Arunachal Pradesh - The Unexplored Paradise - Part One

Arunachal Pradesh, one of India's Eight North Eastern States. It shares its border with Bhutan, Tibet and Myanmar. Much of the land is mountainous, covered by the Himalaya in the north and west and the Patkai hills in the east. The state is also home to countless valleys and rivers, the mightiest being the Siang. The climate of Arunachal Pradesh ranges from alpine to temperate and sub-tropical, varying with elevation. The state receives heavy rainfall during its monsoon season making it the perfect home for dense forest and an enormous diversity of plant and animal life. This part of India is appropriately known as the "unexplored paradise."

It is a thinly populated state positioned in the foothills of the Himalaya. Just over one million people inhabiting an area a little over 83,000 square miles. Much of the Arunachal population live in tribes whose ancestors are believed to have migrated from pre-Buddhist Tibet two to three thousand years ago. Oral histories and material culture, including the traditional way of dressing and religious practices, are the strongest indicators of a Tibeto-Burman origin among many of the tribes.

(Keep option: Oral histories and material culture, including the traditional way of dressing and religious practices, are the strongest indicators of a Tibeto-Burmese origin among many of the tribes.)


March of the Apatanis

Ziro, a town in the lower Subansiri region of Arunachal Pradesh. With a population of just over 12,000, it is a town of mostly rice and bamboo growers. Apatani as the local tribe is called, derives their name from the Apa Tani plateau where Ziro sits. Tourists are drawn here to see their distinct lifestyle and bamboo village. Here you will find ancient customs and traditions still being carried out and untouched by time.

This morning the Apatani women have come together to begin a wedding ritual at the home of the bride. Over one hundred women from a neighbouring village will gather here and begin a long march.

They wind their way through the farms and fields carrying baskets full of rice. The bride's basket is topped with bamboo shoots and a pair of eggs. This is part of a fertility ritual that dates back to ancient times. While the bride's mother brings up the rear, the bride herself leads the marchers to her soon-to-be husband's home, in this March of the Apatanis...

On reaching the groom's house, the rice is off-loaded into the family granary by the groom's relatives. The rice has not been de-husked and remains farm-fresh. As the village women drop their rice and leave, they are given a token of appreciation for their hard work, by the groom's family members. Each is given twenty Indian Rupees in return or just under half a US dollar. As they are exhausted after a long early morning trek from the neighboring village, on the way out they are also given a series of snacks. First comes a cup of tea and then a packet of boiled mithun meat followed by one egg and strip of seasoned dried pork. The pork is often many years old, as is the tradition in the village of Ziro.

"This clip of professionally-shot broadcast stock footage belongs to the archive of Wilderness Films India Ltd., and has been filmed on either Digital Betacam or 1080i HD. Please write to us for licensing queries at wfi @ vsnl .com and admin@wildfilmsindia.com."

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[alal22000]

ARUNACHAL PRADESH - INDIA

SIKKIM - INDIA

JAMMU & KASHMIR - INDIA

TIBET - STILL CHINA?

CHINA - FREE TIBET!

[giriisindahouse]

@chinarapesindia lmfao 1st of all give back Tibetans their land you Maoist selfish assholes who run trucks over your own little girls.

[23Anirudh]

@chinarapesindia our land back?! it doesnt even have a border with China, border is with Tibet, which is NOT CHINA :)

[dededoi]

wow beautiful culture, but that one stupid person in the comment section is ruining everything

[ramameir]

China must really leave Tibet...Arunachal is India...eventually china will collapse internally...

[chinarapesindia]

@alal22000 arunachal preadesh,aksai chin and sikkim belongs to china because people of these parts like to join chian they are not in good condition in india

[alal22000]

Arunachal Pradesh is India. China must live with this fact!

[chinarapesindia]

this is china,s area arunachal pradesh belongs to china  fuck india soon india wil give our land back