Solung

The principal harvest festival of the Adi tribe, celebrated with cattle sacrifices and rounds of the Ponung folk dance.

Commemorates the mythological narrative found in Adi oral epics (Abangs) detailing how crop seeds and the sacred Mithun cattle were brought down from the heavenly realm to the human world through the grace of Goddess Kine Nane.

The festival is a beautiful showcase of community solidarity. Women wear traditional handwoven Gale skirts and perform the elegant, rhythmic circular folk dance called 'Ponung'. Men prepare weapons, brew fresh rice beer (Apong), and coordinate large community feasts where meat is distributed among all households.

The sequencing begins with 'Solung Binyat', where the shaman performs sacrifices of Mithun cattle and pigs at the edge of the fields to appease the crop goddess. This is followed by 'Ekop', a protective ritual where weapons are charged with spiritual energy, and 'Totok', the concluding family bonding and gifting phase.

The health and structural patterns of the sacrificed animal's spleen and liver are read by the shaman (Miri) to make predictions about the community's economic fortunes, upcoming climate patterns, or potential trials for the village.

Held in memory alone for generations, in the chant-epics known as Abangs, Solung has moved from a village rite of survival to an organised public festival that carries Adi cultural identity.

The lush green valleys of Pasighat vibrate with the poetic chants of the 'Miri' shaman, who holds a ceremonial sword aloft as he narrates the creation of the world. In a vast circle, Adi women in striking red and black Gale skirts sway in unison, their arms linked as they perform the Ponung dance. The warm hospitality is infectious, as locals eagerly hand you bamboo mugs filled with fresh, sweet Apong rice beer.