Category: Tribes & Traditions

The Monk Who Walked the Sky
Tucked away in the West Kameng district, Shergaon is a quiet village of apple orchards, gushing brooks, and Buddhist flags fluttering like whispered prayers. But beneath its serene surface lives a current of stories — legends that don’t beg to be believed, but simply ask to be remembered.

Here, the mountains do not echo; they listen. And if you’re quiet enough, you might hear of the monk who once walked the sky.

The Skywalker of Shergaon

Local lore tells of a revered 14th-century monk — a practitioner of high Tantric rituals — who sought refuge in the Sherdukpen valleys. It is said he arrived during a storm and walked across the air between two cliffs to reach the present-day Gonpa, with only a prayer flag and a butter lamp.

The cliff, now called Zeng-Nyi, is considered sacred. Locals still avoid pointing fingers directly at it — a sign of humility before the sacred.
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“He didn’t perform magic,” says Dorjee La, a local farmer. “He just trusted the wind more than the ground.”
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Sacred Landscapes and Spirit Stones
- Shergaon’s topography isn’t just mapped by rivers and ridges — it’s charted through stories.
- Dhomshung: A dense patch of forest where it’s said guardian spirits roam at twilight. No one harvests here. Children are told to whisper while passing.
- Sangtha Rock: A large stone near the monastery, believed to be the seat of a mountain deity. Offerings of rice and butter are still made here during lunar festivals.
- The Three Trees of Reconciliation: Near the old settlement, three pine trees stand together, planted by warring clans after a historic truce. Elders often lead village children there to learn of their ancestry.
Snippets from the Valley
1. Oral Epics by the Hearth:
  Winter evenings are often spent around the fire, where grandparents narrate tales of sky trails, flying monks, and spirits who steal names — unless you feed them rice beer.
2. Thread Rituals:
  During village festivals, red and white threads are tied across doorways and trees. According to legend, this prevents wayward spirits from entering homes.
3. Whispered Greetings:
  In Shergaon, when you pass an old tree or stone cairn, some locals mutter a quick greeting under their breath. “Even rocks remember,” one old woman says.
The Gonpa That Faces Both Ways

Shergaon’s main monastery, unlike many others, is built with dual facades — one facing the village, and one facing the forest. Monks say it honours both worlds: the one we live in, and the one we must never forget. The legend of the skywalking monk is still commemorated with candlelight rituals on the full moon night of the harvest season.

Know Before You Go
- How to reach: Drive from Bomdila or Rupa; Shergaon lies about 18 km off the main road
- Stay: Simple lodges or homestays with Sherdukpen families; try to attend a local prayer ceremony if invited
- Etiquette tips:
- Never climb sacred stones or monuments
- Avoid whistling near forests — considered a call to spirits
- Don’t point at cliffs or shrines with fingers
Shergaon doesn’t need its stories to be proven — it only needs them to be passed on. In the hush of its pines and the kindness of its people, legends linger not to entertain, but to remind. Of reverence. Of roots. Of skywalks that perhaps weren’t impossible — just unrecorded.

Some stories are not told to be believed — they’re told to remind us how to believe.”
July 5, 2025
Fire in the Valley
Menchuka lies quietly in the folds of Arunachal Pradesh, surrounded by pine forests and prayer flags, where the river Siyom hums stories of the mountains. But when festival time comes — particularly during Mopin or Losar — this silence lifts, giving way to drums, chants, dances, and the warm crackle of communal fire.

In Menchuka, festivals are not performances. They are memories kept alive with barley flour, butter lamps, and the collective rhythm of hope.

Mopin: A Festival of Flour and Fire

Celebrated by the Galo tribe, Mopin is a springtime festival that asks for prosperity and protection against evil. White rice flour is smeared on faces, homes are decorated with leaves, and villagers gather around massive bamboo bonfires as priests chant blessings into the night air.

Central to Mopin is the ritual of Popir dance — graceful, circular movements performed by women dressed in white, symbolizing purity and community. There’s no stage, just earth; no audience, only participation.
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“You don’t watch Mopin,” said our hostess. “You become part of it — or you miss it entirely.”
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Losar: When Monasteries Sing

While Mopin belongs to the Galos, Losar, the Tibetan New Year, is celebrated with equal fervor by the Memba community in Menchuka. It’s a time of spiritual renewal — with Gumpa prayers, butter lamp offerings, and monks performing masked Cham dances to dispel evil and welcome peace.

Monasteries like Samten Yongcha come alive with colors, chanting, and quiet devotion. The warmth of chang (local rice beer) and the lighting of ceremonial fires turn the chill of February into a season of togetherness.

Snippets from the Valley
- Ritual Smoke at Dusk:
  During festivals, pinewood is burnt not just for warmth, but for its fragrance. The smoke is believed to purify the air and invite ancestral blessings.
- Singing While Cooking:
  In many homes, cooking is done in groups, with women humming songs passed down generations. Recipes are never written — they’re remembered by taste and tune.
- The Festival Scarf:
  Known as pomo, this ceremonial scarf is offered with both hands during festivals — a gesture of goodwill, respect, and emotional connection.
Bonfires That Bless

During Mopin, bonfires are not just symbolic — they are participatory. Families bring twigs, leaves, and even small items they wish to “cleanse” through the flame. These fires are believed to carry messages to spirits, guiding them gently back to the heavens.

Know Before You Go

Best time:
- Mopin: Early April
- Losar: February or March (as per the lunar calendar)
Where to experience it:
- Samten Yongcha Monastery, local community grounds in the valley
Cultural etiquette:
- Avoid stepping in front of dancers during rituals
- Always accept ceremonial offerings with both hands
Tip:
- Carry warm clothes — festival nights can be freezing even in spring
In Menchuka, festivals aren’t announcements — they are affirmations. Of roots, of relationships, and of the radiant flame that connects people to land and spirit. You don’t need to understand every chant or gesture. Just show up with warmth in your heart — the fire will do the rest.

The mountains may keep you apart, but a fire shared at festival time brings every heart closer.”
July 5, 2025
Where the Drum Begins
In Zemithang — the last village before the borders blur into Bhutan and Tibet — dance is not an act of performance. It’s how history breathes. Here, tucked into the folds of the Pangchen Valley, the rhythms of life are measured not by calendars but by chants, cymbals, and slow, circular steps.

This is where tradition moves not on stage, but on packed earth, under prayer flags, beside flickering butter lamps. This is where the drum begins.

The Dance of the Pangchenpa

The Pangchenpa people — who speak a dialect of Tibetan and follow Mahayana Buddhism — have passed down their sacred dances for centuries. The Cham dance, performed during Losar (Tibetan New Year) and other monastery festivals, is not merely ritualistic. It is cosmic theatre.

Masked dancers, embodying wrathful deities and protective spirits, move in choreographed patterns to drive away negative forces and invite prosperity. Each movement is deliberate, timed to traditional Tibetan instruments like the dungchen (long horn), nga (drum), and gyaling (reed flute).
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“We don’t dance to impress,” says a monk from Gorsam Chorten. “We dance to remember what must never be forgotten.”
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Gorsam Chorten: Sacred Rhythm Keeper

The towering white dome of Gorsam Chorten, built in the 13th century, is Zemithang’s spiritual heart. During the annual Gorsam Kora, devotees walk clockwise around the chorten — often for days — spinning prayer wheels and whispering mantras.

It’s here that you may witness spontaneous gatherings of villagers draped in traditional attire, their feet dusting the earth in quiet unison as someone plays a melody older than memory. No applause. No curtain calls. Just movement and meaning.

Snippets from the Valley
- Dance on Roofs:
  During festive months, you might see young villagers practicing on rooftops — their shadows dancing before their bodies.
- Songs Without Words:
  Elders sing wordless melodies that mimic river flows and wind patterns. Each tune has a purpose — to summon rain, to bless a harvest, or to honour the departed.
- Children of the Drum:
  Boys as young as six are taught the rhythm patterns — not from books, but by sitting beside the village drum, feeling the beats with their palms.
When Silence Is Music

Zemithang teaches you that rhythm doesn’t always require noise. The prayer flags fluttering above fields, the spinning of wheels in Gorsam Kora, the synchronized hand movements of masked monks — all of it is music. Just not the kind you measure in decibels.

Know Before You Go
- Festival timing: Visit during Losar (usually February–March) or the Gorsam Kora (April) for traditional dances and rituals.
- Stay options: Basic homestays available in Zemithang; limited mobile connectivity, but immense hospitality.
- Travel tip: Be respectful during religious dances — never interrupt or stand in front of masked performers. Photography should be minimal and only with consent.
In Zemithang, dance doesn’t seek an audience — it seeks continuity. It is a bridge between the seen and the unseen, between ancestors and children, between rhythm and silence. Come not to watch, but to witness.

In places where the world ends, the soul begins to move.”
July 5, 2025
The River That Waited
In the highlands of West Jaintia Hills, Jowai sits quietly above the Myntdu River — a town where legends don’t fade with time; they age like old folk songs, sung in the hush of pine forests and beside flickering hearths. Here, stories are not distractions from life — they are the very bones of it.

And among these, one story rises with the morning mist — the tale of the Myntdu River, a guardian spirit believed to be watching over the valley.

“She waited for a wedding that never happened, and so, she keeps flowing, waiting for closure.”
-an old storyteller whispers.

The River’s Vow

Locals say that Myntdu is not just a river; she is a sentient spirit. She watches everyone who enters the valley, flowing around Jowai like an ancient sentinel. According to legend, if anyone pollutes her waters or harms the forests along her course, the river will rise — not in anger, but in sorrow.

Routine cleaning of The Myntdu River by the locals

This myth is not just bedtime poetry — it has shaped how the Jaintia people interact with nature. Fishing is done seasonally, festivals often start with offerings to the river, and even children are taught to greet the river before splashing into her arms.

Sacred Stones and Whispering Pines

Beyond the river, Jowai is scattered with sites that hold mythological importance:
- Nartiang Monoliths:
  A short drive from Jowai brings you to this field of giant stone menhirs and dolmens — said to be raised by ancient warriors and kings. Some locals believe they were once living guardians, turned to stone to protect the land for eternity.
- Thlumuwi Stone Bridge and Falls:
  Built by Jaintia kings, this bridge is not just architectural pride but part of royal folklore. It is said that a royal couple once exchanged vows here, with the river promising to bear witness forever.
- Syntu Ksiar – The Flower of Gold:
  A riverbank area in Jowai that commemorates Kiang Nangbah, a local freedom fighter. Legend says he carried the spirit of the Myntdu river in him — strong, silent, and defiant.
Snippets from the Valley
- Pine Needle Smoke:
  Villagers use dried pine needles as fire starters. The smell clings to woolen shawls and stories alike.
- Midnight Drummers:
  During some harvest celebrations, you may hear drums deep in the forest — not played for an audience, but for ancestors.
- Water That Whispers:
  It’s said that if you sit quietly by the river at dusk, you’ll hear her hum — a melody only those who listen without speaking can hear.
Know Before You Go
- Best time: November to February for clear skies and local festivals.
- Stay: Guesthouses near Ialong Eco Park or local homestays around Thadlaskein Lake.
- Local tip: Always ask before photographing elders or sacred spaces. Respect isn’t requested here — it’s expected.
Jowai doesn’t just preserve its legends — it lives them. Whether it’s a whisper in the woods or the shiver of a river at dawn, the town reminds us that myths aren’t dead — they simply wait for someone who listens like they mean it.

Some places echo with noise; others hum with memory. Jowai hums.”
July 5, 2025
Where the Smoke Adds Flavour
Longwa isn’t just famous for straddling two countries — it also straddles two culinary worlds: one of ancestral hunting and one of seasonal cultivation. Here, the kitchen is a place of memory and muscle. The firewood burns slow, the meats cook slower, and nothing is ever rushed, not even hunger.

In Longwa, every meal is a conversation between the land, the forest, and the hands that prepare it.

Inside a Konyak Kitchen

You’ll smell it before you see it — the rich aroma of smoked meat wafting through wooden beams blackened by decades of fire. Most kitchens are elevated over ground, with platforms used for drying, curing, and preserving. There are no spices from the plains here — only salt, chilli, smoke, and intuition.

Smoked pork is a staple, often stored for months above the hearth. Alongside are fermented soybeans (akin to akhuni), wild herbs, and rice from the jhum fields. The food may seem minimal, but it’s deeply layered — like the people.

Must-Experience Local Flavours
- Smoked Pork with Dry Bamboo Shoot: Sharp, bold, and comforting — this is soul food.
- Sticky Red Rice: Grown locally, best enjoyed with hot chutney and meat.
- Fermented Soybean Paste (Ngari-style): Served sparingly, but leaves an impression.
- Snail Curry and Foraged Greens: A seasonal delicacy shared among family.
A Meal With a View — and a Lesson

At the village edge, overlooking Myanmar, you’ll often find a wood-and-thatch home where you’re offered a meal with minimal conversation. One host said, “You don’t speak while eating — you respect what it took to hunt, grow, and prepare.”

Chilli That Brings Tears and Tales

Every family has their secret chilli chutney — often involving ghost pepper (bhut jolokia), smoked tomatoes, and a lot of pride. When you ask for the recipe, they smile. “We don’t measure. The fire tells us.”

Know Before You Go
- Food may be non-vegetarian heavy: Ask respectfully if you have dietary preferences.
- Eat what’s offered: Refusing food is seen as declining a relationship.
- Don’t look for ‘organic’ labels: Everything here already is.
In Longwa, food isn’t cooked — it’s crafted. Each dish is a product of time, terrain, and trust. To eat here is to be let in — not just into a home, but into a way of life.

In Longwa, the fire cooks more than food — it shapes belonging.”
July 5, 2025