The Yellow-throated Marten is called 'Sikki' by the Adis here in the Upper Siang district. Today, I went to a a shifting cultivation field that was abandoned 50 years back and saw several large trees. Almost as many as I saw earlier in the adjoining patch which was cultivated 100 yars ago and abandoned. Field work this time was logistically tough 
since February-end/March is the beginning of the agriculture cycle and everyone is busy. To top that, the day I landed here, there was a festival called 'Mithun' puja, when Mithuns, the feral cattle here, are sacrificed and the meat is distributed among the clans. If they talk to any outsiders, referred to as 'Ayings' here, their Mithuns and pigs may get killed by wild animals. And one last detail that affects the logistics of my field work; its raining cats and dogs here, in February, which is quite early, too!
since February-end/March is the beginning of the agriculture cycle and everyone is busy. To top that, the day I landed here, there was a festival called 'Mithun' puja, when Mithuns, the feral cattle here, are sacrificed and the meat is distributed among the clans. If they talk to any outsiders, referred to as 'Ayings' here, their Mithuns and pigs may get killed by wild animals. And one last detail that affects the logistics of my field work; its raining cats and dogs here, in February, which is quite early, too!
So three days later, things turned out this way. Due to the rains, the festival was cancelled and therefore I could meet people without causing any risk to their livestock and the sun generously came out yesterday and ahoy field work could finally begin. This time, I am here at Bomdo to enumerate trees in different-aged abandoned shifting cultivation fields, which brings me right back to the martens. I was tired after the first field day after several months and was wondering why I chose such a remote and difficult to work in place. I took a few more heavy steps and heard movement in the undergrowth. This was so close to the village and at mid-day that I was expecting domestic pigs. But they were martens, which lifted my spirits right up! One runs away, the other chases, the third, while passing turns around for a second or two and gives me a 'what are you doing here' look. My field assistant Durik told me that they were probably fighting and that martens are against odds. Let me explain what he told me in a bit more detail!
The Adis think/know that martens are never happy in groups of 3, 5, 7 and so on. If there are 3 or 5 or 7, one will get definitely killed by the others! So I asked Durik if anyone has seen this happening and he said many people have and that they know this for sure! And people from another village down the Siang river, Ramsing, told me the same too. Wonder what is going on! Another detail is that they never eat the marten meat here, but they do kill it when they see one, since martens kill chicken in the village. Anyways, for me after a tiring day in the field, I was happy to see three, although perhaps fighting with each other or more likely playing with each, martens!
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