Nishi (Tribe)
Encyclopedia

Nyishi People

The Nyishi people principally inhabit the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh is a state of India, located in the far northeast. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south, and shares international borders with Burma in the east, Bhutan in the west, and the People's Republic of China in the north. The majority of the territory is claimed by...

. Known as the Nyishi (alternative spelling Nyishi meaning 'people of the land or the human being').
They inhabit the Papum Pare, East Kameng
East Kameng
East Kameng district is one of the 16 districts of Arunachal Pradesh state in northeastern, India. It shares an international border with Tibet in the north, a state border with Assam and district borders with West Kameng, Papumpare and Kurung Kumey, which was bifurcated from Lower Subansiri...

 and Lower Subansiri
Lower Subansiri
Lower Subansiri district is one of the 16 administrative districts of the state of Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India.-History:The district was formed when Subansiri district was bifurcated into Upper and Lower Subansiri districts in 1987...

, Kurung Kumey, parts of upper Subansiri districts of Arunachal Pradesh, as well as the Darrang District
Darrang District
Darrang is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Mangaldai. The district occupies an area of 3481 km².-History:In 1983 Sonitpur district was formed from part of Darrang...

 and North Lakhimpur district of Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...

. Their population of around 300,000 makes them the most populous tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, seconded by the combined tribes of the Adis and the Galongs who were the most populous in the 2001 census. The Nyishi language belongs to the Sino-Tibetan family, however, the origin is disputed and no single concrete theory stands unchallenged.

Most Nyishi do not like the idea of intermarriage with other neighboring tribes, which also is common about the other tribes. Polygyny
Polygyny
Polygyny is a form of marriage in which a man has two or more wives at the same time. In countries where the practice is illegal, the man is referred to as a bigamist or a polygamist...

 is prevalent among the Nyishi. It signifies ones social status and economical stability and also proves handy during hard times like clan wars or social huntings and other social activities. This institution, however is being challenged. They trace their descent patrilineally
Patrilineality
Patrilineality is a system in which one belongs to one's father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritance of property, names or titles through the male line as well....

 and are divided into several clans.

Economy

The Nyishi are agriculturalists who practice hifting cultivation|jhum, rag in Nyishi], which is a form of shifting cultivation. The principal crops raised include paddy
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...

, maize [tapio in Nyishi], cucumber [mekung in Nyishi], ginger [takie in Nyishi], yams [aange in Nyishi] and temi millet
Millet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...

. Rice is the staple food
Staple food
A staple food is one that is eaten regularly and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a diet, and that supplies a high proportion of energy and nutrient needs. Most people live on a diet based on one or more staples...

 of the people, supplemented by fish, meat of various animals, edible tubers and leafy vegetables. Before modern economic invaded them, they use barter system. They greatly valued the generalized reciprocity and also balance reciprocity in their economic system. A locally-made drink known as apos [two types of apo: pone, made of rice, and poling which is made of millets] is mostly made from millet and rice. This is used at all social gatherings and important events. The Nyishi's are fond of it. Nyishi, traditionally being dependent on the forest, eat fruits,root, bamboo shoots and fish. Traditional ways of preparing them include steaming, roasting and smoking.Now they are forced to shift to market exchange money.

Dress

Traditionally, Nyishi plait
Braid
A braid is a complex structure or pattern formed by intertwining three or more strands of flexible material such as textile fibres, wire, or human hair...

 their hair and tie it neatly at the forehead with Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...

an thread. A brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...

 skewer passes horizontally through the tied hair. Cane
Arundo
Arundo is a genus of two or three species of cane: stout, perennial grasses from the family Poaceae, native to the Mediterranean region east to India, China and Japan. They grow to 3–6 m tall, occasionally to 10 m, with leaves 30-60 cm long and 3-6 cm broad.- Species :* Arundo...

 rings were worn around the waist, arms and legs. Men wore a cane helmet surmounted with the beak of the Great Indian Hornbill.The usage of actual Hornbill beaks is discouraged these days due to tough wildlife protection laws since The Great Indian Hornbill is a protected species and generally due to growing awareness among the people as well. It is being supplemented by beaks made of cane or other materials and the entire headgear/cane helmet itself is readily available in the market for purchase. Additional decorations varied depending upon the status of person and were symbols of manly valour.

The clothing of the men consists of sleeveless shirts made from thick cotton cloth, striped gaily with blue and red together with a mantle of cotton or wool fastened around the throat and shoulders. Strings made of beads in varying sizes and colours were also worn, mainly for decoration purposes. They used to carry a dao
Dao (sword)
Daois a category of single-edge Chinese swords primarily used for slashing and chopping , often called a broadsword in English translation because some varieties have wide blades. In China, the dao is known as one of the four major weapons, along with the gun , qiang , and the jian , and referred...

 (ario, chagge in Nyishi) (short sword) and a knife (Riochi) in a bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....

 sheath. Their armament consists of spear with iron-head, a large sword, and a bow
Bow (weapon)
The bow and arrow is a projectile weapon system that predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.-Description:A bow is a flexible arc that shoots aerodynamic projectiles by means of elastic energy. Essentially, the bow is a form of spring powered by a string or cord...

 with arrows, tipped with poison (ammio) on it. During war both the chest and back are covered with the sabbe
Gayal
Gayal or mithun is the domestic gaur, probably a gaur-cattle hybrid breed.-Taxonomy:In his first description of 1804, Aylmer Bourke Lambert applied the binomial Bos frontalis to a domestic specimen probably from Chittagong....

 buffalo hide, and over it they wear a black cloak made of indigenous fibre.

The Nyishi women generally wear a sleeveless mantle of striped or plain cloth, its upper part tucked tightly over the breast and enveloping the body from the armpits to the centre of the calves. A ribbon is tied at the waist. A girdle
Girdle
A girdle is a garment that encircles the lower torso, perhaps extending below the hips, and worn often for support. The word girdle originally meant a belt. In modern English, the term girdle is most commonly used for a form of women's foundation wear that replaced the corset in popularity...

 consisting of metal disks and cane garter
Garter
Garter can refer to:*Garter , an item of clothing used to hold up stockings*Order of the Garter, the senior British order of chivalry*Ladies of the Garter , female members of the mediaeval Order of the Garter...

s is worn at the waist. Their hair is parted in the middle, plaited and tied into a chignon
Chignon (hairstyle)
A chignon is a popular type of hairstyle. The word “chignon” comes from the French phrase “chignon du cou,” which means nape of the neck. Chignons are generally achieved by pinning the hair into a knot at the nape of the neck or at the back of the head, but there are many different variations of...

 just above the nape. Their ornaments include multicolored bead necklaces, brass chains, metal bells, huge brass or silver earrings and heavy bracelets of various metals.

Religion

Nyishis are the animist (faith), a religion which commemorates their ancestors, emphasizes a belief in many spirits and superstitions, and includes religious rituals which coincide with lunar phase
Lunar phase
A lunar phase or phase of the moon is the appearance of the illuminated portion of the Moon as seen by an observer, usually on Earth. The lunar phases change cyclically as the Moon orbits the Earth, according to the changing relative positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun...

s or agricultural cycles. Abo-Tani is revered by the Nyishi as the primal ancestor of the animist
Animism
Animism refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle....

 tribes of Tibetan or quasi-Tibetan origin. Strictly speaking the Nyishi does not have common religious festival, however, the Meokam Yullo is now treated as a common social festival (for bumper harvest). It is celebrated on 24 to 26 February each year since 1967-68 at Joram village in the Lower Subansiri district.

Among the Nyishi, there are currently approximately 3,00,000 (80%) transformed into Christians. Small groups of Hindus and Buddhists also exist among the Nyishi. Polygeny is practised by the Nyishi, with a rich man having as many as wives.

The hornbill issue

The Nyishi, who traditionally wear cane helmets surmounted by the crest of a hornbill beak, have considerably affected the population of this bird.

Several organizations, such as the Arunachal Wildlife and Nature Foundation and the Wildlife Trust of India
Wildlife Trust of India
The Wildlife Trust of India, is a non profit conservation organisation based in New Delhi, India. Its principal concerns are crisis management to prevent destruction of India's wildlife and the provision of quick, efficient aid to those areas that require it the most...

, have been trying to stop the Nyishi hunting these birds in order to protect them from extinction. Nature reserves, such as the Pakke Sanctuary, are being set up to protect the birds, while artificial materials, such as fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...

, have been introduced as an alternative to the hornbill beak in Nyishi dress. While the Bopa ceremony is an important part of Nyishi tradition, and the campaign has faced stiff opposition, the Nyishi have recognised the possibility of the extinction of the Great Indian Hornbill, and 70% of the Nyishi have already accepted this new idea.

External links

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