The Institutionalization of Tribal Religion: Recasting the Donyi-Polo Movement in Arunachal Pradesh

Abstract

Arunachal Pradesh, the erstwhile North East Frontier Agency (NEFA), is the homeland of a large number of tribes with distinctive identities spread over sixteen districts. This state shares boundaries with Tibet, China, and Myanmar and is known for its cultural diversity. This is reflected in the different tribes living there, although some commonalities can also be seen and have been used as a basis to make some broader classifications and connections between the tribes. The majority of the tribes can be classified as "animists," but tremendous heterogeneity is evident in the nature of deities, spirits, religious specialists, festivities, and oral traditions. With the emergence of new faiths and practices, new reformist movements are gradually gaining ground among the tribes in order to protect and preserve their indigenous religious beliefs and practices. This article deals with the major reformist movement known as Donyi-Poloism. This movement was initiated by the Tani group of tribes to understand the contested domains of religious transformation; this, in turn, may shed some light on the emerging realities of the frontier state. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]