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Abstract
This article outlines the structural changes applied by Adi community activists to theindigenous faith of Donyipolo from the mid-1980s to the present. These new methodsof worship, designed and implemented following the establishment of a religious governingbody known as the Donyipolo Yelam Kebang, comprise processes that constitutea "formalization" or "institutionalization": the Adi have consciously formatted theirfaith to mirror the composition of more mainstream religions in an attempt to preservetheir heritage and to protect against conversion initiatives. The revival has served asa radical reconstitution of Donyipolo via the introduction of tangible religious representations(the canonization and printing of prayer texts; the introduction of iconographicaldepictions of deities; and the construction of prayer halls) into a traditionally oralreligious landscape that was significantly more fluid. The movement stands as anexample of indigenous creativity and adaptation, stemming from a focused communityinitiative.
Keywords
Donyipolo, Talom Rukbo, Tani, Adi, Arunachal Pradesh, religious change
Introduction
The indigenous religion known as Donyipolo (literally, "Sun-Moon" in theAdi language) functions as the "common but flexible sacred frame"(Mibang / Chaudhuri 2004: 2) of the varieties of faith followed by the Tani tribes1 - the Adi, the Apatani, the Galo, the Nyishi, the Mising,2 and the Tagin -of Arunachal Pradesh, India, in the Eastern Himalayan foothills. These ethniccommunities have historically belief in Abotani ("father-man") as a sharedancestor. At the core of Tani indigenous religion is the exaltation of the divinecreation force as manifested through the synthesis of the celestial spheres ofthe sun donyi (female energy) and the moon polo (male energy), understoodto be the omnipotent, omnipresent eyes of the supreme entity. Beliefs, rituals,and linguistic representations3 that commonly fall under the categorical umbrellaof Donyipolo vary significantly by tribe, sub-tribe, and community;this article focuses primarily on the Adi of Pasighat,4 East Siang.
Adi Donyipolo has traditionally been characterized by a philosophicalframework corresponding to the aabangs (oral narratives, mythology) and anontology defined by ongoing communication and negotiation with a varietyof non-human entities (uyu), either directly by community members or viaparticular types of ritual specialists (miri). Multiple intermediary deities, suchas Dadi Bote (the god of animals), Kine Nane (the god of grain), Gumin Soyin(the god of the house), Doying Bote (the god of humans and wisdom), andKongki Komang (the god of fate and figure) are recognized as representationsof Donyipolo, and, thus, of...
