Arunachal: AITS, RGU Team Revisits Lubrang Village
The revisit is a part of the outreach initiative by the Institute under its major research project on ‘Documentation of Endangered Languages,.................
LUBRANG- A team from the Arunachal Institute of Tribal Studies ( AITS), Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU), consisting of faculties and scholars revisited the Brokpa community of Lubrang Village in Dirang Circle of West Kameng District on 26 and 27 January 2024.
The revisit is a part of the outreach initiative by the Institute under its major research project on ‘Documentation of Endangered Languages, Oral Narratives, and Cultures of Lesser-Known Tribal Communities of Arunachal Pradesh’ under the Centre for Endangered Languages (CFEL) conducted in collaboration with the North Eastern Council (NEC), Govt. of India.
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Under this project, the monograph, ‘Ethnographic Profile of the Brokpa (Monpa) of Arunachal Pradesh’, edited by Dr Tarh Ramya and co-authored by Dr Kaling Dabi, Dr Kombong Darang and Ms Tailyang Nampi and the dictionary, ‘Brokpa English Dictionary’, edited by Dr. Mechek Sampar Awan are the outcomes of the month-long fieldwork carried out in May 2022.
While handing over the copies of the monograph and dictionary to the community, Prof. S. Simon John, Director of project, expressed gratitude to the Brokpa community and the copies were received by Mr. Pasang Norbu (GPC Lubrang) and Ms. Tsering Drema from Lubrang, Mr. Rinchin Drakpa from Broksarthang, and Mr. Dorjee Tsering from Nyukmadung on behalf of the community.
He thanked the community for wholeheartedly supporting the research team and extended special appreciation to Dorjee Phuntso, President of The Monpa Mimang Tsogpa, Dorjee Yangzom, Assistant Professor at Dorjee Khandu Govt College Tawang, for providing essential guidance when the research team initially engaged with the community, Tashi Khandu’s and Yishi Phuntso’s families of Lubrang village, Karma Wangchu’s family of Nyukmadung, for their warm hospitality in hosting the research team at their homes.
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Lastly, but not least, thanks to Pasang Norbu GPC Lubrang, Thinley Gumbo and Pem Kessang for the arrangements and coordination with the community. Prof. John sought more involvement of the community in the AITS’s endeavour to preserve and promote mother languages.
Dr. Tarun Mene, Co-PI of the project, AITS spoke on the role of AITS- CFEL in the preservation and promotion of endangered tribal languages in Arunachal Pradesh and how native speakers can become champions in saving their languages from extinction. The survival of any language depends on the willingness to speak one’s mother tongue, he said.
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The revitalisation of tribal languages is essential for ensuring the continuation and transmission of culture, customs, and history; and saving one’s mother tongue from extinction is crucial to ensure the protection of the cultural identity and dignity of the community and safeguard their traditional heritage, he added.
Brokpa is one of the lesser-known languages under the Monpa ethnic identity of Arunachal Pradesh. According to UNESCO’s Language Vitality and Endangerment Framework (2003), the Brokpa (Monpa) language is a ‘critically endangered language’ due to its limited number of speakers. Their culture is in danger of extinction since the majority of community members are gradually abandoning their traditional customs and practices, a release added.
