[ Prem Chetry ]
BOMDILA, 6 Nov: Government College Bomdila (GCB) in West Kameng district organised an international webinar on ‘The Nocte tribe and Assamese society’ on Sunday, in collaboration with the ICOMOS North East Zone, the International Committee of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the International Cultural Tourism Committee, the Delphic Council of the North East Zone, and the Society of Srimanta Sankardeva.
The objective of the seminar was to unfold the ancient heritage of the tribe, and to discuss ways of preserving and promoting the tangible and intangible cultural heritages.
The resource persons threw light on the different aspects of the Nocte tribe.
Bareghar Satradhikar and Gajen Mahanta Dev spoke on the Nocte society and its connection with the Bareghar satra, while GCB English HoD Dr Vineeta Dowerah
elaborated the ancient traditional heritage of salt-making by the Noctes and its significance in the history, polity and socioeconomic life of the tribe.
Borduria-Bogapani MLA Wanglin Lowangdong spoke about the cultural and commercial relationship between the Noctes and the Assamese people; cultural activist Golap Borah presented a glimpse into the modern-day relationship between the hills people and the people of the plains of the region; and expert member from the ICICH International Scientific Committee for Intangible Cultural Heritage, Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoty, spoke on “the spiritual connection between the Nocte and the Assamese societies.”
‘Nocte Digest’ director and Deomali (Tirap)-based Wangcha Rajkumar Government College Assistant Professor Wangtum H Lowang highlighted the invaluable contributions of the Nocte people to India’s freedom struggle, and GCB Principal Dr Tashi Phuntso lauded the initiatives of the ICOMOS India and the Delphic Council of the North East Zone “for creating a platform to understand how neighbouring societies coexisted amidst conflicts, cultural exchange and mutual respect, creating history.”
ICOMOS president Dilip Changkakoti also spoke.
