Nyishi: Nyokum Festival

Key Takeaways

• Nyokum Festival celebrates its 50 years, it began in the Year 1967
• During Nyokum Festival, the Nyishi tribe calls upon the different celestial bodies and Nyokum Goddess
• The main prayer structure in the Nyokum festival is a temporary installation of bamboo.
• It is celebrated for good Harvest and health.

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Nyuk means land and Kum means collectiveness or togetherness. The Nyokum festival is celebrated for the good harvest and wellness of human beings. They nurture a symbiotic relationship with nature, which is beautifully observed in the Nyokum festival on feb 26th of the year. The Nyokum festival marks the occasion for inviting all the celestial forces of the universe and their primary deity being nyokum goddess.
There are no idols that are worshiped in this festival. The main prayer structure in the Nyokum festival is a temporary installation of bamboo. The priests wear distinctive white attire with accessories necessary for the festival’s ritual, including a sword called “arro”.

The priest and his team carry out the rituals associated with the Nyukkum Festival, which culminate with sacrifices of Mithun, pigs and chicken. The Nyishis also believe in the power and the deity of stones, who play a very important role in protecting the village and the community. Thus at the celebration of their 50 years Nyokum Yolo Festival in 2022, they conjugated the sacred stone of Sorilangdu to reinforce their culture. After the final rituals of sacrifices that are completed, all the visitors are offered rice and millet beer. The Nyokum Yolo Festival began in 1967 from the Joram village of the Nyishi in lower Subansiri, where they were celebrating identity and their existence.