Apatani

Apatani
It is cultivator tribe of Subseri district of state of Arunanchal Pradesh. Their total
population is 26,032 (1991 census) and their sex ratio is 1:1.
It is a patriarchal society and property is inherited from father to son.
They speak Tibet-Burma group language. They live in the dense forest and make their
homes of bamboo.
Birth Ceremony
Apatani follow many taboos (prohibitions). During pregnancy, the woman is kept apart
from the rest of the family but they don’t follow any ritual during the pregnancy. On the
sixth day after the birth of the child, they give dinner to the community and name the
newborn child. They are not prejudiced about the sex of the child.
Marriage Ceremony
They prefer consent marriage and parents play a vital role in the selection of mates. Bride
wealth is concerned with the social-economical status of either side. They are
monogamous and all other rituals are same as Hindus.
Death Ceremony
It covers three days. They bury the dead person. On the third day they give a dinner in the
honor of soul of the dead person.
Religion
They follow Buddhism and in very village Gomapa (a Buddha temple) is established. 6%
Apatani have converted to Christianity.
Economy
They earn from agriculture but they are engaged in cotton weaving work and designing
on clothes. They are good traders, who are familiar with barter (exchange marketing).
Now after knowing the value of money, they are approaching woodwork and bamboo
based handicraft.
Education
Due to poverty, they are unwillingly engaged in other occupations. So the inclination
towards education is very low (6%), but they are availing free education benefits given
by the government.
After the contact with external (modern) world, they are very much excited to approach a
new life style. They are taking government loans for their betterment. The government
supports their home-based industries. 10 home industry training centers are going on,
where 147 Apatinis are taking different types of industrial training.
Other tribal groups of the state of Arunanchal Pradesh as Monaya, Sherdukpen, Khoba,
Meezu, Dafla and Akka of Kameng district, Padam, Meenyoung, Gailong, Bokar, Bon,
Paililo, tageen of Siyang district, Khampati and Singpho of Lohit district and Queen,
Hakamati, Tangsa, Banvacha, Hawa and Nokte of Terap districts have the same socioeconomic
life as Apatani have.