Arunachal: RIWATCH Hosts Sajolang Language Workshop in Roing
Two-day workshop at RIWATCH documents Sajolang oral traditions, verifies field data, and advances efforts to preserve the endangered language.
ROING- A two-day workshop on the documentation of Sajolang (Miji) oral traditions and language was held at RIWATCH in Roing from April 27 to 28, focusing on preserving the linguistic and cultural heritage of the community.
The workshop aimed to undertake audio-visual documentation of oral narratives and linguistic data, authenticate materials collected during a field study in Nafra in July 2025, and promote awareness about the preservation and revitalisation of the Sajolang language.
Over the course of the programme, participants completed the authentication of 35 Sajolang folktales in consultation with native speakers and traditional knowledge holders. In addition, a lexical database of approximately 1,000 words across various semantic domains was compiled, along with a set of 200 sentences to support grammatical and syntactic analysis.
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High-quality audio-visual recordings of the documented material were carried out at the institute’s recording studio, aimed at enabling phonetic analysis and long-term digital archiving.
The workshop brought together resource persons from the Sajolang community in Bichom district, including Rijin Deru, Leikharu Rijiju, Solung Rijiju, Sanjay Chongroju, Brijung Rijiju and Richang Rijiju. Their participation was central to ensuring the authenticity and accuracy of the documentation process.
Speaking at the inaugural session, Deru, who heads the Sajolang Indigenous Faith and Culture Preservation Society, highlighted the importance of documenting endangered oral traditions and emphasised the need for collaborative efforts to safeguard indigenous knowledge systems.
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Dr M.S. Awan, Centre Head of RCML at RIWATCH, acknowledged the role of community participation in the initiative, noting that active engagement of native speakers is essential for effective documentation and preservation.
The workshop marks a step towards systematic documentation of the Sajolang language, which is considered vulnerable due to declining usage. As an outcome of the initiative, a compiled volume of Sajolang folktales is currently under preparation and is expected to be published in the near future.
