Ponung Dance

Ponung is the most important folk dance of the Adi community of the Siang river valley in eastern Arunachal Pradesh.

It is danced almost exclusively by women, who form a circle and move in slow, hypnotic steps led by a single Miri (priest-singer) at the centre.

Ponung's lyrics are oral epics that retell Adi cosmology — the origin of the world, of plants and animals, and of the Adi clans themselves.

It is performed at Solung, the post-sowing festival of the Adi, observed continuously for centuries in the Siang valley.

The Adis are one of the largest Tani-speaking groups of Arunachal Pradesh, with sub-tribes including Padam, Minyong, Pasi, Pangi, Komkar and Shimong.

The dance is led by the Miri, whose chant the women answer in chorus; men provide rhythmic support with the yoksha (sword) and drums.

• Women wear the gale (skirt), galuk (jacket), beyop (chest cloth) and heavy beaded necklaces.
• The Miri carries a yoksha sword and wears a beyop sash, often topped with a cane helmet.

• Solung — 1–5 September, the principal Adi harvest festival.
• Aran and Etor — smaller agricultural festivals.

• Pasighat, East Siang — the cultural capital of the Adi people.
• Mebo, Yingkiong and Boleng — village Solung celebrations.
• Adi cultural villages along the Siang river.

A curated gallery of Ponung Dance. Images are placeholders until license-cleared photographs are sourced.