The people

The indigenous population is tribal belongs to different communities. They are mainly the Mishmis, Khamptis and Singphoos. Tibetan refugees and the other sections of the populations are also living in the district.

The indigenous people of the district co-operate with any other communities in every aspect of livelihood. Till today the other communities appreciate all the indigenous people for their cordial and gentle behaviours.

The Khamptis and the Singphoos are Buddhist whereas the Mishmis are the follower of typical faith, belief and practices. Monogamy is the general rule of marriage but Polygamy is also not a rare example for them. As a whole the occupation of the people is agriculture. They worship and observe some festivals from time to time. Singing, dancing and playing are part and parcel of their life.

Fairs and festivals

Reh and Tamladu festivals are the main festivals of the Mishmis. Sangken is the festival of the Khamptis. The local people honour the festivals of each other. The people of other districts also equally observe their respective festivals with full enthusiasm.

Traditional tribal dances

It is indeed a fact that each and every dance has got its own originality and meaning. Group dances are common along the different tribes in the district. The Mishmis mainly perform two types of dances called Buiya and Nuiya. The Khamptis Mask-dance is an attractive dance where two dancers wear shirts spotted with designs and on their heads masks of cock's heads are put on with its crown at the top and the beak projecting over the foreheads. These two dancers dance like fighting cocks.

The Khamptis called this cock-fight dance 'Ka-Kongtuka. Ka-Fifai, Mukchi dances of the Khamptis are also popular in the district. The typical rear dance of the Singphos is Manglup. The other dances are Kakhang, Woigap, Mamthu, Domve, Kapung-Kokhang and Dongshe-mene. In the dance, the postures of the body and the hands are moved in such a way that one can guess the meaning or significance of the dance.

The dances are accompanied with musical instruments like drums, gongs, cymbals, flutes etc. Sometimes songs associated with the dances are sung by both male and female.

Visitors can really enjoy these dances performed in the open field in the festive occasions.