With the advent of modern science, the recent decades has seen urban influence penetrating even the lives of those who remain far away from cities. The same applies here in Northeast India. The indigenous peoples of the region, who occupy a remote frontiers consisting of rainforests and Himalayan mountains, have been witnessing the advent of roads and urban goods into their territory which only twenty years back appeared forbidden to the outside world. The cultures and customs which once was have already changed to some extent. And as years pass, more of it will disappear as younger people begin to choose alternative modern lifestyles over traditional. On the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2013, we would like to walk down memory lane through the means of vintage photographs and revisit the lifestyles of our region’s people to a time which once was but will never again be.

Year: 1859
Edward H. Higgs

Year: 1954
University of Washington Libraries

Date: 1944-45
Christopher Van Furer-Haimendorf

Year: 1955
Verrier Elwin

Year: 1954
University of Washington Libraries

Year: 1954
University of Washington Libraries

Year: 1954
University of Washington Libraries

Year: 1954
University of Washington Libraries

Year: 1954
University of Washington Libraries

Year: 1954
University of Washington Libraries

Year: 1954
University of Washington Libraries

Year: 1954
University of Washington Libraries

Year: 1940s
John Howard Williams

Year: 1875
Illustrated London News

Year: 1868
GettyImages

Year: 1868
GettyImages

Year: 1870
GettyImages

Year: 1870
GettyImages
This post is part of our series Celebrating Indigenous Peoples, focused on indigenous peoples of Northeast India and their times.
More in this series:
- The Konyak People of Nagaland | Celebrating Indigenous Peoples
- The Adi People of Arunachal Pradesh | Celebrating Indigenous Peoples
- The Angami People of Nagaland | Celebrating Indigenous Peoples
- Children of the Jaguar- Celebrating International Day of the World’s Indigenous People (ecopostblog.wordpress.com)
- International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (humanisticpaganism.com)
- NEWS: Aug. 9: International Day of the World’s Indigenous People (nunatsiaqonline.ca)
- 2013 Theme: “Indigenous peoples building alliances: Honouring treaties, agreementsand other constructive arrangements”: International Day of the World´s Indigenous People (spiritandanimal.wordpress.com)
- TODAY: “International Day of Indigenous People” (hispanicallyspeakingnews.com)
- First Peoples, World Days and Indigenous Australians (mangosalute.com)