Ramirez (2005) points to two categories of supernatural
beings of the indigenous faiths of the tribes of Central Arunachal Pradesh (a
group that includes the Nishi, Apa-Tani, Adi and Mishmi). Of these, a very few are omnipresent entities characterized
by stability and neutrality; Doini- Polo (the
Sun-Moon couple) is the closest to a Supreme Deity and the “eye of the world”
watching over everything, and oaths taken in his name are the most binding; Such
deities are only appeased during the great annual festivals.
Dunbar (1913-17) observed “The word Uyu always seems to be a remarkable description of a spirit they believe to be not unlike a bat.” Wiyus are shape shifters and can assume any kind of animal and human form. Some Wiyus are described as having the appearance a mithun or a yak; Banji Banmang, (also known as Teleng), is a Wiyu of the sky who sometimes has the form of a monkey; the Nippongs are water spirits, and they may appear as birds.
The second category is made up of a vast number of diverse spirits or Wiyus
associated with nature - forests, rivers and hilltops, and they can also
inhabit villages and homes. Apparently no spirit is strictly malevolent or
benevolent, for when a man goes out to
hunt, he appeals to the ‘wild’ spirits for assistance and protection, while the
‘domestic’ spirits may revolt and cause calamities. On the relationship between the two, Shukla
(1959) writes: "the men hunt wild animals, the Wiyu hunt the men”.
Dunbar (1913-17) observed “The word Uyu always seems to be a remarkable description of a spirit they believe to be not unlike a bat.” Wiyus are shape shifters and can assume any kind of animal and human form. Some Wiyus are described as having the appearance a mithun or a yak; Banji Banmang, (also known as Teleng), is a Wiyu of the sky who sometimes has the form of a monkey; the Nippongs are water spirits, and they may appear as birds.
The Epom (Yapom) live in the forest and they often take on human likeness. Wearing
helmets, and carrying swords and spears, they can sometimes be heard sharpening
their dao (machete) on the rocks…
It is believed that Epom abduct humans by hiding at the top of a tree and imitating the sound of a crying child. The curious man who investigates will find a decapitated wildcat beneath the tree, and taking advantage of his shock, the Wiyu jumps on him and carries him far into the forest. Epoms also cause men cut themselves with daos while they work in the forest. The Wiyu attack men in various ways, striking them down with disease, weapons, creating accidents, preventing childbirth, sucking blood and seizing souls. For the sleeping man, the greatest danger is the Wiyu of high summits. Wiyus compete with men for resources, and especially with hunters for the animals of the forest; as great fishermen, there will be no fish available to man where the Wiyu have placed their traps. Some stories tell of how men, animals and spirits gathered in a meeting (kebang) to divide up the land; villages are defended by a magic enclosure, and can only be entered through imposing gates protected by the carcasses of dogs and pigs.
A myth first heard in Nagaland also resounds here: That man animal and spirit were three brothers and that they were not distinct, either in their appearance nor in aptitude until at a certain stage each one developed specific characteristics: Spirits had the capacity for transformation, the animals to fly or to gifted with sharp sense of smell, and the men had weapons. In the process, the spirits became invisible to men and the animals lost their houses, weapons and speech, but they all remained on an equal footing in their competition for natural resources Ramirez (2005:10). In the stories of Abotani from Arunachal Pradesh, man and spirit constantly struggle to outwit each other, and they also share apong, (rice beer). Wiyus can marry, have children and die, and they quarrel and fight among themselves behaving very like human beings, and in some myths man’s quest for wives may lead to marriage with a Wiyu.
It is believed that Epom abduct humans by hiding at the top of a tree and imitating the sound of a crying child. The curious man who investigates will find a decapitated wildcat beneath the tree, and taking advantage of his shock, the Wiyu jumps on him and carries him far into the forest. Epoms also cause men cut themselves with daos while they work in the forest. The Wiyu attack men in various ways, striking them down with disease, weapons, creating accidents, preventing childbirth, sucking blood and seizing souls. For the sleeping man, the greatest danger is the Wiyu of high summits. Wiyus compete with men for resources, and especially with hunters for the animals of the forest; as great fishermen, there will be no fish available to man where the Wiyu have placed their traps. Some stories tell of how men, animals and spirits gathered in a meeting (kebang) to divide up the land; villages are defended by a magic enclosure, and can only be entered through imposing gates protected by the carcasses of dogs and pigs.
A myth first heard in Nagaland also resounds here: That man animal and spirit were three brothers and that they were not distinct, either in their appearance nor in aptitude until at a certain stage each one developed specific characteristics: Spirits had the capacity for transformation, the animals to fly or to gifted with sharp sense of smell, and the men had weapons. In the process, the spirits became invisible to men and the animals lost their houses, weapons and speech, but they all remained on an equal footing in their competition for natural resources Ramirez (2005:10). In the stories of Abotani from Arunachal Pradesh, man and spirit constantly struggle to outwit each other, and they also share apong, (rice beer). Wiyus can marry, have children and die, and they quarrel and fight among themselves behaving very like human beings, and in some myths man’s quest for wives may lead to marriage with a Wiyu.
All Wiyus must be appeased, usually by animal sacrifice, and if this is
done right, they may leave an individual or a village alone for a while. The
shaman, who negotiates with Wiyus,
never officiates without his sword and dagger hanging on his belt and it is also said that the shaman entertains
a particular relation with a guardian Wiyu.
References:
Dunbar, G.D.S. 1913-17, Abors and Gallongs, Memoirs of A. S. B., Vol V.
Elwin, V., 1958. Myths of the North-East Frontier of India, New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers
Dunbar, G.D.S. 1913-17, Abors and Gallongs, Memoirs of A. S. B., Vol V.
Elwin, V., 1958. Myths of the North-East Frontier of India, New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers
Ramirez, P., 2005, Enemy Spirits, Allied Spirits: the Political
Cosmology of Arunachal Pradesh Societies
The NEHU Journal,
vol.3, n°1, p.1-28
Shukla, B.K. 1959, The
Daflas. Shillong: NEFA, p95)
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