Kongkura:yo Festival 2.0 celebrated in Arunachal's Pasighat with focus on Adi heritage and tribal identity

The second edition of the Kongkura:yo Festival was organised on May 12 in Pasighat with the theme “My Roots–My Identity,” celebrating the heartbeat of tribal life and the rich cultural heritage of the Adi community.

The festival was organised by local NGO Ma:m Ke in collaboration with Tikgra Mirbuk Baane Kebang and Siang Trust at the Tigra Mirbuk Musup community hall near Pasighat township.

Kongkura:yo, meaning “Echoes of the Ancestors” in the Adi language, aims to preserve, practice and promote the traditional heritage of the Adi tribe through folklores, language, food, rituals, clothing, crafts and indigenous practices inherited from ancestors.

The daylong festival featured several traditional competitions for both women and men. Events for women included Sipiak Moki, Agam Kepel Lengki, Binyat Lengki and Dot/Dolot Gungki/Kapki, while men participated in competitions such as Oying Pe:Jung Poki, Dore Poki, Koson Lengki, Remi/Riimo Iki, Leyo Sonam Lengki, Epuk Iyyi Apki and tug of war.

General competitions including Ledu Petkeng and Adi Agom Luki were also organised for students from Classes VII to XII and other age groups.

Participants from different villages of East Siang district and nearby districts actively took part in the festival, showcasing traditional knowledge, folklore and indigenous practices once widely followed by the ancestors of the Adi tribe.

One of the highlights of the festival was the presence of elderly women from the community as honoured guests. The organisers invited 80-plus-year-old women Yating Siram and Oso Darang as Chief Guest and Guest of Honour respectively, along with 22 elderly women from similar age groups as special invitees.

Speaking during the event, Dr. Joya Tasung Moyong said the festival was an effort to preserve and pass on the identity of the Adi tribe to future generations.

“My identity is not just where I am from. It is the folklores, language, food, clothes, rituals, festivals and traits that we inherit and carry forward,” she said.

Moyong also informed that a musical band named “Kongkura:yo – Echoes of the Ancestors” has been formed to preserve and promote traditional Adi folk songs.

She urged the Adi community to continue preserving traditional rituals, indigenous artefacts, foods and clothing amid increasing modern influences, while thanking community members for their enthusiastic participation in the event.

The organisers also acknowledged the efforts of organising chairman Johny Ering and organising secretary Kaling Borang for making the event successful. Judges including Tajing Taki, Tayon Dai and Yater Ering Taloh were also thanked for their dedicated evaluation of participants.