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Preserving and nurturing deeply interconnected cultural relationships to facilitate coexistence

Year of publication 2024

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 12 p.

Author FAO

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet

Synopsis (short abstract) This case study comes from the Dibang Valley (Chithu Huluni in the Idu language), located in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, is the ancestral homeland of the Idu Mishmi people. The Valley has mixed vegetation, including tropical and sub-tropical forest and bamboo, as well as temperate broad-leaved and conifer forests. The Idu Mishmi are traditional animists for whom “human dispositions of consciousness, intentionality, and mortality belong to all beings, including animals and spirits”. According to Idu origin stories, tigers are their elder brothers. Consequently, harming or killing a tiger is the most serious taboo, one that invites grave danger to the “murderer”. This case study covers the historical background to these relationships between the Idu Mishmi people and tigers, exploring how external interventions - specifically, the implementation of a top-down tiger reserve model – may lead to unintended negative outcomes for both the Idu Mishmi and the tiger population, and it will examine ongoing efforts to maintain these intricate relationships.

Cite this content as:

FAO and IUCN SSC HWCCSG. 2024. Preserving and nurturing deeply interconnected cultural relationships to facilitate coexistence. Rome


https://doi.org/10.4060/cc9813en

Language English

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