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The Dree Festival is an Apatani agricultural rite.〔http://www.easternpanorama.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=277:dree-a-festival-of-arunachal-pradeshs-apatanis&catid=6:contents&Itemid=10〕〔http://www.demotix.com/news/dree-festival-apatani-tribe-arunachal-pradesh〕 It involves the sacrifice of fowls, eggs and animals to the gods – Tamu, Metii and Danyi Pilo(Sun and Moon God). The purpose of the festival is to appease these gods so that famine could be avoided. This rite is observed by the Apatanis in Arunachal Pradesh, India.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Dree-Apatani Festival )〕 The Apatanis, who inhabit a tranquil pine clad valley called Ziro at the core of Lower Subansiri District of Arunachal Pradesh, are famous for their unique practice of wet rice cultivation.〔http://lowersubansiri.nic.in/html/apatanis.htm〕〔http://lowersubansiri.nic.in/html/forestpractice.htm〕〔http://lowersubansiri.nic.in/html/paddyfish_culture.htm〕 One would wonder as to how the early Apatanis had brilliantly discovered the magnificent irrigated rice cultivation without help of scientific technologies. Rice is the staple food of the Apatanis, as such for its bumper harvest the nature God and goddesses are prayed during the Dree Festival from 4 to 7 July of each year. == Mythological aspects == (1) According to one traditional version, at IIpyo Supung one day Abotani was roaming around in the jungle with his dog. After reaching inside deep jungle the dog started barking at a tree called "Hirii Tangu Sanii". Abotani looked at the tree and noticed a Paddy plant along with some rats, squirrels, bees and Larvae of dragon fly (gonchi) were hanging on that tree. But he did not pull it down from the tree as it was not ripened and went away. In the winter season Diihin Hiikhiin Miiri (snows) started falling down. That paddy crops which was hanging on the tree became ripen and fell into a stream called "Harchi Hassang ka hado Siigang". But nobody knew about that paddy crop. Then Abotani went out to search the paddy. At last he found the paddy crops under the possession of Diisi-Aki, Diiro-Arro, Nyalyang Takhii and Gora Tako (all were fishermen). They got the paddy from the river with the help of fishing trap. Abotani after making a long and repeated request obtained a little quantity of paddy crops from them and on the advice of Aba Liibo and Anii Donii he started a rice terrace cultivation at a very fertile land called Jilyu Myogang and Tolyo Siiper. Gradually he increased the quantity of his rice and he became rich and prosperous. Unfortunately at one particular period of time the healthy paddy plant in the field turned pale and started wilting. The crops failed miserably for two consecutive years because of harmful pests and insects that resulted in famine. When Abotani was at his wits end Aba Liibo and Anii Donii advised him to perform the Dree rites in order to ward off the harmful pests and insect which were destroying the paddy. The prominent priests Changu Mitur and Dogu Miser were believed to have been selected by Abotani to perform the ceremony of Dree rite, which in turn propitiated Diiri Paro and Yarii Aki to eat up all harmful pests and insects. Diiri Paro and Yarii Aki however could not kill all as some pests and insects remained underground. For this reason, the priests requested Sky God (Yapung Uhi) for rain so that the pests that remained underground could come out. After performance of Yapung Uhi also some pests still remained underground. Finally, the priest requested Tamu God which rescued Abotani by killing all remaining pests and insects. As a result the paddy plants become healthy and yielded bumper crops in that year. On that occasion having got relief from the hard situation Abotani felt very happy and gave his commitment before those gods and goddesses that he and his descendents would perform the Dree rituals every year. Hence the Dree is celebrated by people of Apatani every year during the month of July. (2) Another version says that Abotani married Pyodu Biinyi, daughter of Pyodu Tamang. One day Abotani invited his father in law and his family members at his house in spite of strong objection raised by his wife, Pyodu Biinyi. Accordingly they came to his house and stayed there for some days. During their short stay in the house of Abotani they gobbled up all the food items even the husk stored under the byarang (rice husking porch in the house). At last Abotani asked his father in–law as to how should they manage food to feed themselves. Then Pyodu Tamang immediately picked up an arrow (Murto) and stroke at a particular tree called Tabe or Tiibe and told him to make food out of it to feed themselves. In that year the people had faced an acute shortage of food items and it brought a serious famine and epidemics in the society. The dogs and fowls became wild due to hunger as they were not given food for many days. The dogs started wondering in the street just like mad and biting the people on their (Liige) hamstring and the hens started biting on their (Lage) on their hands. When the situation becomes unmanageable some intellectual people comprising priest, Bulyang, Gora, Gittu, Giira, Nii, Pabo sat together at IIpyo Pandu Lapang and decided to perform the Dree rite. Abotani on the advice of Aba Liibo and Anii Doni selected Changu Mitu and Dogu Miser as priests to perform the Dree rite, which in turn propitiated Diiri Paro and Yarii Aki to eat up all harmful pests and insects. Diirii Paro and Yarii Aki however could not kill all as some pests and insects remained underground. For this reason, the priests requested Sky God (Yapung Uhi) for rain so that the pests that remained underground could come out. After performance of Yapung Uhi also some pests were still remained underground. Finally, the priest requested Tamu God which rescued Abotani by killing all remaining pests and insects. As result the paddy plants became healthy and yielded bumper crops after two years. On that occasion Abotani gave his commitment to the gods and goddesses that he and his descendent would perform the Dree rituals every year. Hence the Dree is celebrated by people of Apatani every year during the month of July. (3) According to third version Abotani married Diilyang Diibu, the sister of Diilyang Tamang. She brought a lot of wealth along with some seeds of paddy and millet. After marriage they were enjoying peaceful, happy and prosperous family life. In the mean time a devil, Tini Rungya comes in the life of Abotani and she instigate against Diilyang Diibu and ultimately resulting in Diilyang Diibu's divorce from Abotani. She left the house of Abotani taking all her wealth and proceeded down towards Aha Diilyang Happa a fertile and plain region and settled there permanently. Immediately after Diilyang Diibu leaves his house Abotani marries Tini Rungya. In the beginning she pretended and demonstrated herself as an excellent and honest housewife. She always talked about the cultivation of fields, proper management of domestic works and development of family. She demanded Abotani 10 bundles of Palii (a curve agricultural tools made up of bamboo) and 5 bundles of Kele (a bamboo chisel used for removing weeds) to enable her to work in the fields with these tools properly. Accordingly Abotani made him 10 bundles of Palii and 5 bundles of Kele for Tini Rungya. But practically she did not put these tools into agricultural work. Actually she did not take any interest in the cultivation. Every day early in the morning she went away from the house taking these tools to jungle. But instead of going to the field she directly went to a place called Supung Lanta (a huge and strange rocks standing in the jangle) and passed her time playing on the rock with these tools like a child. Thereby she made all the tools blunt and threw them away into the deep jangles. The condition of agriculture of Abotani deteriorated day by day. At last the agricultural land became barren as no one was there in the family to take up the cultivation works. They gradually became poor and helpless. They were having no food to eat and event all seeds of food grains had disappeared from the house of Abotani. At last Tini Rungya also divorced Abotani after ruining his life completely. After some years, one day Abotani along with his dog visited at Ashang Dilyang hapa, the place where Diilyang Diibu was staying after separation from Abotani and found that Diilyang Diibu was drying paddy under the sun. Having no courage to face her ex-wife Abotani sent his dog to steal some quantity of paddy from Diilyang Diibu. The dog obeyed the order of his master and rushed towards the place of drying paddy and rolled its hairy body on the paddy. Diilyang Diibu caught the dog and mopped up its body and dragged a way from her place. When the dog returned to him, Abotani noticed a little amount of paddy was gathered in the cavity of its ears and it was overlooked by Diilyang Diibu. Abotani was very happy to locate it and took out it gently and cautiously. After receiving it he decided to make it a large quantity to feed himself and his family members. So, at first it was sown in the Ugu Pachang (corners of the hearth). It grew and yielded a little larger quantity in one year. Next it was sown at Si Sita (Urinal) of house from which he got more quantity of paddy in comparison to previous year. Thereafter, it was sown in a nursery nearby his house from which he got some baskets of paddy. Then Abotani started a terrace cultivation at some distant in an area of fertile land from which he got sufficient quantity of paddy which was enough to feed themselves. With this he gradually became rich and prosperous. Unfortunately in a particular period of time the healthy paddy plant in the field turned pale and started wilting. The crops failed miserably for two consecutive years because of harmful pests and insects that resulted into famine. When Abotani was at its wits end Aba Liibo and Anii Donii advised him to perform the Dree rite in order to ward off the harmful pests and insects which were destroying the paddy. The prominent priests Changu Mitu and Dogu Miser were believed to have been chosen by Abotani to perform the ceremony of this rite, which in turn propitiated Diirii Paro and Yarii Aki to eat up all harmful pets and insects. Diiri Aki and Yarii Paro however could not kill all as some pests and insects are still remained underground. For this reason, the priest requested Sky God (Yapung Uhi) for rain so that the pests that remained underground could come out. After performance of Yapung Uhi also some pets were still remained underground. Finally the priest requested Tamu God which rescued Abotani by killing all remaining pests and insects. As a result the paddy plants became healthy and yielded bumper crops in that year. On that occasion Abotani gave his commitment before the gods and goddesses that he and his descendent would perform the Dree rituals every year. Hence the Dree is celebrated by people of Apatani every year during the month of July. 〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Dree: an agricultural community festival of Apatanis and its importance )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Dree Festival」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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