Ngunu Lemba

This is my favourite Apatani song.I am sharing this video from the ASA award function 2005.Every tanii should listen to such a good song.As song says Ngunu Lemba.....this song is about the beauty of Ziro and necessity to preserve its natural beauty, let's save our hometown...Ngunu Lemba, ngunumi ka oho buko Ziro mi.





I have tried my best to write down the lyric of the song,it goes like this...

NGUNU LEMBA (our village)
Ngunu lemba, ngiimi oho buko ano aya ne…ano kapyo ne..
Yolyan liipa ho kibo pinii hii, paro liigo ho rohfo khonii hii
Aro konchi ho piita adu nii alyin kamo ho hiime khenii hii
Piilo huto ho nyimun-yapa ka gangu benii hii, elu benii hii
Ano tapyo ne.......ano tapyo ne...........
Ngunu lemba, ngiimi oho buko ano aya ne…ano kapyo ne...


Lapan-babo, siigan-siilin diibii-rungo hii gantii-yaso
Ali-aho, sadi-sapa hii lutii giira hii sulu-narun hii
Senyi-apu hii, pudu-apu hii, piita-apu hii ,takun-apu hii, sembo-apu hii
Bagan-rinyo hii ano kapyo ne...ano kapyo ne......


Myoko-kaji, murun-chanta, dree-taku mi
Mema-aping halyin-tashin entii-apin mi
Diiran sankha mi, bachin armin sembo armin mi,
Jojuru mi chido hemudo ......
Ngunu lemba ngiimi oho buko ano aya ne…ano kapyo ne..

Siilo kiikoda ngo leyu sigya mi, sii sukun mi,
Ude doko mi nesu doko mi biije hagya mi more dalin mi
Anu-barmi mi ate- ata mi ari-apii mii diinii banii mi
Biinii-nyanii mi baro-manya mi kachin kenku ma
Ngunu lemba ngiimi oho buko ano aya ne…ano kapyo ne...

Tanii Song

Lyric of the song

Biisi ronge mi sika nando,
myoli hokii myobya tapa dopa;
ayu penge mi yuka nando,
panii hokii manii ho tapa dopa;
popi harbii ho miji jig dopa,
sarmin lapyo ho migun gongii dopa;
miji tapyu si ho jido koda
miji tapyu si ho jido koda

Gonchi gontii mi halu gra lanker pa,
Bari tako si gedo koda piimi lanker tupe lanker pa;
jilo yayu no piimii tako mi gehetoran pe ho ngiimi no,
ami lanii aban pyochi noh biisii ayu mi luko rampe;
dolyan chanja tanii barmii no ato charo noh hulii palii la
miji bari mi luko rampe biisi ayu gonge mi lula dopa
miji tapyu si ho jido koda
miji tapyu si ho jido koda
gehetoran pe ho ngiimi no
luko rampe ho ngiimi no

Photo collection from olden days

These are a collection of Tanii photos from olden days (taken in 1954), digitally stored at the Anthropological Archives of the Smithsonian Institution and available at this link :

I thought it would be worth displaying them in my blog, as these pictures are rarely seen nowadays. they have been taken by foreign anthropologist Verrier Elwin in our grandparents' time. Looking at these photos, it's hard today to imagine how their life was.

This is a view of ‘taper panii’ (imprisoned man) with heavy wooden stock. During those days, when anybody was found guilty of some wrong-doing (for eg. a theft), he/she was inflicted a public sanction by having ‘taper’ (wooden log) put around his/her leg.

Tanii woman fetching drinking water in bamboo container (olden practice). I’m a bit confused with the name of this bamboo container...it must be called ‘yassi dije’ or ‘sulu

Photo of ‘boa benii during the ritual called ‘babo achanii’ in the month of myoko. The ‘babo’ is this long wooden post standing in the centre of the picture .‘Boa benii’ is the kind of acrobatics performed by Tanii men around this mast during this ritual to mark their skill, but this is not without danger, one has to risk his/her life.

Apatani women sitting at ‘simbya’ (verandah of Tanii house). This photo shows the typical dressing of ladies in olden days with nose plucks and tattoos. They are wearing ‘kente aabi’ (a skirt-like hand woven lady wear) surrounded by bunch of ‘tasang’ (beads), and are wrapped in a ‘kente pulye‘ (hand woven shawl).

Picture of a Tanii couple. The woman is carrying a ‘yatii’ (a local version of umbrella) made of splitted cane or bamboo covered by leaves of a special tree. The man is carrying elyo (a kind of sword) and a loin belt of cane matted hanging from the waist like a tail, ‘ahu-yari‘, which was a traditional outfit of grown-up males.

I am thankful the person who has captured such a memorable photos of Tanii of olden days. These scenes can not be seen in the present generation. Nobody prefers to carry water in bamboo container, it’s an obsolete practice.....it has been replaced by the use of plastic buckets or metal containers. ‘Yatii’ is replaced by modern umbrellas. ‘Ahu-yari’, ‘kente pulye’, ‘aabi’ etc. are no longer worn by Taniis.

This is another good video link that I have found from youtube-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrAfBgVyDds&feature=related