The Apatani (or Tanw, Tanii) are a tribal group of people living in the
Ziro
Ziro is a town and the district headquarters of the Lower Subansiri district in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. It is included the Tentative List for UNESCO's World Heritage Site for the '' Apatani cultural landscape''. The part of the ...
valley in the
Lower Subansiri district
Lower Subansiri district (Pron:/su:bənˈsɪɹi/) is one of the 25 administrative districts of the state of Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India.
History
The district was formed when Subansiri district was bifurcated into Upper and Lower Sub ...
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 ...
in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. This tribe speaks the languages
Apatani, English and Hindi.
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 is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
has proposed the Apatani valley for inclusion as a
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
for its "extremely high productivity" and "unique" way of preserving the ecology. 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
Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a Port#Ancient Greece, port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica (region), Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centr ...
dance, etc., are the main cultural programmes performed in the festival. 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. It is celebrated for almost a month - from the mid of March to the mid of April. During this period a huge amount of food and drinks are being served and distributed by the host village.
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) describes indigenous and other traditional knowledge of local resources. As a field of study in Northern American anthropology, TEK refers to "a cumulative body of knowledge, belief, and practice, evolving by ...
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.
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