Videos

Ambi Jiji always planted her crops on soil where forests have been burnt. This jhum field would then be abandoned and left to regenerate into a forest and a new one burnt. Increasingly, jhum fields are being turned into orchards which provide cash and food security. Through Ambi Jiji and her daughters, we see the passing of a way of life in a remote village in Meghalaya.

This archival documentation from the Sangeet Natak Akademi filmed on location since 1956 glimpses the tapestry of the folk and tribal dances of North-east India. Compiled by Susmit Bose in 1999.

A documentary on the tribes in Northeast India which practice a system of youth dormitories, where the young are trained in discipline and community skills. The Wancho tribe of Arunachal Prdesh call it PA and the Ao tribe of Nagaland call it ARJU.

The Apatani community is a major ethnic group of the eastern Himalayan region who possess a rich knowledge of ecology, natural resource management and conservation. The Apatanis are fun loving, warm and hospitable people who are known for their traditional songs, dances and other festivities.

A short documentary highlighting the status of the arrow—a symbolic figure in the annals of Khasi folklore and mythology.

A Sacred grove or Law Kyntang has stood for at least 1000 years and one of the reasons the forest still survives is because cutting down any tree or branch here is taboo. This forest is the home of U Ryngkew U Basa. The forest covers almost 80 hectares. It is under the Kingdom or Hima Mawphlang, in which here they perform various thanksgiving and blessing ceremoies. Some of the this rituals go back to 900 years old.

Meghalaya and Shillong is known far and wide for having strong musical roots and abundant musical talent, so much so that it has been tagged as the Rock Capital of the country in the past. Given the changing times and the birth of so many new genres of music, we feel that emerging musical artistes could do with grassroots musical platforms where they can hone their art and take this musical legacy forward into the future. These platforms while providing employment and sustenance to Artistes, Technical Vendors, up and coming Event Firms etc., will also offer Tourists visiting our state a variety of musical entertainment options for them to enjoy.

This film is a study on the relationship between the tribals and the bamboo as a relationship from birth to death. It investigates further into the flowering of bamboo in Manipur and Mizoram which has got environmental, economic and political dimensions.

The state of Arunachal Pradesh, bordering Burma and China, is one of the few unspoilt wildernesses in India. The Apatanis of Arunachal Pradesh presents rare coverage of the Apatanis, the indigenous people of Arunachal Pradesh.

A short video featuring people from Arunachal Pradesh dancing.

The Chakmas are a tribal group that went to Pakistan when the Chittagong Hilly Tracts became part of what was then known as East Pakistan.

The film is about the famous music teacher in Shillong since late 1980s Bah Richard Nongrum. Students from around Shillong throng to his School of music to learn the art of music and try to copy his mesmerizing tune.

Betty was Christoph's wife and the logistical mastermind behind many of their joint expeditions. She was a trained nurse and often dispensed basic medicines in the villages in which she and her husband stayed for longer periods. Her relationship with Christoph was very close, and she made meticulous field notes while Christoph himself wrote the diary entries. Here she is seen in various locations in the Tani hills. While she was never particularly comfortable around the camera, the footage of her with the villagers places the involvement of anthropologists in this community in a larger historical context.

Apatani prayer rituals

Part of India on Film: 1899 – 1947 Excerpt from "Aka and Daffla Dances (1934)" Dancers from the Dafla (Daphla) tribe perform spectacular tight-rope tricks, and act out a ritualised hunt with masks.