MYTHOLOGIES OF THE SHERDUKPEN TRIBE
The Sherdukpen are an ethnic group of Arunachal Pradesh state of India. Their population of 9,663 is centered in West Kameng district in the villages of Rupa, Jigaon, Thongri, Shergaon, to the south of Bomdila. All of these are at elevations between 5000 and 6000 feet above sea level. Of late, some of them have settled in Kameng bari areas, a new settlement area under Bhalukpong circle. Sherdukpen society is divided into two classes: The Thong and Chao, the former of which–the higher caste–are divided into eight clans. Marriage between castes are considered taboo within the tribal society and are strongly discouraged. Local legend mentioned that the upper caste are the descendants of a Tibetan king (a grandson of Songtsän Gampo) and Ahom princess, of which they bore two sons. The Chao are the descendants of the king’s porters and servants. The Sherdukpens migrate to Doimara (a lowland hamlet close to the Assamese border) and stayed between December and March on an annual basis during the winter months, a tradition with which the tribe maintain the memory of their Assamese ancestry. In Doimara, the Sherdukpens mingled with the nearby Assamese natives and traded for rice.
Sherdukpen (autonym: Mey) is a small language of India. It is one of the Kho-Bwa languages. There are two distinct varieties, Mey of Shergaon and Mey of Rupa. The name Sherdukpen comes from the words Shergaon and Tukpen (the Monpa name for Rupa). The language is known to speakers as Mey nyuk. Sherdukpen is spoken in Shergaon, southern West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh (Dondrup 1988), located in the Tengapani river valley south of Bomdila. Ethnologue lists Rupa (Kupa), Sheinthuk (Shergaon), Jigang (Jigaon), and Thungree villages, located south of Bomdi La Range and Tengapani river valleys in West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh.
The Sherdukpen believe that their mythological ancestor Asu Gyaptong, was a descendant of the Tibetan king Songtsan Gampo, who came to the plains of Assam and married a native Ahom princess. Hence they have long lineage of Tibetan ancestry and have inherited Tibetan culture. The Sherdukpen tribe derives its name from Sher (Shergaon) and Tukpen (old name for Rupa) villages in western Arunachal Pradesh. They have inhabited this mountainous region and lived in coexistence with the Monpas, Brokpas and Bugun ethnic groups. Sherdukpens, who are an indigenous tribe in the West Kameng district of western Arunachal Pradesh bordering Bhutan. There are roughly 5,000 members of the Sherdukpen tribe, hence they are one of the smallest tribal communities in India.
The Sherdukpen are an ethnic group of Arunachal Pradesh state of India. Their population of 9,663 is centered in West Kameng district in the villages of Rupa, Jigaon, Thongri, Shergaon, to the south of Bomdila. All of these are at elevations between 5000 and 6000 feet above sea level. Of late, some of them have settled in Kameng bari areas, a new settlement area under Bhalukpong circle. Sherdukpen society is divided into two classes: The Thong and Chao, the former of which–the higher caste–are divided into eight clans. Marriage between castes are considered taboo within the tribal society and are strongly discouraged. Local legend mentioned that the upper caste are the descendants of a Tibetan king (a grandson of Songtsän Gampo) and Ahom princess, of which they bore two sons. The Chao are the descendants of the king’s porters and servants. The Sherdukpens migrate to Doimara (a lowland hamlet close to the Assamese border) and stayed between December and March on an annual basis during the winter months, a tradition with which the tribe maintain the memory of their Assamese ancestry. In Doimara, the Sherdukpens mingled with the nearby Assamese natives and traded for rice. The Sherdukpen generally practice monogamy and trace their descent patrilineally. Their houses are built on strong stone foundations with their wall and floor made from thick wooden planks.
The Sherdukpen tribe derives its name from Sher (Shergaon) and Tukpen (old name for Rupa) villages in western Arunachal Pradesh. They have inhabited this mountainous region and lived in coexistence with the Monpas, and other ethnic groups. Sherdukpen people celebrate Buddhist festivals similar to other Buddhist communities in the Himalayan region. The Tibetan Chaam Dances are commonly seen even among the Sherdukpen festivals. Lossar, the Tibetan New Year is also a special occasion for the Sherdukpen. Wang is also celebrated twice a year in honour of the Buddha. Khiksaba is an indigenous non-Buddhist festival of the Sherdukpen, dedicated to appease the forest deities and other mountain spirits. Rep Lapchang is the harvest festival which is also popularly celebrated by the community. Such festivals are presided by the Jiji, or local Shaman instead of the Buddhist Lamas.
The Sherdukpens are a small tribe inhabiting the southern part of the Bondila Range in the valleys of Tengapani river. The main concentration is spread over the three main villages of Kupa, Jigaon and Shergaon. However at present, some of them have settled in Kameng bari areas, a new settlement area under Bhalukpong circle. Their society is patriarchal. A greater share of inheritance devolves from father to the eldest son. Monogamy is the prevailing form of marriage among the Sherdukpens. The Sherdukpens are a small tribe numbering around 4000 people in the three villages of Shergaon, Rupa and Jigaon in the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. It is believed that they are descendants of Asu Gyaptong, who belonged to the bloodline of the 7th century the ruler of Tibet, Gyalpo Song-tsan Gampo, who married an Assamese princess. The Sherdukpens call themselves as ‘Sheinji’ and the label of Sherdukpens is probably given to them by those from outside their community. The village was also originally called ‘Shenthuk’ and later changed to Shergaon. They speak a dialect which belongs to the Tibeto-Burmese family of languages. They do not have a script but the Budhhist monks use the Tibetan script for religious purposes. The Sherdukpens were earlier hunters gatherers who also practiced agriculture and traded with neighboring Assam.
Bardo Chham is performed by the Sherdukpen tribe of the West Kameng district. The dancers wear masks of 12 different animals and perform to the beats of many percussion instruments. Sherdukpen tribe believes that there are 12 different evil forces and they all appear in different months to mar the happiness of the community. The masks represent evil forces and the main objective of this art form is to ward off these evil forces. Men and women don colorful clothes before showcasing their dancing skills. The traditional attire worn by the women of the Sherdukpen tribe is a reflection of their culture and traditions. The women wear a dress called ‘pinong’, which is made of woolen material and comes in various colors like red, yellow, and blue. The dress has a horizontal belt-like strip called ‘longok’ at the waist, which is embroidered with colorful designs.
Kro-Chekor festival is one of the important festivals of the Sherdukpen tribe of the West Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh. Sherdukpens celebrate Kro-Chekor festival with great splendour and high spirits. It is generally celebrated in between the months of May-June as per the lunar calendar. This festival is celebrated for good harvest and overall development of the society. This rite is organised by the whole village community of the Sherdukpen tribe with the aim of providing supernatural protection to the crops sown, for good harvest and to drive away evil spirits, which may cause harm to the village community. The celebration of Kro-Chekor festival starts a month ahead by reciting holy scripts of Buddhist scared texts. The recitation programme starts at least 15 days ahead of the main festive day, which falls on full moon day in the same month. Every year the village council call upon the village elders as well as the head monk of the village and discuss which holy text they will be reciting and on consensus of the villagers and monk the selected text is recited. During this holy month all forms of hunting and fishing are stopped, if any one is found hunting and fishing then they are fined according to the village council laws. Every villager follows this act very sincerely. The village council nominates ‘Kachung’ (village council worker) from four families from every clan to carry out village council work. These are the people who cook food and carry out every aspect of work for smooth functioning of the festival till there turn ends. The monks stay in Gompas till the end of the recitation programme and the beginning of the main event of Kro-Chekor.
Shergaon is home to the Sherdukpen tribe, who are also spread in the villages of Rupa and Jigaon, 23 and 13 km from Shergaon, respectively. Around 1,000 members of the tribe reside in Shergaon, and everyone knows everybody else. Originally from Tibet, they migrated here hundreds of years ago. Respect for Nature is deeply ingrained in them and drives their conservation efforts. The Sherdukpens were primarily hunters and gatherers who also practiced agriculture. With the former being banned by the government, their main sources of income became agriculture and horticulture. Being in the temperate region, Shergaon experiences four distinct seasons. As I had visited in Spring, everywhere I looked was a picture-perfect shot, with oak trees sprouting tender red and green leaves, birds chirping and serenading their mates, bees and butterflies buzzing about pollinating flowers, the mountains standing guard in the background and a river gurgling across.
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