin.


Religion

The Aka are mainly
Animists Animism (from Latin: ' meaning 'breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, huma ...
–who are described to follow a variant of the Nyezi-No religion, which means Sky and Earth. Occasional contacts with the
Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
ese and neighbouring Buddhist tribes and Tibetans have seen Hindu and Buddhist influence imbibed beliefs and culture. However, centuries of i and
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
influences have greatly shaped the religious rites of their religion. For instance, veneration of the Assamese Hindu God, Hori Deo came as a result of the imprisonment of a local Aka king, Tagi Raja.
Superstition A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and ...
s and
magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
play an important role in their belief system. Shizhou proved to be the most popular form of magic ritual among the Aka, and anybody who is angry may resort to conducting Shizhou rituals on their foe. The rituals of Shizhou involve slaughtering a dog, draining the blood from its head, and either sprinkling a few drops of the blood onto the enemy undetected, throwing them into his house, or burning them in his hearth. If the ritual succeeds, the enemy is supposed to lose their life.


References


External links


Web India The Aka

Ethnologue profile
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