WovenSouls

Arunachal Pradesh Lifestyle – Innovative Housing

Traditional Sports – Kabutar Baazi or Pigeon Gaming

Ram Leela at Dassera in Mumbai

Traditional Sports of Ladakh – Archery

Traditional Sports of Ladakh – Polo

Mountain Adventures 18000ft above sea level – a landslide at the Khardungla Pass!

Bactrian Camels of the Central Asian Silk Route – Ladakh

A night-out with the Nomads of Changthang

Mastering the Mind & Body – the Monk Warriors of Shaolin

The Ambubasi Tantric Festival

Church of Saint Francis Xavier of Assisi, Old Goa

Terracotta Warriors, Xi’an – a photo gallery of exhibits at Asian Civilisations Museum

Viva San Jao 2011

Invitation to a Lambani Gypsy Tribal Wedding

Exquisite Vintage Kebayas – costumes of the Pernakan Culture

Sikkim Diaries

Chanting Ceremony at Lingdum Monastery, Sikkim

Losar Celebrations – Bonfire at Kagyud Monastery, Sikkim

Procession at the Enchey Monastery, Sikkim

Little Lamas, Sikkim

Lama Dances at Thongsa Monastery, Kalimpong

Dancing with the Nuns at Phendzong Nunnery

Cross border handshake at Nathu-la Pass on the Silk Route

Yak Horn textile adornments, Sikkim

Street Shrines of India

The Hornbill Festival, Nagaland

Naga Lifestyle

Tribal Dances of Nagaland

Traditional Naga Bamboo Climbing & Fire Making

Tribal Textile and Bead Art of Nagaland

Sacrificial Lamb at Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati

Train Ride across rural Assam – Guwahati to Dimapur

Sumazau Dance of Sabah, Borneo

Journey of a Lifetime – Tibet

The Narakasur Festival

Lifestyle of the Qashqai Tribe, South West Persia

Nomads of Mongolia

Driving to Sindhudurg Sea Fort and back

The Eunuch Community of Bombay

The Dhunuchi Dance at Durga Puja

Thumbuakar Tribals of Borneo

Lucknow – Capital of Awadh & city of Nawabs

The Dragon Dance

The Magnificent Lion Dance

Janamashtami Festival

A cup of tea with nomads and gypsies of the Kutch

Alternate Sexuality Traditions 2 – The Tibetans

Textile Symbolism 1 : Hilltribes of Northern Thailand

Alternate Sexuality Traditions 1 – The Khmers

The children of Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Time Travel Tour Operators

Kissing a Bengal Tiger

Common Memes between Tribes

Into the Arabian Sea at Mumbai

Through Rural Gujarat

Life in an Ashram

Goan Village House

Monsoon at Miramar, Goa

Dances from another place

The Fishing Nets of Cochin

The Lambani Gypsy Tribe

Lifestyle of the Hilltribes of Northern Thailand

Travelling Godmen

Colors of San Jao festival, Goa

Rajasthan Folk Art

Mountain flight to Mount Everest

Pashupatinath – celebration and sorrow

New posts are constantly being added to this list and will appear at the top.

Back to the Future – Tribal Life in Arunachal Pradesh

wovensouls — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:25:27 +0000

Nested in the Himalayan foothills, almost untouched by my world that is desperately seeking answers to its energy crisis, its financial crisis fuelled by ‘more & more’ & ‘growth’, and its societal crisis caused by the breakdown of tested social models, are the tribes of Arunachal Pradesh living in harmony with nature and with each other. Just as their ancestors did.

It is hard to describe their lives. Pure. Rustic. Simple. In harmony with the universe. Frugal. Bare. Primitive – not in the sense of ‘backward’ but in the sense of living along ‘first principles’. As humans within an ecological system – not humans trying to control everything they see, as individuals within a harmonious society, not as individuals where each one lives for himself alone.

People in different spots live in mindsets that may take a few centuries to converge. Depending on a point of reference, the ‘other’ mindset might seem backward or evolved. In a prima facie view from my point of reference,the tribes of Arunachal Pradesh appeared to live an unevolved life. But the more I soaked myself into my fortnight spent among the Noctes, the Galo, the Nyishi, the Tagin and the Apatani people, the more I was convinced that these people are way more evolved than I can ever hope to be in my lifetime, in many ways. That for me and others like me in my world, the way to move forward to the future is to move back to the basic living standards of the past. To move back to the future.

An example : One of my guides mentioned the singular difference that makes these people so special: that the tribal people judge each other based on how nice they are and how accomplished they are, on their behavior and on their actions. The worldly possessions and the things they own make no difference to an individual’s reputation or to the his personal power in the equations within a group. Backward thinking or evolved?

Another example: When a man needs to build a home, he acquires the material from the forest, gets help from the other villagers and they build it together. Zero material cost. Zero Labour cost. Zero interest. And a house is built. Primitive idea or evolved?

They eat what they harvest and hunt and they weave what they wear. The new sunrise does not bring a fresh chase for an unknown utopia. With each new tomorrow they just go on as before. Their future is their past. And there is contentment in the people. They have the luxury of time. And it has not been traded for the latest line of Prada bags.

***

Looking back on the journey I realise that the experiences of visiting people living in their daily settings are subtle – the visuals and the sounds do not jump out at the viewer from a premeditated platform like they do in an organised festival. Therefore it is extremely easy to miss seeing and noticing unique elements of life. Having the luxury of time to go slow and observe details alertly was essential. Secondly the fact that the entire 2000 km stretch was almost entirely a tribal belt helped to remain soaked in the rustic experience without any interruption from urban distractions. In earlier experiences in other places I have stayed in the city and visited tribes on day trips but the impact of those is not as strong as when an extended period is spent only in the villages. The journey is done, but it feels incomplete – it feels like much more is left to be seen and explored and that I must return someday soon.

More about the 2000 km road journey in the Himalayan foothills in the following travelogues soon…

A chance encounter with a Shaman Priest during a sacrifice ritual

The Gaanv Boodhas or Village Headmen of Arunachal Pradesh

Back to the Future – Tribal Life in Arunachal Pradesh

jm
Dec 2011

Fierce Nocte Headhunters

wovensouls — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 07:35:01 +0000

Portrait-collage of the Nocte Tribe, Khonsa, Arunachal Pradesh, a friendly happy yet fierce tribe with headhunting ancestry.

Hi res images available on www.jainamishra.com

My other related articles

Headhunting Tropies

The Tribal Hornbill Festival, Nagaland

January 2012

The Gaanv Boodhas or Village Headmen of Arunachal Pradesh

wovensouls — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:11:11 +0000

Am stating the obvious – that every journey results in not only a fresh view of old things, but also views of things never seen before by the beholder.

Having travelled considerably in rural India, the attitude of ‘been-there-done-that’ was slowly coloring my vision and I’d begun to become a bit of the Ms. Know-it-all. Since most of my conversations are conducted with myself in my mind, the ‘listener’ parts of me were beginning to find the ‘speaker’ parts of me, a bit obnoxious.

And so it was good to find completely unknown concepts that even Ms. Know-it-all was stumped by!In the vegetable market in Ziro one morning, I came across a man dressed in a red overcoat and ceremonial sash.

At the vegetable market

But I was busy sitting on my haunches and chatting with the local vegetable vending women, so after a moment of being distracted by the red, I went back to the chit chat.

Within a few moments another man arrived strolling in a leisurely manner and I had to to make way for him on the narrow market path for which I stood up. Lo and behold – this was another man in a red coat looking all distinguished compared to the general laity floating around.

Another red jacket in the vegetable market

These were no ordinary men walking the streets of Ziro.

The sight of the first red man had aroused my curiosity but that thought train was cut short by my previous engagements.

But the second sighting seized my attention and made me ask the Hindi speaking shopkeeper what these red coats were and who these men were.

Here is what I learnt:

These red jacketed men are “Gaanv Boodhas” which literally means “Village Elder”.

While there can be many elders or seniors, this title is usually held by the oldest man in the village. His deeds of valour and goodness are also factored in to the selection process because it is important that the entire village respects the headman. Economic standing plays absolutely not role in the respect a man enjoys.

He is the official village headman.The government administration involves him in the decision making process and in the information dissemination process. There is also a formal association of Gaanv Boodhas that includes all the appointed headmen. And he wears a distinguishing uniform consisting of the striking red jacket, a sash that is decorated with the trophies of his hunts, a name tag and his special weapons.

A few images of the many headmen I had the privilege to meet on this journey.

Portrait of a respected Gaanv Boodha

Portrait

With his traditional backpack

A weapon that is always carried on his person - the 'Dho'

The Gaanv Boodha with his grandson at his home

The Name plate announcing his position and office

Traditional beads

The respected Gaanv Boodha in normal home clothes

The Gaanv Boodha in the full splendour of his uniform

The decorated hat contained eagle claws, porcupine quills and feathers

Detail of another sash with the jaw

Detail of bearskin sash and staff

And so, my personal discovery of the concept of GBs that I was ignorant about until now, helped to wash off the saprophytic attitude of smugness that had begun growing like a fungus on my decaying vision. I now stand humbly corrected and reminded that I do not know it all and I hope that this episode will arrest this decay!

My other articles on Arunachal Pradesh

A chance encounter with a Shaman Priest during a sacrifice ritual

Jan 2012

Glimpses of a contented People – the Arunachalis

wovensouls — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 14:19:11 +0000

Images of interesting elements of Arunachali lifestyle have been put together as a general kaleidoscope.

Click to view slideshow.

For separate articles on the specific topics, click on the links below:

A chance encounter with a Shaman Priest during a sacrifice ritual

The Gaanv Boodhas or Village Headmen of Arunachal Pradesh

January 2012

Hi resolution lifescape images will be available on jainamishra.com soon

A chance encounter with a Shaman Priest during a sacrifice ritual

wovensouls — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:10:04 +0000

Rural Arunachal Pradesh, Dec 2011

This was an encounter that took me by surprise and swept me off my feet! When I think back, it is difficult to imagine the odds of being blessed with such an encounter with a Shaman priest of the Danyi Polo religion, in the middle of a field who was conducting his ritual for a very short time.

The window of time-space in which our worldlines could have crossed was not really a window – but a thread-thin sliver…. and yet our paths crossed and I witnessed the glory of a Shamanistic ritual as he sacrificed the heart of a chicken to save a tribal man’s life! Am indeed fortunate to have witnessed this. The images follow…

But first a little about rituals of the Danyi Polo religion that is practiced widely among the tribes of Arunachal Pradesh.

Ceremonies are conducted by Shamans or priests. And the markers of the ceremonies are large straw weavings and bamboo structures placed outside the home.

Straw ritual object kept outside the home during a ceremony.

Eggshells are an important part of the object

At the time of death, after the burial a tower is constructed around the fresh grave. The structural design of the tower varies from one tribe to another.

A straw and cane tower set up after the death of person at the site of his burial. This structure is conical.

A small cuboid tower

The following images shows the grandest burial tower I saw in those 2 weeks. The umbrella is used to protect the man in his after-life, just as it did when he was alive.

A grand tower built around the grave of a man who had died 2 weeks ago.

His favorite objects are placed on the structure so that he may use them in the after-life. His bison or mithun is sacrificed during the funeral ceremonies and the horns are placed on the structure. And his slippers are added to comfort him as he walks on into the next world.

The horns of the Mithun or Bison

The slippers of the deceased

All the above were simply present in the daily scheme of life of the many villages I crossed. And there was nothing – like a board or a reading or a tour guide – that drew attention to them. But the uniqueness of these structures aroused my curiosity and I stopped the friendly villagers to ask around and learnt about these. The journey of chance discoveries is indeed a delightful one.

In the same way, as I crossed a plateau from one village to another, in the middle of the fields on the plateau was a little hut with a single person performing actions in a curious way.The driver stopped and we walked through the field to find out what was going on.

We approached and even though we were within meters of him, the man paid us no heed and continued his activity.

Hut in the middle of an empty field

It was only when I observed him for a few seconds from within 5 feet, that I realised what it was that I was witnessing!

This was a Shaman – a priest – in the middle of a worship ritual!!!!

The Shaman or the Priest of the Danyi Polo sect

I was in awe and wanting to be non-intrusive I stood in one spot without moving further and clicked the surrounding structure he had created.

The decorated straw objects required for the ritual

Eggshells needed for the ritual

Articles critical to the ritual

The beautifully woven straw ritual objects flying in the wind

I pretended that if I did not look at him directly, he would not see me either. And clicked whatever else was around.

Jaw bones of a previously sacrificed animal

All this while I could hear him murmuring chants but I did not dare to look at him directly in the fear that he might ask me to leave.

After the first few uncomfortable moments passed I gathered courage to look in his direction hoping to catch a momentary but direct glimpse of his face, his hand movements and the objects he held.

And once again I thank my stars that I looked when I did – or I would have missed the sacrifice altogether!!

He held a little chicken in his left hand and he had used his right hand to open it up and take out the heart (or liver maybe?) !!!!

Then, as he chanted his prayers softly he sprayed some of the ritual straw objects with blood.

The ritual objects now sprayed with sacrificial blood

Blood sprayed objects

Sacrifice of the heart and liver

The momentary glimpse that I had intended, had turned into a stare for as long as I was there.

Normally my camera clicks incessantly in any interesting event – so that I get to select the image with the best angle, the best sharpness, the best framing etc, later on. But of the actual sacrifice I have only 1 image…I was simply too mesmerised to click.

The Shaman finished his ritual and he packed up the remains of the chicken in a plain plastic bag. Even though we were the only people in the middle of this huge field that extended in all directions, he was totally disinterested in my presence. In the next few seconds, without a word or glance of acknowledgment, he finished, picked up his bags and left.

The entire episode from the time I arrived at this prayer hut to the time he left lasted about 4 minutes.

I had just witnessed a spectacular event. In its un-rehearsed un-staged splendour! No grand orchestra playing in the background, no dramatic build up to the finale. Just a flow of events, set in the silence of the huge field and accompanied only by the chill wind. An event that could so easily have gone unnoticed.

Even as I write this a month after the event, I am struck by the awesomeness of the probabilities that favored me and conferred upon me the chance to witness it.

This sliver of opportunity – is exactly like every other experience I had in Arunachal Pradesh. The experiences are all out there – waiting – happening silently – but it is for the traveller to seek them out and seize every potential sliver to make the most of the offerings of Arunachal Pradesh.

And of course, if the traveller believes in prayer – then she must pray for gifts from serendipity.

***

Added : A video I’d taken on my phone but forgotten about is available Here on youtube.

Antique Shaman textiles are available here on my antique textile gallery wovensouls.com

Other articles on Arunachal Pradesh can be found here:

The Gaanv Boodhas or Village Headmen of Arunachal Pradesh

January 2012

The Arunachali – the Hunter-Gatherer-Weaver

wovensouls — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 03:59:23 +0000

A handsome hunter

Tiny hamlets dot the Himalayan foothills of Arunachal Pradesh. Some lie along the winding roads while a large number are accessible only by foot paths taking as long as 3-5 days to reach.

These hamlets are few and far between and the percentage of land occupied by all the villages cumulatively will probably not cover more than 5% of the land available. The rest is covered by thick forests. Forests that sustain the small population.

The life philosophy of the people therefore, integrates their own lives with their surroundings and their model for life sustenance reflects their philosophy.

They conduct ‘jhoom’ farming to grow some of their grain, they hunt for food, they cut deadwood for fuel and housing and they weave what the clothing they need.

They are hunters, gatherers, weavers, farmers.

On the drive from Khonsa to Pasighat to Along to Daporijo to Ziro, in the afternoons, as I crossed hamlets, I’d come across women sitting in their porches and weaving on back-strap looms.

In the evenings as I’d approach a village I’d see men and women returning from the forest, their rattan head-strap back-baskets filled with millet or logs or other products from the forest.

And all through the day but more so after dark, I’d see solo men and solo women with rifles going out to acquire the next meal for their families.

Click to view slideshow.

The new world is changing lives everywhere but it is refreshing to see a world that is moving at a leisurely pace and is in no hurry to catch up with anyone else.

Other articles on Arunachal Pradesh have been linked below:

A chance encounter with a Shaman Priest during a sacrifice ritual

The Gaanv Boodhas or Village Headmen of Arunachal Pradesh

Jan 2012

Tribal Signatures – Face Tattoos of the Apatani tribe

wovensouls — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:06:12 +0000

The lifestyle of Apatani hilltribe of Arunachal Pradesh fascinates a cultural traveller on several aspects. But the one that hit me with the greatest intensity are the 2 tribal signatures of the tribe : face tattoos & nose plugs.

Getting a first glimpse of these on the internet created a desire to go and see them in person. And so I set out on this logistically challenging trip in December to satisfy the frenzy created in my head with all the readings.

I expected that seeing them and experiencing a spectrum of their lifestyle would quench my curiosity. But instead, it fuelled it. The reason for this unexpected reaction is the stark truth that was revealed as I spoke with the Apatanis – that their unique traditions are breathing their last breath.

Legend has it that the women of this tribe used to be kidnapped by neighbouring tribes because of their beauty. To prevent this the tribe began to tattoo the faces of the girls and put on nose plugs – either to repel or to brand their own young girls.

This practice was abolished after soon after India’s independence when the government provided security against kidnappings. As a result, no more faces have tattooed for the past 30 – 35 years.The youngest tattooed face I saw was about 45.

The next generation of the world, therefore, will see a rainbow of human diversity that will be missing one color – a very unique and intense color.

And the only glimpses available to the future will be through the few photographs taken since the camera was invented!

Here I present a few:

Face tattoo of an Apatani tribal woman from Arunachal Pradesh

Nose plugs of the Apatani Tribe - one more tribal signature

A village headman with a tattoo on his chin

The elegant and gorgeous Apatani woman with her signature beads

A photo-lifescape of the Apatani tribe will follow soon…

The images above are a small preview of the Hi-res full size images to be put up on my photography website www.JainaMishra.com soon.

My other articles on Arunachal Pradesh are linked below:

A chance encounter with a Shaman Priest during a sacrifice ritual

The Gaanv Boodhas or Village Headmen of Arunachal Pradesh