Documenting the traditional hunting practices of the Nocte Tribe in Arunachal Pradesh: a case study of cultural legacy for posterity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9862.17.12.28036-28047Keywords:
Fishing, hunting techniques, indigenous practices, preservation, rituals, sustainability, taboos, Tirap District, traps, traditional knowledgeAbstract
The study on the Nocte tribe of Arunachal Pradesh critically documents their rich, yet rapidly eroding, traditional hunting practices, which utilise indigenous techniques and primitive tools such as unique traps (e.g., Kut-tai, Waa-khap, and Phaknong) and indigenous flintlock guns. Analysis of interviews with 204 households, grouped by age (18–30, 31–50, and over 50), confirms the continued relevance of these methods, with high utilisation rates for specific indigenous traps (Kut-tai: 15%; Waa-khap: 14.8%; Phaknong: 13.3%) and a significant 72% of hunters still using indigenous flintlock guns. Hunting is primarily motivated by food acquisition (64%) and cultural preservation (17%), underscoring its deep cultural significance. This invaluable knowledge is quickly depleting due to a critical lack of documentation and knowledge preservation, creating an urgent need to document these practices formally. This effort is essential to safeguard this rich heritage and ensure its transmission to future generations, thereby mitigating the erosion of these traditional cultural values.
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