Religious & Spiritual Tourism

Indigenous Beliefs and Animism

A large number of the tribes in Arunachal Pradesh—such as the Apatani, Nyishi, Galo, Adi, and Tagin—have traditionally followed indigenous faiths that are deeply rooted in nature worship and animism. The spiritual worldview of these tribes is centered around the belief that all elements of nature—mountains, rivers, forests, animals, and celestial bodies—are inhabited by spirits or deities. Rituals are conducted to maintain harmony between the human and spirit worlds.

The Donyi-Polo faith, which literally means "Sun-Moon," is a modern organized form of animistic worship followed mainly by the Tani tribes. Donyi (the Sun) symbolizes truth, light, and discipline, while Polo (the Moon) represents kindness and compassion. The believers perform rituals, offer prayers, and organize communal festivals such as Solung, Nyokum, and Mopin, which are marked by dance, songs, and animal sacrifices to appease deities and ancestral spirits.