Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema
Khandu, participating in the Indigenous Faith Day celebrations, said indigenous
cultural diversity is the soul of the State and thus it needs to be maintained
and preserved for posterity.
The Chief Minister participated in the
celebrations held at Nirjuli town in the Papum Pare district of Arunachal
Pradesh on Friday.
Speaking at the event, CM Khandu said the
intrinsic cultural diversity of the tribes here is the ‘soul’ of the State and
has to be maintained and preserved for posterity.
Khandu admitted that it’s a huge
challenge to take a state like Arunachal Pradesh, with as many as 26 major
tribes and more than 100 sub-tribes, on a developmental path fulfilling the
aspirations of every tribe.
“On this day, I would like to extend my
greetings to all the tribes and tribals of the State. Arunachal Pradesh is a
tribal society and we have moved ahead with our thousands of years old
traditions and indigenous practices. We should further strengthen our culture
by telling our younger generation about it,” said CM Khandu.
Taking to his social media X, the
Arunachal Pradesh CM posted, “Indigenous faith is integral to the preservation
of our indigenous identity and culture. We will never let our indigenous
beliefs and faith systems vanish into thin air. All institutional support will
be provided to preserve our traditional connection with nature, our land and
our ancestors.”
“Today at the Indigenous Faith Day
celebration at Nirjuli, we together resolved to make our indigenous beliefs,
rituals, faith and traditions part of our daily lives,” posted Khandu.
Indigenous Faith Day is celebrated in
Arunachal Pradesh on December 1 every year. The day is celebrated to promote
and protect all indigenous faiths in the state. It also serves as a reminder to
take pride in the state’s cultural heritage and pass it on to the younger
generation.
The Indigenous Faith and Cultural
Society of Arunachal Pradesh (IFCSAP) observes the day at Rono Hill, Doimuk.
The day was previously celebrated on
December 31, but the date was changed to commemorate the birth anniversary of
Talon Rukbo, the father of the Indigenous Faith Movement.
Indigenous faith and religion refer to
the traditional customs, beliefs, and practices of specific ethnic groups.
ANI
