Indigenous Religious Practices without Written Records: Challenges and Methods in Reconstructing Adi Religious History

Abstract

Arunachal Pradesh the “land of the rising sun “ is a breathtaking collage of cultural richness and home to over 110 tribes. Among them, the Adi tribe stands out for its deep eco-spirituality. A time honored bond with nature where the divine is intricately woven into the natural world. This sacred worldview expressed through rich oral traditions, myths and rituals, underscores a deep commitment to preserving the environment. It is a reflection of their enduring ecological stewardship passed down through generations. The Adi ethnic community in Arunachal Pradesh has a rich cultural history. It is sustained in harmony with the environment, ancestry and worship of deities represented by Donyi-Polo who denotes the sun and the moon. At the centre of the Adi religion is the culture of worship of the Donyi Polo who is believed to embody powers that create and sustain life. This belief maintain the universe in equilibrium and uphold morality. The Adi society has no writing systems to explicate their belief systems and codify their age old practices. They have no worry about being taken over by the outside society. External factors have also come into policies of preservation. So there exists an oral sacred knowledge possessed by nearly all the Adis about every aspect of practice which is also under some threat owing to modernity. This absence of written materials has considerably hampered efforts to rehabilitate the complete picture of Adi sectarian history. Therefore the practitioners of faith, culturalists and even the descendants of the previous age have had to be resourceful and careful in seeking ways of recording and understanding their own skies and world. This particular paper presents these problems and also shows some of the artistic ways to protect Adi’s spirituality in order that it is passed on to the younger generations.