Myoko Piilo

It’s spring time at Ziro. Bright-colored Takuň appu (flowers of plum) can be seen all around the Apatani villages. The outskirts of the villages are adorned with variety of flowering trees, most notably of Sembo (a kind of berry), adding a riot of color to the otherwise sleepy Ziro landscape at this time of the year.


Butterflies of unbelievable variety of colors can be seen all around. Butterflies, by the way, are said to be one of the best indicators of biodiversity of an area. I found this one very proud and dignified:


The numbers of butterflies are, sadly, decreasing these days. In the past, we could see hordes of them playing around on the tracks to the fields and jungles – the aji lembos and yasaň lembos. Not so much these days.

Even without many butterflies, chirping of birds cannot be missed while strolling by a bije lembo like this:


It’s pure magic. A combination of whistling sounds of gentle winds as it wafts by the fine pine leaves and bamboos, the rustle of the dry leaves on the tracks as you walk by and the chirping of variety of birds.

And it is time to join the Apatanis in the Myoko festival – a unique festival of friendship and camaraderie.

Getting Beautiful

The Apatanis love to make themselves up. In the olden days, they used to warm pieces of pork fat and use the oil (kutu) to make up their hair. The women tied the hair at the back while the men tied them into a decorative knot in front on the forehead.

The intricate designs as well as elegance of the Apatani dresses - jilaň, jig-jiro, pyamiň pulye, piisa leňda, etc. are well known. Less known are the ornaments they used. Here are some of the traditional ornaments.


This is called lariň - an ear ring. It was common sight till twenty years back women from rich families with lariň dangling from their ears.


The following two pictures are those of kapuň - bangles.



This is piillo kobyaň, one of the more intricately designed bangles.


Usually, these ornaments were worn during special occasions like festival of Muruň, Subu or Myoko.

Land Use at Ziro

The harvesting of paddy is at the fag end. We can still see some fields being ploughed again immediately after harvest and potato gardens being started. The Apatanis, being meticulous agriculturists leave not even an inch of land unused. Similarly in the above picture, not even a single week in an agricultural calender is left unused. Vegetable gardening immediately after paddy harvest.

I wish this was happening at Ziro. The above picture is in the Kathmandu valley in Nepal where the topography and weather condition is exactly same as at Ziro valley. If this can happen there, this can happen here too.

In winter after harvest in October, this is the picture that Ziro wears:



I am sure someday, somebody will start using the land even in winter and beat a way for the rising sun.

Rai

Ziro is known for its calm and tranquil scenery all round the year. Its because of the clean rice paddy in the valley and evergreen blue pine and Apatani bamboo on the gently hills all around.

Rai is on the way to Pine Grove on the Ziro-Daporijo road. This is where the officers’ quarters of the Border Roads Organization (BRO) are located. Constructed on the slopes of the hill full of pine trees and bamboos, they were the most beautiful houses for us children back those days. They still are beautiful. Beautiful also is the rice paddy and the villages one see looking out into the valley.

Get out to Rai for a leisurely drive and then walk around listening to whistling sounds as the winds blow by the pine leaves. One feels one with nature.

Dusu Katu

We trekked to Dusu Katu, 9.5 km from Hari village and at an elevation of 7,971 feet above sea level. It was not so much the trek, but the place that intrigued me. This is the place from where one can have a view of the place where Dusu Duyu lived – somewhere in present Manii Polyang. He later migrated to Hari village where the people of Dusu clan live now. Interestingly, one cannot see Hari village except the Byara where the school is located at present.

We camped at the peak overnight and when I got up at 5.30 AM and looked down, I saw a lake! This is the lake which fooled the neighboring tribe into believing that the Apatanis have drowned.





Slowly, however, the lake which was actually the mist covering the valley down there disappeared and I could clearly make out Hong village, Manii Polyang, Siiro village and Hapoli.





Great trekking route and great place for overnight camping! You feel like you are sleeping in the air, looking down at Ziro valley.