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Abstract

Tangsa tribe is one of the major tribal groups of Arunachal Pradesh who are mostly found in the hilly areas of Changlang district. It was believed that they came to this region from Myanmar in search of agricultural land and later on they settled here. The evidence of the migration history from Myanmar can be traced through their dressed pattern and their language which is still prevalent today. Tangsa people generally follow the ‘Donyi-Polo’ religion. The Supreme Being is locally known as ‘Rangfrah’. In the present context, Theravada Buddhism as well as Christianity has made a major influence on the religious life of Tangsa people. The paper will focus on the major festival ‘MolMoi’, the traditional dress pattern and language of the Tangsa tribe, which is used as an identity marker by the Tangsa tribe of North East India and the changing socio-political scenario of the tribe, will also be analyzed. It will also focus on the migration history of Tangsa tribe from Myanmar to Arunachal Pradesh and will emphasis on the oral tradition of the tribe in an attempt to create Pan-Tangsa identity.

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