Feast your eyes on indigenous colours of Northeast India

The indigenous people, who hold a world of cultural diversity, bring with them priceless knowledge, religion, environment, conservation, and social structures that are passed down from one generation to the next.

According to the United Nations report, there are more than 476 million indigenous people in the world, spread across 90 countries, and they come from 5,000 distinct cultures.

Indigenous populations are spread across India, with a particularly high concentration in the Northeastern states, and have preserved their rich cultural heritage and natural wealth through time.

August 9 is observed as the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. The day serves to promote and protect the rights of the world's indigenous population. This day also witnessed the passage of the historic bill that amends the list of Arunachal Pradesh's Scheduled Tribes.

Today, we bring to you some of the spectacular pictures from the Northeast that celebrate the vibrant and diverse cultures, languages, and traditions of the region’s Indigenous peoples.

These photographs were captured by Adish Baruah and Arpan Kalita.

Adish Baruah is a photographer currently based out of Guwahati, Assam. His desire and his passion for film-making led him to explore photography, which became his preferred form of expression. His interest lies in photographing people in their homeland as well as exploring different cultures and traditions.

Arpan Kalita is a landscape and travel photographer from Guwahati. He is a Canon Mentor for Northeastern Region, Vice President of the photography club of Assam and a visiting faculty for photography at the National Institute of Design, Assam.