Arunachal Pradesh's mystical traditions come alive in debut collection

Nestled between Tibet and Myanmar, Arunachal Pradesh's remote villages have long harboured stories that blur the boundaries between reality and the supernatural. These tales, passed down through generations of tribal communities, now find their voice in a debut collection that promises to transport readers into a world where spirit tigers prowl and ancient curses hold sway.

Subi Taba, an agriculture development officer turned author, has published "Tales from the Dawn-Lit Mountains" through Penguin Random House's Vintage imprint, marking her literary debut with a collection deeply rooted in her northeastern homeland.

The book emerges from Taba's intimate connection with Arunachal Pradesh's diverse tribal communities, whose lives unfold against a backdrop of towering peaks and dense forests. Her stories capture the essence of villages where Donyi-Polo priests perform ancient rituals and headhunting traditions cast long shadows over contemporary life.

"Each story is a glimpse into the heart of life. A peek inside the dark corridors of a bamboo house in the hills. A look at the wild outcry rising amid a fire lit up in the distant mountain villages," Taba explains.

The collection features eight narratives that weave together cultural anthropology and magical realism. One story follows a village terrorised by a supernatural tiger, while another traces how a simple bee sting triggers traumatic memories for a Nocte boy, transforming him into a feared headhunter seeking revenge for his brother's death.

Taba has drawn extensively from her observations of ethnic communities whose belief systems seamlessly blend animistic practices with everyday reality. Her narratives explore the tension between preserving indigenous traditions and adapting to modern influences that increasingly penetrate these isolated regions.

The author acknowledges taking "creative liberty to fictionalise glimpses and layers of cultural history, familial ties, ethnographic identity, symbolism of animals, geopolitical transition, life's mundanity, nature and supernatural beliefs existing within the ethnic tribes of Arunachal Pradesh."

Among the collection's more haunting tales is the story of a thief who steals sacred ornaments, only to find himself pursued by a high priest's curse that spans generations. Another narrative follows a Donyi-Polo priest desperately working to preserve his fading animistic religion against the tide of cultural change.

The stories reflect Taba's deep understanding of how geography shapes culture in this border state, where mountain rivers and seasonal harvests continue to dictate the rhythm of life. Her characters navigate a world where the physical and spiritual realms intersect daily, making the extraordinary seem commonplace.

"I feel delighted to have liberated these stories dwelling inside me, which have now been set forth on to their journeys, expanding like white smoke rising above the roof of a village hut," Taba reflects on her writing process.

The collection arrives at a time when indigenous voices from India's northeastern states are gaining recognition in mainstream publishing. Taba's work joins a growing body of literature that seeks to document and preserve the rich oral traditions of communities whose stories have rarely reached beyond their mountain villages.

"Tales from the Dawn-Lit Mountains" offers readers a rare window into Arunachal Pradesh's cultural landscape, where ancient beliefs continue to shape modern lives and where the line between myth and reality remains beautifully blurred. (PTI)