HISTORY OF ARUNACHAL PRADESH

CULTURE AND HISTORY OF ARUNACHAL PRADESH.

1. OPE-196 HISTORY,CULTURE OF ARUNACHAL PRADESH

2. INTRODUCTION Arunachal Pradesh ( Land of Dawn-Lit Mountains) is a state in Northeastern Region of India . It was formed from the  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 international borders with  Bhutan  in the west,  Myanmar  in the east, and a disputed border with China in the north at the  McMahon Line. Itanagar  is the state capital of Arunachal Pradesh . Arunachal Pradesh is the largest of the  Seven Sister States  of  Northeast India  by area.

3. MAP OF ARUNACHAL PRADESH

4. HISTORY The History of Arunachal Pradesh is divided into two parts: The Ancient Period: It is the period between the 500 BCE to 17 th century. (b) the Modern Period: The British India (1912-1914),the McMahon Line ,including the Sino-Indian war (1962) .

5. CULTURE The Culture of Arunachal Pradesh is truly varied in the sense that the state has 26 major tribes including sub tribes. The major tribes are : Adi ,Galo, Nyishi , Tagin, Apatani , Monpa , Mishmi etc. Modern-day Arunachal Pradesh is one of the linguistically richest and most diverse regions in all of Asia , being home to at least 30 and possibly as many as 50 distinct languages in addition to innumerable dialects and subdialects.

6. CULTURAL LIFESTYLE Arunachal’s cultural lifestyle is dominated by colourful festivals. Since agriculture is the mainstay here so people generally celebrate festivals as a mark of thanksgiving to the Almighty for giving them a good harvest. Some of the prominent festivals celebrated in Arunachal Pradesh are Losar , Solung , Nyokum,Mopin , Dree, Reh , Si- Donyi etc.

7. Celebration of Solung festival of the Adis .

8. CRAFTS Arunachal Pradesh is gifted with Traditional craftsmen skills that have been passed from generations and generations. Local men are skilled in basketry, wood carving , cane and bamboo work , smithy work and many others. The women are expert in making handicrafts , ornaments , weaving & handlooms.

9. Weaving of Gale (wrapped skirts worn by the women of Arunachal Pradesh).

10. Cane and Bamboo work by the local men of Arunachal Pradesh.

11. FOOD The in fluence of tribal communities and nearby Himalayan civilizations is quite evident in the local cuisine.  Rice and Bamboo shoot are the staple food of Arunacha l. Lettuce is quite popular among locals and it is cooked using green chillies , coriander and ginger. Various forms of rice beers are prepared by local communities, one of them being Apong which is prepared by fermenting rice and millet. Due to the high amount of variedness among local communities, the food preparation methods differ slightly from district from district.

12. Rice (source) Bamboo shoot (source)

13. ` Apong ’- Rice beer , it is homemade , free of any chemicals. It is one of the most important traditional drink and forms an important cuisine of Arunachal Pradesh.