Adi Tribe Research Articles

New Records of Edible Insects Used as Traditional Food Among the Adi Tribe in Arunachal Pradesh, India

New Records of Edible Insects Used as Traditional Food Among the Adi Tribe in Arunachal Pradesh, India

Exploring traditional medicinal practices: insights from the botanical heritage of Adi Tribe of Arunachal Pradesh (India)

Exploring traditional medicinal practices: insights from the botanical heritage of Adi Tribe of Arunachal Pradesh (India)

Effects of domestic cooking methods on the functional profile and cyanogenic toxicity of bamboo shoot: An Insight on achieving the food security and SDGs

The consumption of bamboo shoots has been integral component of traditional food of tribal communities of north-eastern India. These communities have been applying various methods of bamboo shoot cooking. Sample of bamboo shoot of Bambusa vulgaris species was collected from Adi tribe of East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh. After learning the cooking methods, the samples were subjected to three different domestic cooking processes (Ordinary cooking-OC, Pressure cooking-PC and Microwave cooking- MW) and were analyzed for cyanogen content, nutritional properties and antioxidant capacity using standard methods. Major nutrients like protein, carbohydrate and fat, macro and micro elements were found to decrease to significant levels with all the cooking treatments. The cyanogen content showed maximum reduction in MW sample (90.2 %). Antioxidant capacity was also found to decrease in the cooked sample. The present study suggests that OC, which is a common cooking method, can be recommended to reduce the toxicity and retain the nutrients ensuring the wellbeing and livelihood of tribal and marginalized communities.

Change, Modernity, and Northeastern Identity: A Comparative Study of Mamang Dai’s The Black Hill and Escaping the Land

Mamang Dai is an acclaimed poet and novelist, hailing from Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh. She was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri in 2011 and has also received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2017. Dai traces her ancestral heritage to the Adi tribe. As an author, she has mastered a diversified body of works, including poetry and non-fiction. The present paper aims to analyse two of her novel: The Black Hill (2014) and Escaping The Land (2021). This paper aims at tracing the elements of change and modernity in the two chosen texts, primarily revolving around Northeastern identity. The paper showcases how this identity has gone through various tumults and turmoil nonetheless, it also posits a rich cultural and ancestral heritage and takes pride in its unified tribal foundations. This paper then concludes that to sustain this identity, Northeastern heritage and culture must be given an equal and dignified importance as is imparted to national interests.

Morphological and biochemical characterization of Passiflora quadrangularis L. - A source of vegetable from East Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh, India

Present research investigation was aimed at morphological and biochemical assessment of Passiflora quadrangularis L. commonly known as giant granadilla and locally called as vegetable squash grown as vegetable crop by the Adi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. Seven genotypes collected during survey were characterized for different morphological and biochemical traits. Results showed that average fruit weight was 432.57g/fruit, with juice content 100.11 mL/fruit, vitamin C content 25.79 mg, vitamin A content 1.65 mg, Mean total flavonoids content was 16.75 mg/100 g of fruit juice, total soluble solids 12.040 Brix, antioxidant activity (DPPH) 6.07 %, titratable acidity 1.69 %, total carbohydrates 9.95 %, phenol content 338.38 mg/100 g of leaf was noted among the genotypes tested. The mean anthocyanin content in leaf was 1.20 mg/100 g, tendril 0.90 mg/100 g and petiole 1.69 mg/ 100 g among the genotypes. Seed protein profiling of Passiflora quadrangularis L. with SDS- PAGE showed diverse molecular weights ranging from 11 KD to 163.53 KD. However, monomorphic banding pattern among the protein profiling of giant granadilla was recorded among the selected genotypes. The results of the study show that the collected genotypes are belonged to Passiflora quadrangularis L. and are good source of nutritive value which can be used as source of vegetable.

A SEMIOTIC AND CULTURAL READING OF ADI TRADITIONS, BELIEFS, AND PSYCHE IN SELECT VISUAL NARRATIVES BY MAMANG DAI

India’s northeast region is a fascinating land inhabited by various tribes who practice different cultural tradition. Most of these tribes have a rich legacy of oral narratives, which in recent times, to a certain extent are being recorded in the written form by contemporary authors. These folklores serve the purpose of bringing to light the ways of life of these tribes, their beliefs, and traditions, much before the advent of the British colonizers and the impact of Christianity, education, urbanization, and modernization on these people. In an attempt to popularize these tribal folklores and keep them alive for the current generation of readers, several publishing houses are bringing out these stories in the form of visual narratives, which are many a times ear-marked as children’s literature. A closer and more serious academic reading of these visual narratives, however, convey much deeper insights to the signs and symbols used in these texts. This study, therefore, is dedicated to a semiotic and cultural reading of two visual narratives by Mamang Dai – The Sky Queen (2005) and Once Upon a Moontime (2005). The focus of the semiotic study of the two texts is to establish a connect of the interplay between the words and images used in these narratives. The visual elements of colour, form/ shape, tone, and texture will be analyzed to understand the correlation of images with the Adi tribe’s culture and psyche. The cultural reading of the texts will be based on Aldous Huxley’s philosophy of “the art of seeing” and John Berger’s ideas on “the ways of seeing”.

Ethnobotany of indigenous (Traditional) vegetables in Adi tribe of East Siang region of Arunachal Pradesh, India

Arunachal Pradesh is known as land of rising Sun which is the biggest in terms of area-wise amongst the state of north east India.The region has 26 major tribe; each tribe has its own enormous indigenous knowledge on the uses of wild plants. Among the tribe, Adi community is one of the major tribe inhabited in the region which has its own habitual way of using horticultural (vegetables) resources for sustaining livelihood. Most of the plants are also ethnically important without wich diverse rituals and festivals (Solung) of adi community remain unfinished. The current servey was under taken interviewed through planned questionaire. In our investigation among 25 wild species, 5 species belong to the Solanaceae family which was found to be most widely used family followed by Apiaceae, Rutaceae, Urticaceae and Araceae. Investigation on the basis of plant parts used reveals that the edible parts of the plants such as 6 species found to be widely used though leaves followed by 3 species fruits and 3 species whole plants besides these other plant parts like young tender leaves, tender stalks, petioles, rhizome also has been observed. This study is aim to initiated the basic information of these valuable herbs vegetable species for popularizing in future. These can compete with the best vegetables if appropriate study is initiated for production and ethanomedicine improvement.

Ethno-medicinal use of monitor lizard Varanus bengalensis (Daudin, 1802) by the ‘Adi’ tribe at East Siang, Arunachal Pradesh

A recent visit to the remote villages of East Siang District, Arunachal Pradesh, revealed a unique medicinal approach practiced by the Adi tribe (earlier Abor tribe) using monitor lizard tails. Following reports of being a traditional medicine for humans, this case study emphasizes on the administration pattern to treat their livestock, veterinary purposes by the indigenous tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. The use of animal parts in traditional medicines negatively impacts and contributes to the overexploitation of wild animals for meat and remedial purposes. We raise our concerns of wildlife being harvested by the local communities for such unscientific use as a traditional medicine which harms species survival and a challenge for wildlife law enforcement.

People and plant: Learning with Adi community on ethnomedicinal practices and conservation in Arunachal Pradesh, India

Local plant species have been in use in variety of ethnomedicinal practices from time immemorial among the people of various communities for treating various human diseases. This paper reports about the plant species used by Adi community in curing various human diseases and ailments. A study was conducted during 2008-2009 and further refined in succeeding years with the 12 purposively selected traditional knowledge holders (TKHs) of Adi tribe of East Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Data were collected using combined approaches of personal interview, participant observations and transect walks. It was observed that with Shannon-Weaver diversity index 2.73, there were 39 local plant species belonging to 25 plant families and used as ethnomedicinal practices by the TKHs. Most of the species (17) were used by Adi TKHs with their green leaf parts followed by root and fruits (5 each) to develop ethnomedicinal formulations for treating a range of diseases and ailments. Out of these, most of the species [(e.g., Leucas aspera (Willd.) Link.; Plumeria rubra L.; Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don; Solanum torvum Swartz; Solanum khasianum C. B. Clarke; Oroxylum indicum (L.) Benth. ex Kurze; and Tinospora cordifolia (Thunb.) Miers)] were found in use by Adis against asthma, bronchitis, cough, sinusitis, diabetes, malaria, typhoid and jaundice. The Adi TKHs holders maintain a rich cultural ethics, govern by their own world-view in continuing ethnomedicinal practices, and harvesting the species from various land use systems with the aim to sustain biodiversity and associated practices. The key findings indicated that, plant species used as ethnomedicines for some of the diseases and ailments by the Adi TKHs, can be undertaken for the long-term trial to find some natural remedies against few human diseases, including search of immune enhancer against COVID-19, provided TKHs of Adi community are partnered in ethically and culturally appropriate manner.

Indigenous artifacts of Adi tribe in Arunachal Pradesh: Are they waning amidst the waves of globalization?

The tribals lead the life with natural simplicity relying on primal truths reinforced by eternal values. The strength of the tribes is that they are able to successfully cling to the primal skills and natural simplicity. Their creations speak of evolutions over time, and the arts and crafts created by them have timeless appeal. The primal instinct in all of us is evoked whenever we come across the crudest tribal handicrafts. The present case study was conducted during August and September 2019 and the study included combination of methods such as research viz., household survey of 44 Adi families, followed by a focused group discussion was adopted and also documented the artifacts of Adi tribe in East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Further, the study also aimed at unearthing the kinds of possible threats that arise due to globalization which may affect traditional craftsmanship. Multitudinal sets of traditional artifacts created out of indigenous wisdom have been documented which affirm that the life of the Adi is intertwined with the forest products especially bamboo, canes and their products. However, the prevailing trend of globalization, with characteristics of immense, unexpected emphasis on capital, labour and information, is having growing influence on material culture and in this scenario, especially new generation prefers more of plastic products in their day to day lifestyle. On the contrary, traditional artifacts of Adi could offer innovative and sustainable solutions which can act as alternatives to plastic products.

Vocal for local: Diversity of local cucurbits cultivars in East Siang, Arunachal Pradesh

Laying more and more importance on mere edible yield through introduction of high-yielding, uniform cultivars is leading to compromising on nutritional quality of crops coupled with loss of biodiversity. In spite of this scenario, there are still many local cultivars, which are indigenously grown for long time approximately for more than five decades, and have its own heritage which is sustained by family groups, regions and ethnicity. The traditional names, unique appearance, uses, and historical significance give recognition to these local cultivars. In the present study, 15 morphologically diverse local cultivars of cucurbits with numerous landraces have been documented from the sample area. Of these, seven species especially in pumpkin, ash guard, bottle gourd and Cucumis melo spp. are produced by the Adi tribe of East Siang. These traditional cultivars have been cultivated for many generations, particularly for their attributes such as superior flavor and its high adaptability under biotic and abiotic stress. Other traits such as productivity, nutritional and nutraceutical properties of traditional cultivars of these cucurbits are to be well understood. However, such information is not organizedly available, and therefore the purpose of this study was to capture some of the unique traits of local cultivars. Such information may help designing breeding programs for developing locally adapted, high-value cultivars.

Plant based technology among Adi tribe

The state of Arunachal Pradesh is one of the most diverse states in the country and is one the richest state in India in terms of material culture. The plant based technologies that they produced themselves are made out of natural resources available in their surroundings. Their products are simple but last for years and techniques for making such artifacts are indigenous in nature. They learn craftsmanship orally or just by observing from their parents and grandparents. The study documented many plant based artifacts of the Adi tribe that are made out of forest products especially bamboo, canes, and other plants. Further, the study also aimed at unearthing the kinds of possible threats that arise due to globalization which may affect traditional craftsmanship. The study finds out that most of these artifacts are not in use in their daily life anymore which is a matter of serious concern.

Mapping ethnobotany research in India

Background: Ethnobotany is the study of the plants used by aboriginal people. It has significant contributions in bioprospecting, drug development and management of natural resources and cultural diversity. Diversity of plants and tribes makes India an ideal place for ethnobotanical research. Therefore, mapping of scholarly publication was conducted on various scientometric indicators to identify the research trends on ethnobotany in India. Methods: Data for this study were retrieved from Web of Science Core collection database of Clarivate analytics (erstwhile Thomson Reuters), Philadelphia, USA up to year 2018. Results: The first research paper in SCI journal was published in 1974, and during 1974 to 2018, a total of 2123 papers have been published. The publication trends may be divided in between three phases: first phase was 22 years long (1974–1996) with yearly publications in single digit; second phase was for 10 years (1997– 2006) demarked by publications in double digits; third phase was initiated in 2007 producing yearly publications in three digits. These 2123 papers have been contributed by 5458 authors, affiliated to 1927 organizations. Of these, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (207 records, 3960 citations) is leading in the list of contributing organizations and S. Ignacimuthu (30 records and 1,163 citations) is the most productive author. Analysis of international collaboration revealed that Indian researchers are in collaboration with 79 different countries among which USA (4.8% papers) was major collaborating country. A total of 105 tribes of India have been studied and maximum records were available for Adi tribe (17 publications). The most preferred journal was Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge and the top cited article was on antidiabetic plants published in Journal of Ethnopharmacology in 2002. Conclusions: The ethnobotany research in India is increasing despite of emergence of new research areas and depletion of traditional knowledge. The present study will provide a platform for future studies and strengthening the ethnobotanical research in India. Keywords: Bibliometrics, Ethnobotany, Scientific output, Research trends

Narrative Strategies of Decolonisation: Autoethnography in Mamang Dai’s The Legends of Pensam

According to John Quintero, “The decolonisation agenda championed by the United Nations is not based exclusively on independence. It is the exercise of the human right of self-determination, rather than independence per se, that the United Nations has continued to push for.” Situated within ontologies of the human right of self-determination, this paper will focus on an analysis of The Legends of Pensam by Mamang Dai, a writer hailing from the Adi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, to explore the strategies of decolonisation by which she revitalizes her tribe’s cultural enunciations. The project of decolonisation is predicated on the understanding that colonialism has not only displaced communities but also brought about an erasure of their epistemologies. Consequently, one of its major agenda is to recuperate displaced epistemic positions of such communities. In the context of Northeast India, the history of colonial rule and governance has had long lasting political repercussions which has resulted not only in a culture of impunity and secessionist violence but has also led to the reductive homogeneous construction of the Northeast as conflict ridden. In the contemporary context, the polyethnic, socio-cultural fabric of the Northeast borderlands foregrounds it as an evolving post-colonial geopolitical imaginary. In the light of this, the objective of this paper is to arrive at the ramifications of employing autoethnography as a narrative regime by which Mamang Dai reaffirms the Adi community’s epistemic agency and reclaims the human right towards a cultural self-determination.

Pharmacognostic study of Clerodendrum colebrookianum Walp. plant used for medicinal food by Adi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, India

Clerodendrum colebrookianum Walp.is used as a medicinal food plant among tribal communities of Arunachal Pradesh, India. The shoot of the herb is used as vegetable as well as a medicine to control high blood pressure. This herb is one of the widely used and well-known medicinal food plants in North East India. The present study was carried out to discourse the Pharmacognostic characters of the Clerodendrum colebrookianum shoot. The anatomical discourse revealed up the main vascular bundle and lateral vascular bundle with well developed central pith, secondary xylem, and conspicuous endodermis with the outer surface covered by numerous multicellular trichomes. The fluorescence study of powder shows dull green to brownish in daylight and ash colour to dark brown under UV light. The plant sample contains total ash of 11.15%, the acid in-soluble ash is 1.7% and water-soluble ash is 8%. Methanol gave the highest extractive value with 12.56% while petroleum ether gave the lowest extract of 1.40%. Alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, saponin, glycosides, carbohydrates, proteins and amino acids, fixed oils and fats were found positive but volatile oil was not recorded in all six different solvents used in the phytochemical screening. The present study characterises the diagnostic Pharmacognosy features of C. Colebrookianum, and would give useful data to differentiate the authentic drug sample from the adulterated sample.

Ethnobotanical notes on the diversity of tropical wild fruits used by the Adi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, India

Ethnobotanical notes on the diversity of tropical wild fruits used by the Adi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, India

Phytoconstituents as an EPI in antimicrobial resistance

Deku and Itanagar are the two main indigenous rice cultivars, consumed by the Adi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. An attempt was made to compile the phyto-chemical profile of these two rice cultivar to assess their nutritional and anti-nutritional components. The contents of reducing sugar, total carbohydrate, soluble protein, ascorbic acid, total phenols were higher in the Itanagar rice cultivar and cellulose, thiamine, Vitamin E, crude fibre, total free amino acid and free fatty acids along with phytic acid and tannins were higher in the Deku rice cultivar. The Deku rice cultivar was found to contain high anti-nutritional components such as phytic acid and tannins. Hence, it is concluded that the Itanagar rice cultivar was superior to the Deku rice cultivar.

English

English

Dental morphological anomalies in the adi Tribe of pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh

Dental morphological anomalies in the adi Tribe of pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh

Phytochemical and Biochemical Study of Four Legume Plants with Detergent and Anti-Lice Properties from the Eastern Himalayan Region of India

This study is aimed at the qualitative and quantitative investigation of the phytochemical content, macroand micronutrients, proximate analysis and determination of antioxidant activities of four plants belonging to the family Leguminosae namely Acacia pennata, Albizia lucidior, Albizia chinensis and Gymnocladus assamicus widely used by the Adi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh for their surfactant and insect-repellent properties. The methanol extract of the seed pod of G. assamicus, the most popular soap-plant among the Adi people, showed maximum 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl scavenging activity with EC 50 of 13.50 μg/ml and presence of hitherto reported insecticidal metabolites like 2-hydroxy-gamma-butyrolactone and hepta-decene-(8)-carbonic acid.