The Inheritance of Words: Writings from Arunachal Pradesh

by Mamang Dai (Editor)

A first of its kind, this book brings together the writings of women from Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India. Home to many different tribes and scores of languages and dialects, once known as a ‘frontier’ state, Arunachal Pradesh began to see major change after it opened up to tourism and once the Indian State introduced Hindi as its official language. In this volume, Mamang Dai, one of Arunachal’s best known writers, brings together new and established voices on subjects as varied as identity, home, belonging, language, Shamanism, folk culture, orality and more. Much of what has been handed down orally, through festivals, epic narratives, the performance of rituals by Shamans and rhapsodists, revered as guardians of collective and tribal memory, is captured here in the words of young poets and writers, as well as artists and illustrators, as they trace their heritage, listen to stories and render them in newer forms of expression.

Contributors: Ayinam Ering | Bhanu Tatak | Chasoom Bosai | Doirangsi Kri | Gedak Angu | Gyati T. M. Ampi | Ing Perme | Jamuna Bini | Karry Padu | Kolpi Dai | Leki Thungon | Mamang Dai | Millo Ankha| Mishimbu Miri | Nellie N. Manpoong | Ngurang Reena | Nomi Maga Gumro | Omili Borang | Ponung Ering Angu | Rebom Belo | Rinchin Choden | Ronnie Nido | Samy Moyong | Stuti Mamen Lowang | Subi Taba | Takhe Moni | Tine Mena | Toko Anu | Tolum Chumchum | Tongam Rina | Tunung Tabing | Yaniam Chukhu | Yater Nyokir

Genres: India

198 pages, Hardcover

Published April 15, 2021

About the author

Mamang Dai is a poet and novelist writing in English, from Arunachal Pradesh in India’s northeast. Her mother tongue is Adi. Dai is the first woman of her state to have been selected to the IAS/IFS. However she gave up her career in the Civil Service to pursue a career in journalism. Dai was correspondent with the Hindustan Times, the Telegraph and the Sentinel newspapers and was President, Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalists. She also worked with World Wide Fund for nature in the Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity Hotspots programme.

Her first publication River Poems hailed her as one of the most intensely poetic voices from the North East region. In 2003 Dai was honoured with the state’s Verrier Elwin Award for her book Arunachal Pradesh: the Hidden Land that documented the culture and customs of her land. She has featured in several national and international forums to promote the disappearing traditions of her state in the face of modernity and give voice to its people through the imaginative space of prose and poetry.

A long-time member of the North East Writers’ Forum (NEWF). She lives in Itanagar. Her books include: The legends of Pensam (Novel), Stupid Cupid (Novel), River Poems (Poetry, 2nd edition 2014), Midsummer – Survival Lyrics (Poetry, 2014), El bálsamo del tiempo (The balm of time) (Poetry), Arunachal Pradesh – The Hidden Land (Nonfiction), Mountain Harvest- The Food of Arunachal, The Sky Queen and Once Upon a Moon Time (Illustrated folklore for young readers), Hambreelmai’s Loom – (Folklore, 2014), The Black Hill (Novel, 2014).

Reviews

[Areeb Ahmad (Bankrupt_Bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Through the years, speech communities continued to thrive with their traditions passed on from generation to generation. The oral tradition has survived with festivals, epic narratives, and the performance of rituals by shamans and rhapsodists who were revered as the guardians of a way of life and custodians of a tribe's collective memory. Indeed much of the northeast region may be dubbed as the land of storytellers."

Dai, in her introduction, recounts the various stories that explain the absence of a script among the Arunachal tribes and say, "if we are the words and lost our script I say let's set the words free." This collection is made up of poems, stories, essays, and artwork by known as well as emerging writers. They all attempt to chart the bountiful traditions and cultures of their state—the tribal beliefs and folk tales, the songs, the languages, the bad and the good of their societies—to render a vivid portrait of a region too often missing or mischaracterized in mainland mainstream.

Two standouts were "Tradition: An Illusion of Continuance" by Rinchin Choden, a series of illustrations about how tradition is being left behind, and "I Am Property" by Karry Padu, a photo essay about how women are silenced in the name of age-old norms. "The Spectre Dentist" by Millo Ankha starts off serenely as the story of a dentist starting again at home but soon civil unrest enters the picture. "The Spirit of the Forest" by Subi Taba is about a profiteer who is exploiting a forest for gain and "Doused Flames" by Leki Thungon looks at old beliefs prevailing in modern times.



(I received a finished copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

[Pretty Little Bibliophile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read published article here: https://baos.pub/the-inheritance-of-w...

[Black Horse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful insight into Arunachal Pradesh from female perspective!

[Resh M · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are interested in history, poetry, stories, and folklore of different Indian cultures, this book is for you. It opens up the world of Arunachal Pradesh in short snippets that make you sit back and think. Some stories and poetry are totally relatable from a humanistic point of view... while others may seem like essays of facts that force one to ponder upon the harder questions of existence... A good read overall!