Abotani
Progenitor of the Tani tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, India
title: "Abotani" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["donyi-polo", "year-of-birth-unknown", "mising-people", "tibetan-people", "ethnic-groups-in-northeast-india"] description: "Progenitor of the Tani tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, India" topic_path: "geography/india" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abotani" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Progenitor of the Tani tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, India ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox ethnic group"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| group | Abotani |
| region1 | India |
| Arunachal Pradesh | |
| pop1 | N/A |
| region2 | China |
| pop2 | N/A |
| languages | Tani |
| religions | Donyi-Polo (sun and moon) |
| :: |
| group = Abotani| | image = | image_caption = | total = | total_ref = | total_year = | popplace = | region1 = India Arunachal Pradesh | pop1 = N/A | region2 = China | pop2 = N/A | languages = Tani | religions = Donyi-Polo (sun and moon) | related = | footnotes =
Abotani or Abu Tani is considered the progenitor of the Tani tribes of the state of Arunachal Pradesh in India. Abotani are located in Tibet and Arunachal Pradesh. In China, Abotani tribes are recognized as part of Lhoba ethnic group. The Apatani, Mising, Adi, Galos, Tagin and Nyishi are the subtribes of Abotanis. They follow the Donyi-Polo religion and credit Abotani with the technique of rice cultivation.
Etymology
The Abo or Abu means "father" and Tani means "human".
Oral history
The following story is told by priests (miri) 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 Abotani's life and his quest for rice are part of Tani traditions and are celebrated in different periods of the year (following the rice cultivation season). 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.
References
References
- (2008). "Cultural fiesta in the "Island of peace" Arunachal Pradesh". Mittal Publications.
- Behera, M. C.. (2007). "Marriage in Tribal Societies: Cultural Dynamics and Social Realities". Bookwell.
- "Abotani and the quest for rice | Jesse's Travels".
- "Archived copy".
- (5 May 2008). "Myoko Celebration of Apatani's-A Photo Feature".
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