ITANAGAR, Oct 13: The Department of History, Donyi-Polo Govt College (DPGC), Kamki in West Siang district concluded “Tracing Roots: A Genealogy Project”, a five-day genealogy project at Herodotus hall today.
The project, undertaken as part of the BA fifth-semester course on Oral Tradition and Memory Studies, aimed to highlight the importance of genealogy in tribal societies, where ancestral knowledge forms a crucial part of oral tradition and social memory.
A total of 27 students from the Galo, Minyong, Bokar, Ramo, Memba, Mising, Tagin and Nepali communities presented their family genealogies, incorporating both maternal and paternal lineages. Incorporating both maternal and paternal genealogies broadened the students’ engagement with their family histories, drawing attention to relationships and memories beyond a single line of descent. Their presentations brought diverse family histories into the classroom, connecting the study of oral tradition with the ways ancestral knowledge is remembered and transmitted across generations.
Conducted under the supervision of Duli Ete, Assistant Professor of History, the project was a guided, project-based learning approach to connect classroom discussions on kinship, genealogy and memory with students’ documentation of their family histories. Through their presentations, students explored how knowledge of ancestry can serve as a source for understanding kinship, identity and belonging.
The project also addressed the relevance of documenting family histories within the changing social landscape of Arunachal Pradesh. As migration, urbanisation and changing family dynamics reshape interaction between generations, recording genealogies can help preserve ancestral knowledge and encourage its intergenerational transmission.
By connecting academic learning with family and community memory, “Tracing Roots: A Genealogy Project” encouraged students to approach genealogy as more than a list of names, recognising it as a source for understanding cultural continuity and social change.