Editor,
For many, the history of Arunachal Pradesh is shrouded in oral traditions, fragmented accounts and stories passed down through generations. However, thousands of miles away, in European archives and museums, the visual history of this region is preserved in fragile photographs and portraits, captured during the British colonial era. These images, often taken by British administrators, anthropologists, and naturalists between the early and mid-twentieth century, are more than historical artifacts; they offer a window into a world that has been overlooked and forgotten.
As a postgraduate student in the United Kingdom, I had the rare opportunity to engage with these archives. Many of these images were taken when Arunachal Pradesh was part of greater Assam during British rule and often appear under the regional context of “colonial Assam.” These visual records, now digitized by European institutions, are accessible online, offering an opportunity for people from Arunachal Pradesh to reconnect with their past, often sidelined in the grander narratives of Indian history.
Institutions such as the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford (available online at prm.ox.ac.uk), the SOAS Archive in London (digital.soas.ac.uk), and Digital Himalaya (digitalhimalaya.com), initiated by Cambridge University, house invaluable collections of photographs and videos from the Himalayan region, including Arunachal Pradesh, mostly from the early and mid-twentieth century. One particularly significant resource is the book Through the Eye of Time: Photographs of Arunachal Pradesh 1859-2006 by Michael Aram Tarr and Stuart Blackburn, published by BRILL in 2008, which chronicles over a century of visual history.
These photographs offer an opportunity to challenge colonial interpretations, reconnect with ancestral identities, and inspire pride in a heritage that is rich, complex, and deeply rooted in the past. The accessibility of these archives online ensures that they are not limited to scholars or museum professionals; they are available for everyone to explore, provided there is internet connectivity. By engaging with these visual records, Arunachal Pradesh can fill the gaps in its historical narrative, ensuring its people, culture, and traditions are no longer relegated to the periphery.
It is a chance to reimagine history, to give voice to the silenced, and to honor the resilience of those who came before us.
Taba Menia