[Prafulla Kaman]
OYAN, 17 Feb: The celebration of Ali-Aye-Ligang, the main festival of the Mising community, which started on 15 February in Oyan village in East Siang district, concluded on Friday.
The concluding day’s programme started with the ‘ligang ritual’ by senior villager Tapir Tamut, who prayed to Donyi Polo and Kiine Naane for a bumper harvest and wellbeing of the people and their domestic animals.
Attending the festival, Pasighat East MLA Kaling Moyong exhorted the community members to preserve their culture and traditions to keep their ethnic identity intact.
He said that the state government is working for promotion and preservation of the indigenous faith of the tribal groups living in the state.
The MLA stressed on holding cultural exchange programmes among different tribal groups in order to foster unity and a sense of unity and brotherhood among them.
Assam’s Sadiya MLA Bolin Chetia said that the festival is meant to bring members of different communities on a common platform.
Enchanted by the lush green forests, rivers and other natural bounties of the foothill area, Chetia suggested to the villagers to develop the Assam-Arunachal boundary area as a tourist spot to boost the rural economy.
Pasighat West MLA Ninong Ering, who was the chief patron of the festival, urged the organisers to celebrate the festival in a grand manner, involving different communities, and assured to approach the state’s indigenous affairs department for funds for this purpose.
MP Tapir Gao and former Rajya Sabha member Nyodek Yonggam also spoke and lauded the Mishing community for preserving their rich traditions and culture. They also urged the community members to transfer their legacy to the younger generations.
Earlier, local villagers and invited guests paid floral tributes to the pioneer of the Mising culture, Babu Oiram Bori, which was followed by sowing of sali seeds by the invited guests, while organising committee secretary Boken Pao explained the mythology of Ali-Aye-Ligang festival.
A ‘mega dance’ presented by the Oyan Ane women’s group, exhibition of Mising traditional attires and crafts, amnd Mising folkdances Gumrag and Lereli presented by cultural troupes from Jonai (Assam) were some of the special attractions of the celebration.
Ali-Aye-Ligang stands for ‘first sowing of seeds and roots of sali crop’. ‘Ali’ stands for sali crop, ‘aye’ for fruits or seeds, and ‘ligang’ for the beginning of sowing.
The festival was celebrated in Ba:bu Oiram Bori lotta (festival ground) with the participation of people from all walks of life.
