Nishi Tribe of Arunachal Pradesh

From the archive record

Spread over much of western Arunachal Pradesh, the Nishi tribe are easily distinguished by their customary form of dress, most notably their woven, feather adorned hornbill caps. Long burdened with an erroneous reputation of fierceness and hostility, the truth is that the Nishi are a warm, hospitable and charming lot going to any and all lengths to accommodate their guests. What they do this in is another of their trademark features – the longhouse. Measured not by meters but rather in the number of kitchens, most typically range between three and five, though some stretch to more than ten. Inside reside a community of closely knit families occupying their own segregated sections, each going about their daily activities independent of one another. They are dark, smoky, low-roofed structure