Place Identity

2 PLACE IDENTITY

According to Zeisel (1981), ‘identity is one of the most difficult concepts to define because it

refers to the relationship of self to the environment.’

2.1 DEFINITION

Lynch's (1981) defined identity as the simplest form of sense, of which the narrow meaning

of the term is sense of place.

Sense, on the other hand, was defined by Lynch (1981) as the clarity by which a city can

be perceived and linked with other places in a coherent mental representation.

Hence, identity according to Lynch (1981) is "the extent to which a person can recognize

or recall a place as being distinct from other places as having a vivid, or unique, or at

least a particular character of its own " (Lynch, 1981, p.131).

According to Norberg Schulz (1980) to respect Genius Loci we should determine the

identity of place which implies that the identity of place must be interpreted in new

ways instead of copying the old models.

Place Identity describes a person residence and culture. It connects a person to its Community.

According to Lewicka (2010), about 70% of research on place attachment focuses on neighborhood, 20% on home, and only 10% on city.

Fig 2.1

But according to Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological model, in addition to neighborhoods, cities contain other important places with which people interact. This may explain why the links established with city are stronger than with neighborhood.

2.1.1 PLACE IDENTITY OF ZIRO, ARUNACHAL PRADESH

Fig 2.2

Ziro is a census town in Lower Subansiri district in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. In a

meeting of Archaeological Survey of India on 12 December 2002 it was shortlisted for

inclusion in the Tentative List for further nomination to UNESCO for inscription in the World

Heritage Site(wiki)

Historical background of the Apatani tribe

The Apatani, like the many tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, have no written script depicting

their historical evidences from the past. It is only in the oral traditions, performances of

rituals and beliefs and the material culture that the stories relating to their origin and

migration is reflected.

Cultural characteristics of the Apatani tribe

Haimendorf (1947) in his “Ethnographic Notes on Tribes of the Subansiri

Region” had noticed that the Apatani tribe was one among the many tribal communities who constituted a separate endogamous community which was

different from others with distinct language, customs and economy.

Fairs & festivals

Fairs and festivals play an integral role in the life of every Apatani. It is an

expression of their culture and tradition. Although there are many ceremonial fairs

and festivals in the Apatani society, the three important and focused are Murung,

Myoko and Dree festivals, celebrated in the month of January, March and July

respectively.

- Murung is an individual family festival celebrated for the wellbeing of the family by

bringing richness of health and wealth. Although it is an individual festival, it brings

together the participation of all the people in the villages.

- Myoko is one of the most famous and significant festivals of the Apatani tribe.

Now-a-days it has become internationally known where many foreign tourists

come to participate. Myoko is mainly a festival defining friendship, prosperity and

fertility. It is celebrated by a group of villages arranged in cyclical manner.

- Dree is a festival that signifies fertility related to agriculture and literally means borrowing

or purchasing of food items when in scarcity as well as to add to the existing stocks.

This is a period of traditional performance of dance and music and also arrangements

of many traditional as well as modern games and sports and also fashion shows.

Fig 2.5 Fig 2.6

Traditional sports

The Apatani tribe has many traditional sports among which, the most popular one is Babo

game, where the physical strength, courage, cleverness and will power of the men folk is

showcased. This traditional sport is mainly witnessed during the time of Myoko when the

babo or the bamboo poles are erected in the villages.

Art and crafts

The Apatani tribe is known for making many items made of bamboo (bije) and cane (tarpi)

for their daily requirement. These traditional products have now become craft items with

attractive designs sold as souvenirs.

They have many forms of baskets named as Lera, a carrying basket taken to jungles, Yopo,

the grain storage basket and Supung pinta, the gourd bottle. Other products are Byopa, the

cane hat worn by Apatani men, Rapya, basket for collecting firewood, Puping, a hand woven

mat from bamboo, Yatii, the traditional bamboo raincoat, etc. (Sundriyal, Upreti and Varuni)

Fig 2.7

2.2.2 TRIBAL ARCHITECTURE OF ZIRO

Layout and Planning

Apatani’s believed in living together. Oral history says that they always lived in a colony together as a family. Apatani’s live in middle altitude region. They follow Row housing system. Walls of all the adjacent house are attached. The planning of house is done in continuous pattern in a row until or unless there is a breakage like a road or any other obstacle in between. Initially the colony was separated by the cow paths. Even today the Apatani colony is separated by the roads which are made the government.

Colony divided

Internal Road

Main Road

Fig 2.8 The image shows how the roads and natural landscape of the Apatani region divides the area into different colonies.

Traditional Houses in Ziro

Apatanis live in small houses, in nuclear families, in settled villages where they practice wet rice cultivation (Blackburn 2008).

A typical Apatani village is very congested with hundreds of houses standing very close to each other.

The houses stand continuously in a row pattern unless there is a breakage by road or cow paths. Construction of houses takes place during the month of August to December with the help of clan members.

It is a community affair which calls for celebration in the form of feasting and merry making.

1. Veranda (Sembiya)

Store

3. Living Area/Family Space

4. Fire Place (Oogu)

5. Veranda (Sembiya)

Fig 2.9

Plan is divided in two parts, first part of the house is used as storage space, hen

coop. The second part of the house is the main living area, where almost all the

activities are done like cooking, sleeping, resting, changing, chit-chatting, house

hold work, practicing handicraft, sewing.

At the center of the living area is the fire place called ‘Oogu’. The fire usually burns

throughout the day, especially during the cold season. It is not only for cooking and

warmth but also to keep insects away. The area of the house is adjusted according

to the size of the family. The Fire Place is defined by placing wooden logs in a

rectangular form called ‘Piri’. The wood and meat which is to be used is placed right

above the fireplace in two levels. The place where it is kept is called ‘Darake’. It is

8 7 6

5

4

3 2

1. Dony-Polo Flag

2. Abya (Stairs)

3. Simbya (Veranda)

4. Ahgya (Entrance)

5. Storage Space

6. Oogu (Fire Place)

7. Living Area

8. Simbya (Veranda)

Fig 2.10 Typical Plan of Apatani house

The houses are on Silts and are called ‘Chang Ghar’. The height of the slit varies from 1.5-2m. The reason for using Slits:

• Protection against disaster (Arunachal is landslide prone area).

• Space of the stilts are used as pig pit. The main stairs ‘Abya’, leads to the veranda called ‘Simbya’ leading to the entrance to the house.

11 7 6 5

8 9

10

Fig 2.11 Typical Section of Apatani house 1

4 3 2

1.Dony-Polo Flag

2.Abya (Stairs)

3. Simbya (Veranda)

4. 1st part of the house used for storage.

5. Maalo (Roof)

6. Space between roof and ceiling used for storage

7. Darake

8. Oogu (Fire place)

9.Living Area

10. Aai jiri (Pig pit)

11. Simbya (Veranda)

Elements of Apatani House

1.) Abya (Staircase):

Abya is the Staircase leading to the veranda of the house

2.) Simbya (Veranda):

Simbya is a veranda leading to the entrance of the house

3.) Aangya, Babo (Totem)

It is a post made of bamboo, which can be seen outside every house. It is believed to be sacred for the Apatani’s. These are of two type ‘Aangya’ and ‘Babo’ .

4.) Aai jiri (Pig pit)

The houses being built on the stilts have space below them. This space is used for the pigs and is called ‘Aai jiri’ .

5.) Aaiye (Door)

Aaiye is made of bamboo or timber. The standard

door size for an Apatani house is 750X1800 mm

as the Apatani people are short.

6.) Tarsi (Walls)

The Tarsi are made of bamboo or timber. The main

supporting columns for the walls are long bamboo

or wooden logs.

7.) Myopii (Floor) and Reke (Ceiling)

Myopii and Reke are made of bamboo or timber placed in different pattern and style

accordingly. For supporting the Myopii and Reke bamboo or timber joists are used.

Materials used are:

Fig 2.12 Exterior of Apatani house

• Bamboo • Wood • Stone • Dry paddy straws, thatch grass, cane leaves, banana leaves.

Fig 2.13 Interior of Apatani house showing different materials used

8.) Malo (Roof)

Malo is made of bamboo supported by bamboo or timber purlins and rafter.

9.) Storage space

All the regularly needed things are used in the first part of the house, it is also as hen coop.

All their extra things like utensils, wood, food, their local drink (Apong) is also left for fermentation there.

2.3 PHYSICAL SETTING

Place identity is perceived from its physical setting that defines what type of

place it is; therefore, the physical setting has an important role in flagging the place

identity. ‘Place lessness’, or the situation in which there is no place identity or a lack

of sense of place, happens when places are stripped of their unique attributes and

commonalities, thus compromising place identity (Arefi, 1999; Relph, 1976, 2008a).

Place identity is a major component of the identity of self, manifested through own

ideas, beliefs, preferences, values, and objectives that are relevant to such a place

(Kyle et al., 2004; Pretty et al., 2003), as well as through the way place is understood

and perceived (Jorgensen & Stedman,2001, 2006).

2.4 ENVIRONMENT PSYCHOLOGY

Place is the core concept in environmental psychology, place attachment refers to bonds that people with places. Along with place identity, place attachment is another important concept that refers to people's bond’s with places. These concepts are used interchangeably but senses of place are also very personal. According to Benedict Anderson 1983 in his analysis of nationalism, reminds us that although its critics may dismiss nationalism as brutal and myopic form of identity, nonetheless many people believe in the rights of their nation passionately enough to kill and die for it. Senses of place may be as impassioned and violent as this. In trying to understand how identity is involved in the often-intense emotional construction of senses of place.

2.5 FACTORS ON WHICH IT DEPENDS

A review of related literature suggests that there are three major components of identity. They are the physical (environment, activities and meanings (Garnham 1985, Schulz,1980, Rapoport 1990).

i. Physical features and appearance.

This is the actual physical structure of a place which included buildings, quality, landscape, climate and aesthetic ii. Observable activities and functions.

This relates to how people interacted with a place and how the buildings and landscape was used. iii. Meanings or symbols.

This is the most complex aspect of identity because it is the result of human intentions and experience. Thus, the character of the place is derived from people's reaction to its physical and functional aspects.

Physical form and appearance are the characteristics of the physical environment,

especially buildings, which are distinctive and easily recalled (Appleyard 1969, Harrison

and Howard 1980, Worskett 1969, Rapoport 1977).

In Appleyard's (1969) research on why buildings are known, the distinctiveness of the

physical form was among the most frequently quoted reason by people. Lay and Reis's

(1994) research on the impact of housing quality on urban image also suggested that user

perception of visual appearance was intrinsic to the process of image making.

Table 1

From a review of literature, the attributes relating to the physical form can be identified as

follows: size, height, shape, contour, skyline, movement, surface, quality, texture, signs, age,

design, materials, condition (landscaping), general visual appeal, other factors related to

appearance (time, smell, noise and lighting), features on facade, arrangement of building,

openness, spaciousness, enclosure, level of orientation and territorial definition. These

characteristics are derived from research carried out by Rapoport (1977, 1990), Worskett

(1969), Harrison and Howard (1980), Appleyard (1980), Crosby (1965), Lay and Reis (1994)

and Smith (1977).

Visual sign systems, such as architectural styles, are the customary construction and

Fig 2.14

ornament (Hamlin, 1891) that encode and showcase a city’s history and culture. For example, Paris’ recognizable architectural style of white stone facades provides

2.5 EVOLUTION OF PLACES

Initially all the places used to have their own identity and Culture which was reflected

in the Buildings of City and these Buildings are the ones which help the

Tourism Development of a place since it helps the tourist to learn about the Culture of a

Place and explore the kind of life people of that place live.

Buildings are the major identity of a place which, now in global modern time is being lost

due to the Modern Architecture style that has been adopted all over the world, which

does not suits every place climate and does not reflect the background of a place.

Fig 2.15

- Evolution of Architecture in Ziro

There is a lot of difference in Apatani architecture these days. The changes are due to

modernization, influence from neighboring states, tourists, easy accessibility of different

materials.

Initially only bamboo or timber was used but with time people started using cement plaster

on bamboo to make it stronger. These days people use R.C.C, cement mortar, glass and

steel for their construction. People have started to use paint also. Space for chimney is

provided and separate space for toilet is also given. Some of the houses have a separate

space for animals.

Slits in the house no more exists in most of the houses. Whereas some of houses still have the

Fig 2.17

slits but they don’t keep animals there. Some of the houses have a separate space for

animals.

Commercial shops have been opened in the residential areas. Many houses have shops

in the front part.

Corrugated Tin roof has replaced the bamboo roof. Some of the houses have bamboo

roof above the tin roof to maintain its traditional look. Modern Apatani House