Hegemony of Exotic Material Culture of the Adis: A Review on Cross-culture Interaction of the Tibetans and Adis

Abstract

One of the tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, the Adis, lacked the skill to produce finished goods they used, yet they obtained them from Tibet by means of long-distance trade. Tibetan material culture adopted by the Adis was borrowed directly through cross-border trade and indirectly from the neighbouring tribes. The exotic goods had multitude of functions in the Adi society. The use of such goods in the Adi society had no relation with the purpose they were actually produced for. Some had different values in terms of utility. The cultural value of such goods got inculcated in Adi society due to their meaning-based application. In due course of time, some got indigenised and carried face value as wealth of the Adis. This paper aims at understanding the hegemony of the Tibetan material culture in Adi society. Focus shall be shed on the overview of the dynamism of material culture with an illustration which is prevalent at present too. It brought changes in the belief and socio-economic life of the Adis. It is significant to bring it to light because the appropriation of exotic materials played a vital role in the historical trajectory of the Adis. The study here is empirical as well as historical. Primarily, oral narratives of the persons who have witnessed this process during the second half of the twentieth century are considered in data collection. In addition, available written accounts are taken into account to theme out this paper.