Tucked away between the countries of China, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh is the seven sisters of india tourseven sisters of india tour — Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Assam, Tripura. Each of these regions are well off-the-beaten path for the typical traveler, and even rarely visited by Indians. It truly is one of the most interesting and most culturally diverse regions of the world.
In this short feature, we will cover some of the most interesting tribes and cultures throughout the Seven Sisters that we will visit on our upcoming cultural tours.
Mishing
Mishing
The Mishing are the riverine plain tribes of Assam, which is the second largest group of scheduled tribe of the state. As a riverine tribe they construct their houses on stilts about five feet from the ground which is about 30 – 40 meter in length.
Nyishi (Nishis)
Nishi tribal man by Diganta Talukdar
The Nyishi (Nishis) are a proud hill tribe, considered independent, and turbulent during the British “Raj”. They are easily distinguished by their form of dress, notably their woven, feather adorned hornbill caps. They live in “long houses” and each may shelter up to 20 families. They are individualistic – the society has no chiefs, and no council of elders. They have a strong belief in different spirits – good and evil, each with assigned habitat. The spirits are placated by sacrifice of animals.
Apatani
Apatani woman.
The Apatani tribes themselves are Ziro’s greatest attraction. The older men-folk tie their hair in top-knots and tattoo their faces. Apatani women wear wooden nose plugs and also tattoo their faces, which was done long ago in order to prevent them from being kidnapped from their villages. However, a new generation of Apatani men and women have stopped this since early 1970s, so the elder generation are primarily the last surviving people that practice this tradition. The Apatani are good cultivators and practice both wet and terrace cultivation, and the field work is done entirely by iron hoes, digging sticks and batons.
Tagins
Tagin
The Tagins are very volatile and independent people, and had a history of massacring outsiders (the last of which was in 1953). They are known to grow tobacco and are habitual smokers as well as expert hunters and use poison from plants for arrows. Selling of land is considered taboo, as they believe the presiding spirit is likely to be annoyed and bring misfortune.
Adi
Adi
Adi tribes, meaning “hill man” or “man of hill”, are one of the largest tribes of Arunachal Pradesh who still prefer to live in traditional broad huge houses made of bamboo, cane and wood and the are known for their unique architecture and designs. The religion of the Adi is centered on Donyi-Polo, the Sun-Moon god, who is regarded as the eye of the world. They believe in the world of spirits, and perform ceremonies to appease malignant ones to ward off the evil.
Konyak
Konyak Tribe by DaJudge
The most traditional of the sixteen Naga tribes. They have given up their head-hunting ways, but still lives in a very traditional lifestyle. Konyak are adapt artisan and skilled craftsman.
Ao Naga
Ao Naga by Yves Picq
One of the major tribes of Nagaland and found mostly in the central Mokokchung. Racially the Ao Nagas are Mongolians, therefore all Mokokchung villagers are Mongolians and believed to have migrated from the Far East. There are five clans within the village — Pongener, Longkumer, Jamir, Atsongchanger and Kechutzar.
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All of these tribes and several more will be visited on our unique India tours: https://www.outofboundstours.com/tours/destinations/india
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