Ethnography of the Apatanis of Arunachal Pradesh

T
he present study is an attempt to document the heritag
es, tangible as well as intangible aspects of the Apatanis,
one of the major tribes of Arunachal Pradesh. Hopefully,
this study of the Apatani ethnic community will provide
a deal of scope for further ethnographic and scientific
research by integrating the anthropological data in one
ethnographic frame and understanding the history of
the same. Information was taken mostly from the elder
members of the family. Stratified random sampling and
Convenience sampling methods were applied to selecting
the interviewees. The intensive observation was a prereq
uisite method though the interview method was the key
tool for the collection of data. The present study indicates
that few scientific types of research are carried out among
the Apatanis. The reason could be the lack of written his
tory and the late arrival of civilization in the region. It is
crucial that the vast complex cultural aspects of the eth
nic community need proper documentation before they
totally disappear.