Correspondent

RUKSIN, 1 Sep: Adi people living in Ruksin, Pasighat and Mebo subdivisions of East Siang district started celebration of Solung festival - the main harvest festival of the tribal community - on Tuesday morning.

The three-day festivities began at different villages with the hoisting of the Solung flag and ritual offerings to goddess Kiine-Nane for a bumper harvest of sali paddy and other horticulture crops, besides for the wellbeing of the community's people and domestic animals.

The village-level Solung celebration committees have invited miriis (priests) from different parts of the Adi belt to perform rituals and lead the womenfolk in narrating the Solung aabang (rhapsody).

Attending the inaugural programme in Ngorlung village, Pasighat RWD Division Executive Engineer Jorsing Moyong said that Solung is not only a harvest festival but also a legacy of their forefathers' traditional belief and an occasion to inspire the youths to preserve their living traditions. He urged the gaon buras and women SHG members to take an active role in social transformation.

Speaking on the occasion, teacher from Mikong village, Talom Ezing, urged the youths to know about their own tradition and cultures, saying that the traditional attires and behaviours denote the unique identity of the ethnic tribe.

Ezing laid stress on eco-friendly practices during festival celebrations, and asked the community people to protect the wild beasts and natural resources for future generations.

Explaining the Solung mythology, Pasighat JNC Assistant Professor Enuk Libang made an elaborate presentation, showcasing the origin and evolution of the Abotani people and myths behind the festive celebration.