Itanagar
The tribes of Arunachal Pradesh have a timeless affinity with nature and many of their rituals, folklore and indigenous games are centred around nature. The Apatani and Galo tribes, for instance, often do a unique treasure hunt that is an extension of a popular game, Hole Taso Dukanaram – a mimicry of animals.
Usually played by a maximum of six people and a minimum of three people, it involves the hunt for seven items that are concealed strategically (by the organiser or organizers) in various spots of the surrounding natural environment. All the items are hidden within a radius of 2 kms. For instance, a bottle of Apong might be hidden (tied) among the leafy branches of a tree. A packet of bamboo shoot might be contained within a thicket (that is not easily penetrable for a human body).
At the start of the game, all the six players are given a paper that has cryptic clues to the location of the seven concealed items. They have to decipher the clues and reach the items by imitating an animal’s body movements. The choice of animal is solely the player’s discretion and one player can even choose to imitate seven different animals for getting to the seven items (or stick to fewer animals or just one depending on the situation).
It is all about choosing the animal, which is physically best equipped for getting to a particular spot in nature. The game ends within an hour and the player who manages to unearth the maximum treasures (or all seven) is the winner. Along with the unearthed treasures the winner gets a reward that can be food items or hand-crafted ornamental items.
The philosophical objective of this game is to tell people that as human beings we have a lot to learn from animals in terms of a harmonious and rewarding co-existence with the environment.
