Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 24 Jan: The Wancho Students’ Union(WSU) has expressed discontentment over celebrating the ‘golden jubilee Oriah festival’ in Longding, as proposed by the Wancho Cultural society (WCS).
WSU president Pongngoi Joham had on 12 December last year written a letter to the WCS, stating that “the Wancho tribe’s culture has coexisted since time immemorial and there is no point in keeping any golden jubilee celebration in terms of how many times the festival is observed or celebrated.”
The WSU in the letter reminded the WCS that, “apart from all the other rituals and festivals of Wanchos, Oriah festival is majorly celebrated by performing rituals and sacrifices made to the altar (zangwan).”
Citing the example of the celebration of Bihu by the Assamese community, the WCS said that “Bihu has been celebrated since time immemorial, thus making it impossible to count the number of celebrations, for which the community does no celebrate jubilees for Bihu.”
Earlier, the apex body of the Wancho society, the Wancho Council in a letter dated 10 October, 2024, had taken a resolution against “numbering of Oriah celebration in all the administrative headquarters.”
Meanwhile the Shungkuh Wancho Women Welfare Societyand the people of Pongchau and Wakka circles, including Konnu village and others, have expressed disagreement with the golden jubilee celebration of Oriah in Longding district headquarters, as proposed by the WCS.
The Oriah festival of the Wancho tribe is celebrated on 16 February.
