Day 23: Ziro – Where Man and Nature Live As Friends

We spent the day today, at Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh. Our stay here was hosted by the friendly and very successful local entrepreneur Tage Tabin – in his Ziro Valley resort, which is the best accommodation available in Ziro.

During the day we visited his and his friends’ ancestral homes in Ziro, where their parents and grandparents live in the traditional tribal villages way. We got a taste of the local food cooked the local way – with a local rice brew called Apang.

We spent some time here trying to learn about the local culture, and were surprised to discover that traditional cultures here are disappearing at an alarming rate. For instance, a couple of years back it would be commonplace to see a traditional Apathani lady with trademark tribal nose plugs in the area, today one has to search hard for those who still wear them!

Similarly, it is rather rare to see a Nyishi  tribesman with their traditional head gear with a hornbill beak. Unfortunately, laser removal of traditional tribal tattoos is also big business in this area today.

We also met our friend Lawrence who informed us of a unique discovery of a Shiva lingam some kilometers away from Ziro, and the great length he and his people have gone to, preserve and bring it back to life. See the conversation here.