LALING YALU: Explorer of APATANI Plateau

Betty von Fürer-Haimendorf with a Nyishi man in an Apatani village. They appear to be talking, perhaps with a few words of Assamese. (Published in 1978)

Betty von Fürer-Haimendorf was wife of renowned Austrian Ethnologist and Anthropologist Christopher von Fürer-Haimendorf who did extensive fieldwork in Northeastern region of India.

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Source: Golden Jubilee Nyokum Yulo 2017

Apatanis and Betty von Fürer-Haimendorf

Betty von Fürer-Haimendorf is sitting on a porch railing, with a stack of freshly-cut firewood behind her. She is the centre of attention for a crowd of Apatani men, women and children, some of whom are standing on the notched board that served as steps to the porch.
Courtesy: Ziro Valley

Apatani quotes

"DIMPER MANU KA SUKUN PIITIN HOKA IPA SACHAN".

This quote is applicable to those peoples who in spite of any desirable qualities or caliber, they themselves tries to make oneself popular/famous whilst others don't find anything worth in them. Such souls can cross any limit to fend themselves a FAME. 
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Story of Dimper Manu from Apatani folktales goes this way:

Once upon a time, there lived a girl named Dimper Manu in Apatani village. She was not very attractive one amongst other village girls. Her tattoos were neither good looking one (as in olden days.. tattoos were believed to be done for beautification) and moreover she was not very hardworking like others villagers (she was the laziest one in her group). This way she always had a brunt of being ugliest and laziest among other village youths. But she always wanted to make her self popular one day.

One night, suddenly some idea struck into her mind. She found a idea to make herself POPULAR. She decided to carry out her idea near community water source SUKUN (Traditional well) of her village.

Early in the morning when dawn hasn't yet arrived, she went near the SUKUN and gave into nature's call - she passed her Latrine in front of the well.

After a while when villagers came to fetch water from well, they were shocked to see the shit and begins to inquire about the culprit. When Dimper Manu hear this news, she was elated and she herself went to village council and voluntarily admitted her deed.

The village council imposed a fine on her consisting of some Livestocks to perform the ritual of Repurifythe village well. Henceforth DIMPER MANU became very popular amongst Apatani people.
Apatani Folktales