Abotani


ABOTANI or Abu Tani is considered the progenitor of the Tani tribes of the state of Arunachal Pradesh in India, such as the Apatani, the Nyishi, the Adi, the Galos and Tagin. Mishing tribe of Assam also belong to ABOTANI group. ABOTANI tribes are also found inside Tibet/China near Indo-China border. Inside China ABOTANI tribes comes under an ethnic tribe called LHOBA which is a conglomeration of Mishmi and ABOTANI tribes.They follow the Donyi-Polo religion and credit Abotani with the technique of rice cultivation.
Abo or Abu means "father" and Tani means "human".

Oral history

The following story is told by priests among the Adi people:
Other Tani legends reference Abotani: a woman in the Digo Ane region told him how to cultivate rice; Abotani was successful at rice cultivation thanks to his wise wife, Aio Diiliang Diibiu; however, he divorced her to marry another woman. The new wife's pursuit of leisure brought disgrace to his wealth; when Abotani realized this, he left the second wife and continued the cultivation on his own. Once he needed his sister's help to descend from a high tree he had climbed.
Events in Abutani's life and his quest for rice are part of Tani traditions and are celebrated in different periods of the year. Abutani is a symbol of the struggle of humankind for food and prosperity, and of the need for harmony between man and woman to bring wealth to the family.