Preservation of indigenous culture is the top priority of the government: CM
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Wednesday said her government’s biggest priority is the protection, preservation and promotion of the state’s indigenous culture by ensuring that “activities in this area cover all tribes and regions.”
Speaking at the concluding ceremony of the 8th ‘Triennial International Conference and Gathering of Elders’ organized by the International Center for Cultural Studies (ICCS) here in Assam, Khandu said: “Cultural traditions and value systems passed on by ancestors are very important as these are passed on to every generation. Give shape to the lives of people, give their identity to the community.
“The rich heritage of our traditions and cultures is handed down to us by our families, our communities and our societies. Our elders are truly living encyclopedias of our knowledge systems. I appreciate the elders of Arunachal, our ancestors
To keep our cultures and traditions alive and inculcate those values in our youth,” he said.
He said that “knowledge-sharing, research and study work, and papers presented on the topic of reviving traditions, ecological knowledge and collaborative governance will create a new dimension to preserve and outline the rich culture and traditions of the world’s diverse communities.” Will give.” A way to revive lost traditions.”
“I am confident that the manifesto announced today will develop mutual respect and understanding among each other and create a harmonious society,” he said.
Stating that Arunachal is “one of the most diverse cultures in the world”, Khandu said his government has allocated funds for the construction of tribal cultural centers in all the districts, besides three gurukuls for the Galo and Nyishi tribes and Two have been constructed. Gurukul for Adi and Tangsa tribes.
“The functional gurukul in East Kameng district – Nyubu Nyavagam Yerko – has captured the popular imagination. We are providing financial assistance to all the districts to celebrate local festivals, indigenous faith days and indigenous youth festivals.
“To ensure large-scale public participation in local festival celebrations as per the needs and aspirations of all the districts, we have placed these funds at the disposal of the respective Deputy Commissioners,” he said. The 7th State Level Indigenous Youth Festival was held in Namsai, while the 1st International Tribal Film Festival-2022 was held in Dirang,” he said.
He said his government “strongly believes in the participation of local communities and people in the protection and preservation of cultural heritage, and is providing corpus funds to community-based organizations to strengthen culture and traditions.”
“Every year, the government sponsors the education of 20 students to study at the Indian National Fellowship Center in Pune (Maharashtra),” he said.
“We have also documented tangible and intangible objects of indigenous peoples, including the stories of Tangsa, Nocte, Wancho, Tai Bida legend, the arts and crafts of Tai Khamti and Sango Tani, as well as research and documentation of shamanic institution. Idu-mishmis,” he added.
“We have completed documentation of the cultural heritage of the Adi, Nyishi, Wancho, Nocte and Tangsa tribes, and are now covering 14 tribes. Books on local folk tales for use in classrooms have been developed for eight tribes – Nyishi, Galo, Tagin, Wancho, Tangsa, Idu-Mishmi, Taraon Mishmi and Kaman Mishmi,” Khandu said.
He further explained that the Department of Indigenous Affairs of Arunachal was established “solely to promote, preserve and nurture our cultural heritage.”
“I am happy to inform that the resource allocation for this department has been significantly increased by our government. “We will continue to provide high level allocation on various projects under this department,” Khandu said.
He appreciated the efforts of ICCS in “finding commonalities and bringing together all cultures” and invited it to hold its next conference in Arunachal.
Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein also participated in this program.
