RONO HILLS, Nov 22: A book titled Change and Continuity Among Tribes: The Idu Mishmis of Eastern Himalayas, edited by RGU AITS Assistant Professor Dr Tarun Mene and Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh)-based Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya’s Director Prof SK Chaudhuri, was released jointly by RGU Vice Chancellor (in-charge) Prof A Mitra and Idu Mishmi igu (shaman) Ache Mimi during the two-day colloquium, ‘Dialogue on intangible cultural heritage of communities’ held at Rajiv Gandhi University’s (RGU) Arunachal Institute of Tribal Studies (AITS) here from 19-20 November.
Introducing the book, Dr Mene said: “In the context of India’s Northeast, and more specifically Arunachal Pradesh, the Idu Mishmis remained one of the important tribes which had attracted attention of both colonial as well as post-colonial writers, such as administrators, anthropologists and others. Obviously, within the last few decades, this focus has gained much more ground; but unfortunately, except a few ethnographic writings, we do not have any book which could explore the new areas of research focussing on the Idu Mishmis from multidisciplinary perspectives, so that one can locate the comparative epistemological praxis and holistic understanding of the frontier tribes who are passing through a phase of transition.
“This is how the idea of bringing out major works on this tribe in a single volume came to us, so that it could lead or reshape future research,” he said.
Containing articles written by scholars affiliated to both national and international institutes, the book offers a comprehensive understanding of the post-colonial research trends on the Idu Mishmi community of Arunachal Pradesh. It takes into account the historicity of the tribe, and brings into light the change and continuity in the context of the emerging realities of the border state.
The book covers issues pertaining to the daily life of the tribe, their socio-economic and cultural aspects, resources and resource mobilization, and such. It is expected to cater to the need of students, researchers, academicians, administrators and policymakers in understanding the potentials and contemporary issues faced by the smaller tribes, specifically the Idu Mishmi.
