Debdatta Chakraborty
An Apatani tribal leader is getting ready to inspect his properties. Apatanis are peace loving community but living in the Ziro Valley, they are surrounded by the warring tribes like Adi, Galo etc. In the past, they had to fight hard to maintain their existence. Traditionally, the Apatanis do not have the concept of a village chief. Instead, the traditional egalitarian structure of the Apatanis have councils of older men in the clans, who are respected (or not) for their oratory and judgement.
The Apatani tribe
Tribe Apatani
Geography North East India
State Arunachal Pradesh
The Apatanis are a tribal group of people living in the Ziro valley of Arunachal Pradesh. Their wet rice cultivation system and their agriculture are unique without the use of any farm animals or machines. So is their sustainable social forestry system. UNESCO has proposed the Apatani valley for inclusion as a World Heritage Site for its “extremely high productivity” and “unique” way of preserving the ecology.
