KHONSA, 28 Aug: A male dormitory, locally known as paa, of the Nocte community was inaugurated by Khonsa West MLA Chakat Aboh in Moktowa village in Tirap district on Monday.
Speaking after the inauguration, Aboh congratulated the residents of Moktowa on having a new paa, adding that it would “immensely help the younger generation to learn folksongs, folklores and folk crafts in the days to come.”
She said that “a paa is an identity for the Nocte community under the chieftains (ngoa wang), which needs to be preserved, protected and promoted for posterity.”
Responding to a public memorandum, the MLA assured to have a toilet and a washroom constructed for the paa, besides CC steps and an approach road to the paa.
Tirap SP Rahul Gupta lauded the people of Moktowa, headed by their chief Tewang Lowang and his son, ZPM Jamwang Lowang, for following the footprints of their ancestors’ culture in preserving the paa system under the chieftain’s village council.
The SP also sought cooperation from all the stakeholders to fight against drug abuse to make Tirap a drug-free district.
Earlier, Dadam ZPM Jamwang Lowang said that “paa or pang is a social institution or male dormitory of the Nocte tribe. This social institution played a vital role in the social life of the Nocte tribe since time immemorial.”
Among the Noctes, paa or paang is the centre of the village authority in which matters relating to issues like divorce, accidental murder cases and land disputes within the village are resolved, he said.
“It also acts as a centre of learning of the folk culture of the tribe,” the ZPM said.
The programme was attended also by DMO Dr N Lowang, HoDs, chiefs, GBs and panchayat and public leaders. (DIPRO)
