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Aka (Tribe)The Aka, also known as Hrusso, are found in the Thrinzo area in West Kameng and East Kameng. Fair-skinned, well-built, flat-nosed and prominent cheek-boned people of Mongoloid stock, they inhabit at regions with an elevation between 3000 and 6000 feet. Their language belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family and live west of the Sherdukpen neighborhood and east of the Nishi. Lifestyle For the convinence of adminstration, the Aka people elects a chief, who often acts the role of the village headman. Polygamy is widely practiced in their patrilineal society, and the social factor of cross-cousin marriages are accepted. Like most tribes, the Aka have an elementary caste system, the aristocrat Kutsun and the commoner Kevatsum. The Hrussos has the prominent tattoo marks in the face. The Aka observe a number of ceremonies in the village, notably Nechido, which is annually performed by village priest. Culture The Aka have patroned of Vaishnavatie scholars for 30 long generations during the ancient times. Due to this, Hindu influence can be seen in their religious rituals and customs. Tibetan Buddhist ideas have also influenced their religious beliefs and customs. Their notable handicrafts includes basket weaving and wood carving, and men are specially trained to do it. On the bags, a Chinese fence design of the Jana flower is known to commemorate a Tibetan king, who went through the process of daily reincarnations with the process of the rotation of the sun. He was said that he had an enormous palace that opens on all four sides, which could accommodate the sun itself. When the left the earth, coloured Jana flowers grew in place. The Aka practice shifting cultivation and rear domestic animals such as the Mithun. Temporary huts, accomodated by young boys, are built near the field to guard the crops from the animals. The staple food of Akas is maize and millet. They plant leaves, pulses, potato and rice. Drinks locally made from fermented maize and millet include Lao pani, Mingri and the Aarah. Religion The Aka are worshippers of Donyi-Polo and Abo Teni, the primal man. Their religion involves magical superstitions, often using magic to torture and punish people. The most popular form of magic is Shizou. A man who is angry may resort to conduct the ritual on his foe. A dog is slaughtered and its blood is drained. He sprinkles the blood up on his enemy without being detected or throw a few drops of blood into his enemy's house or burn them in his enemy's hearth. If the magic bears appears, the person is supposed to lose his life. Dress The Aka men tie their hair in the middle of the head in a knot, while the women wear it at the back. The cap of the Akas is made of cane about three inches high, which includes two tall feathers in front. The men usually wear a toga made of Assamese silk. The women also wear a long dark red garment which reaches up to the ankles. The rich Aka women wear a pretty fillet of silver chain-work round the head. They wear large vase-shaped earrings made of silver and necklaces of coloured beads. The women tattoo their bfaces in an artistic pattern of a straight line running below the forehead to the chin. A cream and lipstick called lingchong made from the extract of pine-resin used by the Aka women. Among the Aka aristocracy alone could wear the Tibetan knobbed hat, and in the past, there were restrictions and the use of the use of the Assamese silk. They built elognated houses on raised platforms at least about 6 feet above the land. Within the house, they are further sub-divided into three compartments. Raw materials such as bamboo, wooden planks and cane leaves are used for building house. The granary are built at a little distance from the main house. External Links
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