AKA's The Land and it's People

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About The Book

The Akas are one of the major tribes of Arunachal Pradesh. They inhabit the south-eastern parts of West Kameng and western parts of East Kameng district. According to a myth Dzuw Buslou Aou (Hrusso)/Saslon (Koro) was their ancestor who is said to have originated from the union of the sky and the earth. The total population was about 5000 in the year 2006. They have no script of their own and speak their own dialect, which is grouped under the Tibeto-Burman family of language. The name Aka has been given by the people of the plains in Assam, which means "painted", that may be because of the custom of painted forehead, nose and chin. The Aka houses are rectangular in shape raised on a platform above the ground. The family in the Aka society comprises of the husband, wife(s) and their children. They practice various forms of marriages from - Polygamy to Sororate, Levirate and Edogamy. The village council of the Akas has been governed by the democratic ideas and values by the village community. They believe in Nyezino (Hrusso)/Mene Alan (Koro), meaning the Sky and the Earth. They worship the forests as Thouw-Gew, meaning rearer and feeder and also the rivers and mountains as Huda-Phuda Kuwuow. They are essentially agricultural people i.e. Jhum or shifting type of cultivation. Hunting and fishing are part of their life through which they supplement shortage of food supply. Food gathering is an important part of their occupation and a supplementary source of livelihood. Their homeland is their pharmacy-now for the world too. Aka women and now young girls have empowered themselves within the milieu of a patriarchal society. They practice basketry and weaving for meeting the domestic requirements. Aka traditional dress for both men and women is simple. The major festival is known as Nyetriidow which is generally celebrated in the 2nd week of November every year. The term 'Nyetriidow' is a combination of two Aka terms Nyetrii - meaning village and Dow-meaning do away/drive away/clean out. The present illustrated monograph is an attempt to showcase the rich cultural practices of the Aka tribe of Arunachal Pradesh through textual and visual appreciation for the general readers.

About the Author

Dr. Gibji Nimasow is an Associate Professor and researcher in the Department of Geography, Rajiv Gandhi University Rono Hills, Doimukh (Itanagar), Arunachal Pradesh. He is first among the Aka tribe to complete M. Phil and Ph. D. He is a Gold Medalist in M. Phil and qualified both NET and SLET examinations. He is specialized in Human Geography, IKS, Phytogeography, Forest resources and Human Livelihood, Sustainable Development and GIS & Remote Sensing. He has published about 40 research papers, 2 books and presented number of research papers in seminars, workshops and conferences of national and international importance. He has completed 3 major research projects sponsored by ICSSR, New Delhi, ATREE (CEPF), Darjeeling and UGC, New Delhi. He is one of the winners of International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) call for case studies on Mountain Biodiversity Initiatives, 2011. Being the member of BUGS and BPGS he is vital in framing the syllabus of both undergraduate and postgraduate studies in the state. He is a life member of professional bodies of national repute like NAGI, ISRS, NGSI, ISNA, etc. He has successfully supervised and guided dissertations of M. Phil and Ph.D. in various topics of geographical interest.

Anu Radha of Aakaar Films is an Indian Film Producer and a Communications Specialist, who has made documentary films which has been screened globally. She believes in films that reflect a compassionate humanitarian issue, connecting each soul of One World without borders. As a Communications Specialist, she connects Grassroot to Boardrooms through creative communication skills, new project strategy development, execution and evaluation, thus bringing positive partnerships in Social development and network management. Empowerment across Genders reflects in her projects and writings. An avid traveler with a creative eye, she has a penchant for photography.

Foreword

The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) is a centre encompassing the study and experience of all the arts - each form with its own integrity, yet within a dimension of mutual interdependence, interrelated with nature, social structure and cosmology. Through diverse programmes of research, publication, training, creative activities and performance, the IGNCA seeks to place the arts within the context of the natural and human environment Recognizing the need to encompass and preserve the distributed fragments of Indian arts and culture, and to study the different aspects of Indology from Indian viewpoint, long term project titled Bharat Vidya Prayojana (BVP) may be initiated in the IGNCA. The lack of institutional study and research on Indology in India has resulted in a serious discord in the understanding and appreciation of ideas contained in the said texts and traditions, especially by the younger generation. While it is welcomed that questions be raised about fundamental concepts and outlook of Indian traditions; the healthy dialogue is lacking and the discourse often becomes uni-directional, negative and anti-institutional to the time-honoured knowledge and traditions of India.

Introduction

Tribes of Incredible India

There has been a resurgence of global interest in the indigenous knowledge of tribal India. These unknown practices of Tribes showcase to the world that the modern reforms are not a "discovery" for India, as Indian tribes were practicing traditional methods, more specifically ethnomedicine and conservation, much to the benefit of the global needs and generations to follow.

Tribes of Arunachal Pradesh

A lot has been written and spoken about Tribes of India from various other States, while there is gap of knowledge of Tribal belt of largest State of India in the North East - Arunachal Pradesh. With 26 tribes and more than 100 sub tribes, there is a vast repository of an indigenous knowledge system that needs to be expanded, studied and utilised by the modern world. It is important to enable this micro study of Tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, thus expanding its horizons for policy formation. The traditional knowledge of Arunachal Pradesh tribal communities showcases the 'other dimension' of most problems faced today. From ecosystem management to traditional medicine, their knowledge can help us in coping up with resource depletion.

The AKA's Documentary and Monograph

As a filmmaker and author, my creatives have always led into discovery of unknown subjects of human interest. It was an opportune moment with IGNCA, who are proudly promoting unique aspects of Incredible India and Indian-ness through Bhaviprayojana to the world, to be able to explore a never before filmed tribe - the AKA's in the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh Dr Gibji Nimasow was a hidden jewel, that I discovered through his various academic papers and book published on the Aka's. Dr Nimasow, himself an Aka, was more than keen that his tribe with their rich repository of knowledge, especially conservation of ecosystem, should be written and spoken about, benefitting mankind.

I began a long and enriched journey, researching for six months, visiting locations of the tribe that were unreachable, penetrating to create a trust amongst those few thousands of them living within small communities spread across a very difficult but exhilarating terrain.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages