Nagaland Tour

Kaziranga Wild Life

Wild Life in East India

India Tours

30 Days Gujarat

26 Days South

19 Days North India

18 Days Rajasthan

17 Days South

16 Days Shekhwati

14 Days North India

13 Days Sikkim

11 Days Nepal

9 Days Ladakh

8 Days Taj Triangle

4 Days Tibet

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The Nishing are the largest groups of people who live in the major part of Lower Subansiri district. Their manfolk wear their hair long and tie it in a knot just above the forhead. A Nishi can be easily distinguished by his dress peculiar to his tribe. A neatly woven cane cap which they call Bopia on his head, a knot at the forhead called Padum with a cane basket looks like haversack call Nara, a smoking pipe in his mouth and a long Dao (long bladed knife) he looks like a proud man, proud of his race and tradition. They wear cane bands around the waist. They believe that after death the spirit of a dead travels to the 'village of the ancestors'. The tribe as a whole is fond of hunting and fishing in which they perhaps excel any other neighbouring tribes. The Nishings belong to the Indo-Mongoloid group of people and their language belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family.

The Nishi villages are hardly found in clusters. Because of the lack of sufficient suitable land for wet rice cultivation, the Nishis are almost entierly dependent on slash and burn cultivation which is commonly called as Jhoom Cultivation. They cultivate dry rice in the slopes of the hills. Opo which is popularly called "Apong" is the only and popular drink amongst the Nishis.

Their life is full of ceremonies and festivals. Like menfolk, a Nishi lady usually carries a neatly woven cane basket for multipurpose use on her back called egin. The Nyukum festival which is celebrated every year with splendor and gaiety during the month of February is one of the important festivals of the Nishis.

The Term 'Nyishi' is an ancient indigenous word. It has been derived from two words i.e. ‘Nyi' or ‘Nyia’ and ‘Shi’ or ‘Shing’. The word ‘nyi’ means ‘Human’,descendants of Aathu/Aatoh Nyia, the son of the Aabhu/Abho Thanyi, while ‘shi’ or ‘shing’ means ‘Being’. Accordingly, Nyishi stands for ‘Human Being’. The tradition present amongst the people that the Nyishi name for the northern region people were known as ‘nyeme’ and the down plain region neighbours were called ‘nyepak’. This also sometime refers to strange people coming from the plains i.e. the Non-Tribals. Hence, the Nyishi also continued to inhabit between the nyeme and the nyepak. In the past, they were little known by this ethnic nomenclature. Previously they were known as chungi or daflas in Ahom and Assam Buranji.

Subsequently, the British used these words to call the Tribe as ‘unruly hills men’, dwelling in the ‘unadministered frontiers’ and ultimately legitimized them to be the name for the new dominated subjects by the majestic power of British India. Henceforth, colonial administrators, military officials, explorers and ethnographers started designating in various names like ; Duphlas, Dafla, Domphilas, Bangni, Ni-sing, Nisu, Western and Eastern Domphilas, Tagin Duphlas, Yano Daflas, so on and so forth.

As such when the history was written based on factually incorrect and unclear documentary evidence; it was ineluctably bound to give incorrect ethnographical information and misnomer classification. Instead of the original name Nyishi, the alien name had been recorded was no exception to such kind of ethnographic information which was available in the form of published and unpublished works in records and libraries in the country and abroad. On the basis of these ethnographic records the misnomer word had appeared at SL. No.4 of Scheduled Tribes of Arunachal Pradesh as contained in Part XVIII of the Constitution (Scheduled Tribe) Orders, 1950. Thus, misnomer ethnographical material information was to be reconstructed and deconstructed to establish the hard core facts and adequate objective of ethnography proper and correct historicity of the Nyishi word.

Their population of around 300,000 makes them the most crowded tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh is having the common ancestor of the Aabhu Thanyi with the Apatani, the Adi, the Tagin and the Galo of Arunachal Pradesh. Ethnically these tribes are called Aabhu Thanyi Tribes of the State. The Nyishi language belongs to the Sino-Tibetan family, however, the origin is disputed. In the days of yore, the practice of polygyny was widespread among the Nyishi. It signifies ones social status and economical stability and also proves handy during hard times like clan wars or social huntings and other social activities. This institution, however is being challenged. They trace their descent patrilineally and are divided into several clans.

The Nyishi's are agriculturalists who practice slash-and-burn shifting cultivation(Jhum cultivation);rongno in Nyishi. The principal crops raised include paddy, tapio(maize), yam(cucumber),ginger, leafy vegetable, millet, and other tuber edible crops. Rice is the staple food of the people which are supplemented by fish, meat of various domestiscated animals like sebbe(bos fronatailis), goat, pig, and goat. Before modern economic attack them, they use barter system. They greatly valued the widespread reciprocity and also balance reciprocity in their economic system. A locally prepared drink known as appo which is made of millet and rice. This is used at all social gatherings and important events. The Nyishis are fond of it. Nyishi, traditionally being dependent on the forest, eat fruit, roots, bamboo shoots, fish and meats. Traditional ways of preparing them comprise steaming, roasting and smoking. Recently they have been forced to move toward a market based exchange economy.

The clothing of the men consists of sleeveless shirts made from thick cotton cloth, striped gaily with blue and red together with a mantle of cotton or wool fastened around the throat and shoulders. Strings made of beads in varying sizes and colours were also worn, mainly for decoration purposes. They used to carry an aryok (sword) and a ryukchak(knife) in a bamboo sheath. Their armament consists of spear with iron-head, a large sword, a bow, bamboo quibber, arrows tipped with umiyu (aconite) on it. During war both the chest and back are covered with the sebbe (Bos Fronatalis) hide and over it they wear a black cloak made of indigenous fibre.

The Nyishi women usually wear a sleeveless mantle of striped or plain cloth, its upper part tucked tightly over the breast and enveloping the body from the armpits to the centre of the calves. A ribbon is tied at the waist. A girdle consisting of metal disks and cane girdle is worn at the waist. Their hair is parted in the middle, plaited and tied into a hair in don style just above the nape. Their ornaments comprise multicolored precious tashang (beads), brass chains, necklaces, mazee (metal bells), thallu(brass plate gongs) huge brass or silver earrings and heavy bracelets of various metals.

The hornbill issue
The Nyishi, who traditionally wear cane helmets prevailed by the crest of a hornbill beak, have greatly affected the population of this bird.Several organizations, such as Arunachal Wildlife and Nature Foundation, have been trying to stop the Nyishi hunting these birds in order to protect them from destruction. Nature reserves, such as the Pakke Sanctuary, are being set up to protect the birds, while artificial materials, such as fiberglass, have been introduced as an alternative to the hornbill beak in Nyishi dress. While the Bopa ceremony is a significant part of Nyishi tradition, and the campaign has faced rigid opposition, the Nyishi have recognised the possibility of the extinction of the Great Indian Hornbill, and 70% of the Nyishi have already accepted this new idea.

The Nyishi native religion institution is called the Nyedar Namlo which worshipped the Aane Donyi. The tribe celebrate three vital festivals like the Lungte Yullo, the Boori Booth Yullo and the Nyokum Yullo. The Nyokum Yullo is a festival celebrated by the Nyishi to mark the commencement of the New Year and also festival of agriculture. The festivals involved a religion which honors their ancestors, emphasizes a belief in many spirits and superstitions, and comprises religious ceremonies which correspond with lunar phases or agricultural cycles. The Aabhu Thanyi is valued by the Nyishi as the mytical forefather (ancestor) of the tribe. The Nyokum Yullo is celebrated every year in the month of February on 24 to 26 for bumper harvest, to ward off from any natural calamities and rich breeding of human being, and animal husbandry production. The modern form of the Nyokum Yullo was celebrated from the year 1967 at Joram village, under erstwhile undivided Lower Subansiri District of Arunachal Pradesh, now it is under the Yachuli Administrative Circe. These days the Nyokum is celebrated all over the country during the month of February from 24 to 27 every year.