‘Siang is Goddess River of The Adis’—Resolves Bogum Bokang Kebang Opposing the Dam

“The Bogum Bokang Kebang (BBK) declares Aane Siang as the goddess river of the Abu-Tani clan based on the grounds of traditional, cultural and religious belief systems like the Ganga in central India”—Likeng Libang, the secretary of SIFF (Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum), told Pratidin Time as one of the resolutions adopted in the BBK held on August 20 at Geku, Arunachal Pradesh.

Just two days before the Geku BBK, an MoU (memorandum of understanding) was signed between residents of the Begging village and the Arunachal government offering support to the Dam project. Signed in the office of the deputy chief minister, the MoU was considered a major development amidst the valiant ongoing protests against the SUMP (Siang Upper Multipurpose Project) led by the SIFF. Notably, the Begging MoU has added to earlier MoUs signed with Riew and Riga villagers, increasing the number to three.

The resistance to the dam over the river Siang under the leadership of SIFF got the highlight when armed forces were deployed in some villages of Arunachal to conduct the pre-feasibility report (PFR). “During the Chinese aggression of 1962, the Indian armed forces left us, but we remained here. Why armed forces in large numbers now?”—Lamuk Padun, the president of SIFF, quipped while speaking to Pratidin Time.

The resistance against the mega dam project, as the SIFF has always put forth, is to save themselves, to keep intact the existence of the Adis in the land they have been inhabiting for time immemorial. The mega dam planned over the Siang is of the capacity of 11,000 megawatts, making it the largest one in India.

Bogum Bokang Kebang, Strengthening Of Resistance?

While the Begging MoU was signed on August 18, the SIFF had planned for a protest rally on the 20th. “The SIFF decided to change the plan and organised a BBK instead of the rally”—Dubit Siram, the general secretary of the SIFF youth wing, told Pratidin Time.

The BogumBokangKebang is the highest governing body of the Adi community. The decisions pronounced by a BBK are supreme for the community in its traditional practice. The structure of this tribal decision-making mechanism has three layers: Kebang, at the level of individual villages; Bango Kebang, which involves multiple villages; and the BBK that entangles the entire community.

The Geku BBK of August 20, organised by the SIFF, pronounced four other resolutions, adding to the one revealed by Likeng Libang at the beginning of the article. These resolutions that bind the entire Adi community are—

1. No dam, no PFR on the river Siang

2. Immediate withdrawal of the unwarranted deployment of the CAPF(Central Armed Police Forces)

3. BBK demands the immediate scrapping of the SUMP

4. BBK welcomes authorised power developers to build small dams on tributaries of the Siang in the Siang and Upper Siang districts

These five resolutions spell the clear rejection of the SUMP, and they are thought to have a wider impact on the Adi community. Mr. Libang said that BBK has an impact in five districts of Arunachal Pradesh, namely Upper Siang, Siang, East Siang, Lower Dibang Valley and Namsai district.

Why MoUs Are Not Acceptable For SIFF?

Lamuk Padun in his conversation with Pratidin Time said—“Is this an MoU at all? For any such practice between the villagers and the government, there ought to have been public hearings, whereas nothing such has happened in any of the villages where the so-called MoUs are signed.”

“It is, in fact, a signature collection practice done at the office of the deputy CM in Itanagar. Moreover, only a few villagers have signed the MoUs, while the majority stand in opposition to SUMP. As far as our knowledge goes, only a handful of people from Begging had signed the MoU”—Mr. Padun added.

“Remember that only a few from only 3 villages signed the so-called MoUs, whereas there are 27 villages in total that are in opposition to SUMP”—he claimed, alleging that a local leader of the ruling BJP has campaigned amongst the party workers for the MoU.

Levelling similar allegations, Dubit Siram (SIFF youth wing general secretary) said that a mandal president of the party launched a campaign in the whole Boleng constituency for the signatures, putting thrust on the party workers to sign, saying that to remain members of the party, this is necessary.

Both Siram and Padun alleged that ₹10,000 to ₹20,000 was given to the signatories. “Moreover, in some cases, people were lured with many lakhs”—Siram said, adding that the Riga MoU consisted of 329 signatories (individuals), whereas the Riew MoU had only 98.

“With these numbers, they want to advertise that the Dam has community support, which is a lie. The Geku BBK, on the other hand, was attended by over 7,000 people from different villages who will be affected. Moreover, the BBK had over 4,000 other participants from Geku itself,”—Siram said.

“Let Us Remain Where We Have Been For the Ages, With The Power Of Aane Siang”

Siang is synonymous with their culture, tradition, knowledge and belief systems, livelihood—in essence, their very existence. This is the reason the Adis are not at will in tampering with their ‘Goddess River’.

“By seeing the difference in Siang’s water level between morning and evening, we could foresee a change in the weather, a power that the Goddess river has bestowed upon our ancestors and has transcended through generations”,—Lamuk Padun remarked.

In the customary practice of the Adis, Aane Siang is believed to offer the power to catch someone involved in misdeeds. For example, to identify a thief, Siang’s river water is put in a bamboo and heated to boil with an egg in it. Then suspects are asked to bring the egg out of the boiling water, and whoever can do this without harming their hand is considered innocent. On the other hand, those whose hands are bruised are believed to be the ones involved in theft.

“This power of Siang vanishes if you go downstream—below Pasighat, Siang’s water doesn’t offer this power”—Mr. Padun remarked on the community’s traditional knowledge system, adding, “Forget about the environmental and ecological disaster that a dam of that large scale would bring to the people. In reality, we the Adis will lose our ancestral fertile land and the knowledge, self-respect that we have acquired over time.”

“Let us remain where we have been for generations—peacefully, with dignity for generations”—Padun reverberates the emotion of the community.

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