Published Paper Details:

The concept of Gwngrii Talwng among the Tagin tribe of Arunachal Pradesh represents a culturally embedded understanding of lethal conflict encompassing acts of murder, fratricide, and spiritually mediated violence. Based on oral narratives and ethnographic field engagement in Upper Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh, the paper analyses the account of the brothers Nishu and Nyinyu, recognised in community memory as the earliest instance of lethal conflict. Interpreted as an etiological narrative, the story links violence to kinship rupture, promise violation, transformation, and reciprocal death, thereby offering a culturally grounded explanation for the emergence of killing among humans. The analysis further demonstrates that Gwngrii Talwng encompasses the perceived influence of Riaram Uyu, malevolent spiritual entities associated with murder and misfortune, necessitating ritual intervention by Nyibus through rituals related to Riaram Uyu. The continued recitation of the narrative in ritual contexts underscores the enduring relationship between oral tradition, moral reasoning, and ceremonial practice within Tagin society.