Tribes of Arunachal Pradesh

Going through various places at Itanagar, I found that people do belong to Arunachal, but have different festivals, different language, different outfits and most importantly – Different tribes. Yes, being a largest state among the seven sisters it is a house of around 20 tribes. These are Adis, Apatanis, Buguns, Hrusso, Singphos, Mishmis, Monpas, Nyishi, Sherdukpens, Tagins, Khamtis, Wanchos, Noctes, Yobin, Khambas, Membas, Aka, Miji, Bori, Bokar, Galo etc. Itanagar is a Nyishi dominating area but being a capital city, I observed that all the major tribes does exists in the city.

When Interacted with different people of different tribes, I got the idea of the specialties of different tribes. Different tribes have a different tradition, different beliefs, different festivals etc. Let’s have a look at the major tribes of state.

Man in Nyishi dress (Photo by Chandramouly Pandey)

Nyishi Tribe: The Nyishis are the largest groups of people inhabiting in the state. The men of this tribe keep their hair long and tie it in a knot just above the forehead. They wear cane bands around the waist. This tribe believes that after death, the spirit of a dead travels to the village of the ancestors.

Adi Tribe: By nature, the Adis are democratic and organized. Their village council is called Kebang. Their villages are usually situated on the spurs of hills. Adi women are very good weavers.

Apatani Tribe: The Apatanis are settled agriculturists. They inhabit the valley around Ziro -the headquarters of Lower Subansiri district. They are good cultivators and practice both wet and terrace cultivation.

Tagin Tribe: The Tagins are main inhabitant of Upper Subansiri district. Agriculture is their main occupation.

Hrusso Tribe: They were related with the Ahom Kings. They have a custom of painting their face with black marks. The Hrusso is mainly involved in the trades of cloth, blankets, swords, etc.

Singpho Tribe: The Singphos reside on the banks of Tengapani and Noa Dehang rivers. They are agriculturists and expert blacksmiths. The Singpho women are good weavers.

Wancho Tribe: The western part of Tirap district, bordering Nagaland, is inhabited by the Wanchos. The law and order of the society is maintained by a village council. Tattooing is a social custom among them.

These are the major tribes of the state, hope you will be continuing with me in this “Safar” of ‘Safar Itanagar’.