"Hit straight!…" "Hold it close!….."
"Look right!…." "Twangg! …"
"Release!….." "Stop!…." "Nmmmmg!….."
"Well done!….."
The sky is echoing with shrieks and shrills. All aroundone can hear only terse orders. Providing a musical background to this is the metallic sound of vibrating wires followed by zooming flashes across the air.
This is how life stirs up every day as the twilight breaks over the Dibang Valley slopes of ArunachalPradesh.
If you keenly observe, you would notice that it is thescene of an archery training field. You can see a few strict looking elders instructing a large group of young sterswielding bows and arrows. Watch still carefully, and your ealise that all of them are monkeys, carrying exquisitely made bows and arrows. Surprised ? But, then, it waslong, long ago ………………….
In those days, the monkeys living in the forest rangesnear the Idu Mishmi tribal villages were all expert archers.Few were their equals in the use of the bow and arrows.Even the Idu Mishmi men kept away from any direct conflict with them. Monkey archers could hit even a partly hidden target from any difficult angle or a swinging branch!
The monkey chiefs were very earnest and meticulousin training their off-springs. They wholly believed in the saying ‘Catch them young!' Their grand fathers, once stalwart archers themselves, would scour the forests and hop over many miles of tree tops to reach valleys where they could locate excellent varieties of bamboos and cane suitable for making bows and arrows. The adult monkeys brought them back to their camp. Bows were made of bamboo while cane made first-rate arrows. It was sheer delight using them!
Every morning the young monkeys went through a rigorous training session. Steadiness of hand, eye and mind was strictly observed by the elders. Often the adults, too,joined the mock fights and then the valley would rain arrows! No one - not even Mr.Deer with his lightning speed or the acrobat Mr. Black Bear - would cross that areaduring this time. Any careless wanderer would only land in the jungle hospital! "Doyou want to be blown to pieces?" Mother reptiles and other creatures would strictly warn their little ones who tried to venture out for a morning stroll.
