Atheeh ‘tree fern’ and siwae ‘sago palm’ among the Yobin (Lisu): Food, culture, and history in Arunachal Pradesh

Brief description

This documentation project was carried out by Jothisey Yobin, with support from a 2024 FLICR+ Advanced Fellowship awarded by the Centre for Cultural-Linguistic Diversity (Eastern Himalaya), over a duration of one year. The FLICR(+) program is co-directed by Mark W. Post and Yankee Modi, with Kellen Parker Van Dam and Zilpha Modi serving as Associate Directors. Financial support for the 2024 Advanced Fellowships was generously provided by the Firebird Foundation for Anthropological Research, through a grant administered by the University of Sydney. For related materials, please also see Jothisey Yobin's CCLD06 collection: https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/repository/CCLD06 This project presents a comprehensive documentation of the processing and use of atheeh, a variety of tree fern, among the Yobin (Lisu) community of Vijaynagar, Changlang District, Arunachal Pradesh. Tree fern has long played an important role in Yobin (Lisu) life, serving not only as a source of subsistence but also as part of broader cultural traditions and knowledge systems. The project also documents the processing of siwae, a variety of sago palm, showing how sago is harvested through a combination of traditional techniques and modern tools to make this traditional process more efficient. The project was undertaken in response to growing community concern that knowledge surrounding the harvesting, preparation, and use of atheeh and siwae is rapidly declining, as younger generations increasingly move toward new livelihoods and ways of life. The primary aim of this project was therefore to record and preserve intergenerational knowledge related to the use of tree ferns and sago palms as food, as well as to traditional ecological knowledge, sustainable forest use, and changing practices over time. About the Collection Fieldwork for this project involved close collaboration with Lisu elders, knowledge holders, and other community members. It documents the full sequence of activities associated with atheeh and siwae, including their identification in the forest, harvesting practices, processing techniques, and end uses. Jothisey also observed and recorded differences between customary methods of processing tree fern and more recent adaptations for processing sago palm, highlighting how practices have shifted in response to social and economic changes. The collection comprises photographs, audio and video recordings. All audio/video files are annotated with English translations. This collection contributes to the preservation of Lisu ethnobotanical knowledge and provides culturally grounded learning materials for community youth. It also serves as a reference for future researchers interested in indigenous ecological knowledge, forest-based subsistence strategies, and material culture in the eastern Himalayan region. About the Researcher Jothisey Yobin is a member of the Yobin (Lisu) community from Vijaynagar, Changlang District. Through this project, Jothisey draws on local knowledge, community relationships, and direct field engagement to document practices that are increasingly at risk of being lost.