On World Tourism day, US Embassy launches website to document the cultural heritage of tribes in Arunachal Pradesh

By Ayushi Agarwal
New Delhi [India], September 27 : As US and India celebrate 75 years of bilateral relations and as part of 'Azaadi ki Amrit Mahotsav', the United States Mission in India launched a website at an event here to celebrate the intangible cultural heritage of the indigenous tribes of Arunachal Pradesh.
The website was launched by US Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Brian Heath, who while delivering the remarks said that this project, the 3000-year-old cultural and lifestyle traditions of indigenous tribes in North East India, preserves key aspects of India's rich culture, society and history and it is important to highlight the wealth of stories and experiences that come together to make the societies what they are today.
"While I have not had the pleasure of visiting the state yet, I certainly hope to do so during my time in India. It is heartwarming to see the natural wonder of the state intertwine with the centuries-old traditions of the indigenous tribes, connecting lifestyles and spirituality with nature. It is a reminder of how indigenous people have the knowledge and practices needed to implement and scale-up climate action," said Heath.
"The US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) supports projects to preserve various aspects of a country's cultural heritage, including historic buildings, archaeological sites, ethnographic objects, paintings, manuscripts, indigenous languages, and other forms of traditional cultural expression.
This project, the Documentation of 3000-Year-Old Cultural and Lifestyle Traditions of Indigenous Tribes in Northeast India, preserve key aspects of India's rich culture, society, and history. This is one of many important Ambassadors Fund projects in India", he added.
Further acknowledging the importance of Indigenous people, the US Acting Deputy Chief of Mission also highlighted the fact that how this project enables them a voice in creating responsible tourism and for connecting to a hidden world and introducing him to Arunachal.
While hailing Arunachal Pradesh as a zero-waste state, Dr Sagnik Chowdhary, Deputy Director General and Regional Director, East and North East, India tourism said that this takes them great pride in meaningfully showcasing Arunachal on World Tourism day.
"Arunachal Pradesh, a zero waste state, reflects a real possibility of 'Rethinking Tourism ' and highlighting their culture is certain to bolster tourism in the state, in turn immensely benefitting the host communities", he added.
The project which is supported by the United States Mission in India's Ambassadors Fund for cultural preservation, the ministry of tourism and UNESCO's International information and network for intangible cultural heritage in the Asia Pacific, also included films, performances, exhibitions and demonstrations showcasing traditional Arunachal Pradesh culture.
In December 2021, the United States launched a program through the Ambassador's fund for cultural preservation to work with Tribe members from 39 villages across the state to preserve and document their heritage through a series of short documentary films. One of these films, The Living Heritage of Arunachal: Beauty in Diversity, premiered during the event.
The event today took place as part of a series of Azaadi ki Amrit Mahotsav (India75) and the U.S. - India 75th anniversary celebrations.