Correspondent
PASIGHAT, 13 May: The second edition of Kongkurayo festival, an annual event of ancestral tribal practices of Adi tribe, was organized at Tigra Mirbuk community hall near Pasighat town in East Siang district on Tuesday.
The festive event was organized by Mam Ke – a social organization dedicated to promotion of Adi culture, in collaboration with Siang Trust (NGO) and Tigra- Mirbuk Bane Kebang.
The day-long celebration started with Taku Tabat (opening ritual) which was followed by competitions of traditional sports such as Oying Pe-Jung, Dore Poki, Remi Iki, Arrow Shooting, Tug of war, Sipiak Moki, Binyat Lêngkí, Ledu Petkeng and Adi Agom Luki.
Both men and women, and school children took part in the competitive events.
Explaining the objective of the festival, organising chairperson Jaya Tasung Moyong said it was aimed at preserving ancestral practices including living traditions and nature-friendly livelihood, which is considered as root of the identity of Adi tribe.
Speaking on the occasion, aged mother, Oting Siram exuded her hope that the festival would build a bridge between elder and younger ones of the community. She suggested the youths shoulder responsibility to carry forward ancestral cultures to the next generation.
Dr. Rumi Tasung, in her address, laid stress on a collective effort to preserve Adi heritage and traditions and asked the organizers to continue the efforts involving the community.
A local music band ‘Kongkurayo – Echoes of the Ancestors’ also performed on the occasion.