WALONG, 19 Jul: The RIWATCH Centre for Intangible Culture Heritage (RCICH) conducted a two-day ‘book distribution-cum-awareness programmes’ at the Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS) Hayuliang and the Government Secondary School (GSS) Walong in Anjaw district.
More than 200 students participated in the programmes.
During the events, the RIWATCH team distributed books and handed book copies to the school authorities. The documented books, titled Traditional Houses of Eastern Arunachal Pradesh: Faiths and Beliefs and Values and Social Bonds in Eastern Arunachal Pradesh, were distributed among students, teachers, and staffers. A few copies were donated to the schools’ libraries to encourage young book readers and promote awareness of the region’s rich cultural heritage.
Apart from the book distribution, the RIWATCH team screened two documentaries, titled Glimpses of the Festival & Rituals and Voices of Memory in the Wancho Tribe.
GHSS Hayulinag Vice Principal (i/c) Amar Ratan expressed appreciation to the RIWATCH for undertaking the noble initiative. He described the outreach programme as a timely effort to promote cultural awareness among the younger generation. He also stressed the need for “further documentation of ritual specialists from various tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, including the miri, igu, kambring, and nyibu, among others,” and encouraged the RIWATCH to continue disseminating these documented works to the respective communities as a meaningful way of “giving back to the community.”
GSS Walong Vice Principal (i/c) Dilongso Yun expressed gratitude to the RIWATCH team for showcasing the documentaries which reflected the endangered traditional skills, oral traditions, rituals, and cultural practices.
RIWATCH research assistant Hari Apralo delivered a talk on the significance of the intangible cultural heritage of Arunachal. He highlighted that, with rapid pace of modernisation, many elements of the state’s rich oral traditions, including folk songs, proverbs, dances, ritual chants, and indigenous knowledge systems are gradually disappearing. He emphasised that “it is therefore imperative to take timely initiatives to document, preserve, and disseminate these invaluable cultural resources for future generations.”
RIWATCH research assistant Miju Mena reaffirmed the RIWATCH’s commitment to continuing its efforts in documenting and preserving the intangible cultural heritage of Arunachal, and sought continued support and cooperation of educational institutions and local communities in this endeavour.
