NYISHI TRIBE

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Picture Courtesy: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/first-woman-from-arunachals-nyishi-tribe-scales-everest/articleshow/110316442.cms

Context: Kabak Yano became the 5th woman from Arunachal Pradesh and the first woman from the Nyishi tribe to summit Mount Everest.

About Nyishi Tribe

• The Nyishi community is the largest ethnic group in Arunachal Pradesh.
• They practise shifting cultivation known as "rët rung-o," cultivating crops such as rice, maize, ginger, yams, millet, and various vegetables.
• A locally-made drink called "upo" is an integral part of their social gatherings, prepared through traditional methods like fermentation, steaming, roasting, and smoking.
• Nyokum, Boori-Boot, and Longte are the festivals celebrated by the Nyishi people, commemorating their ancestors.
• Historically, they followed indigenous beliefs, worshipping nature spirits. The priest acted as a mediator between humans and spirits, performing rituals and animal sacrifices. With the influence of Christian missionaries since the 1950s, many Nyishi people have converted to Christianity, while some still adhere to Donyi-Polo, the indigenous religion.
• Traditionally, Nyishi people wore cane helmets with hornbill beak crests, leading to a decline in hornbill populations due to hunting. Conservation efforts, including the establishment of nature reserves and the adoption of alternative materials for headgear, aim to protect hornbill populations.

Source:

Times of India

Wikipedia