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The Eastern Anthropologist 64:4 (2011)
THE MEYOR: A LEAST STUDIED FRONTIER TRIBE OF ARUNACHAL PRADESH, NORTHEAST INDIA
Ambika Aiyadurai
Introduction
Frontier regions often hamper academic research and administrative intervention because of limited accessibility and lack of anthropological enquiry. In Northeast India, several regions inhabited by hill tribes would qualify as being ‘least known’ who are not only numerically insignificant but information about them is scanty in anthropological literature and in the socio- political and economic spheres (Chaudhuri 2003). Status of tribes living on the international borders is often ambiguous who are at times treated as either - migrants or just refugees (Sarkar 1996). This paper focuses on Meyor tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, one of the understudied tribal groups of India and provides preliminary observations in addition to the secondary literature available about the Meyor till date. The geographic location of Meyor in the frontier region restricts visitors and researchers, thus diminishing academic interests. Except the Gazetteers of Lohit district (Choudhury 1978) and People of India series (Singh, 1995), there is very little further information about them. Two other recent publications deserve mentioning here, one by Victor Landi (2005) on Meyor language and other on Meyor marriage system by Manyu (2006).
Meyors are Buddhists (Mahayana sect) living in Walong and Kibithoo circles of Anjaw district, Eastern Arunachal Pradesh (Fig 1). I visited Walong and Kibithoo circles of Anjaw district during January 2006, August 2007 and July 2009 to study wildlife hunting practices of Miju Mishmi group. The information provided in this paper is mainly based on published and unpublished literature, archival records and my interactions and observations with the Meyor people during these field visits. Anjaw region was part of the Lohit district till 2004 when it was made to a new district (Fig 1 & 2). Anjaw district is in the north-eastern extremity of the state bordering Tibet and Burma. The location of Meyor villages is the frontier region not only from the Indian side but also from the Chinese side resulting in inadequate ethnographic work. Most of the district is hilly and rugged. Other than a metalled road till Kibithoo, Hawaii and Hayuliang the rest of Anjaw is difficult to access by vehicles. Frequent land slides and lack of proper roads and public transportation are major hurdles in reaching large parts of the region and most of the time, marching by foot and crossing the foot suspension bridges are the only way to reach the villages. There are seven administrative circles namely, Hayuliang, Hawai, Walong, Kibithoo, Chaglagam, Manchal and Goilliong with its headquarters in Hawai. The vegetation of Anjaw district are classified pine, temperate and alpine forests (Kaul and Haridasan, 1987).
Meyor group in the archival literature was often referred to as Lama, Zakhring, Jakring or just Tibetans and these terms were interchangeably used in the past. There was a lot of ambiguity in their names leading to confusion to their identity. Barua (1995) reported they call themselves as ‘Charumba’. According to the colonial records, Miju Mishmi called them ‘Meiyo’ or ‘Meiyer’ and Digaru Mishmi called them ‘“Jakrin Lama’ and do not understand Tibetan from Lhasa (Mainprice, 1945). The Mishmi made distinction between the Meyor and Jakrin based on the geographical separation along the Tibetan border. Williams (1944) stated that they are ‘not Tibetans proper’ and have a language of their own which is a mixture of Miju and Tibetan which Driem (2007) confirms that Meyor have a dialect ‘Zaiwa’ which is a close relative of the Miju Mishmi dialect. Bailey (1945) makes a distinction between true Tibetans and the half- breeds who probably were the Meyors. Bailey (1945) writes:
‘the true tibetans does not willingly live below about nine thousand feet, and
these savages! cannot live above five thousand. The result of this is that
there is belt of country between these two heights quite uninhabited, though
occasionally some half-breed Tibetans like those at Rima? and Kahap’ fill the gap. -
In this paper, I use ‘Meyor’ because during my visits, ‘Meyor’ was used by the neigbouring Mishmi and Meyor themselves. They are believed to have migrated in 1906-07 from across Indo-Tibet border to evade taxes imposed on them by the Tibetan officials (Singh 1995; Barua 1995; Choudhury, 1978; Osik, 1999). Williams (1944) observed Meyor to be a poor and heavily depressed tribe of Tibetans living in southern Zayul. Mishmi opposed the arrival of Meyor and raided their villages but later allowed Meyor to settle in Walong area and gave them protection with an agreement that Meyor would pay annual tributes to Mishmi and become herdsmen of the Mishmi (Choudhury, 1978).
Meyor reside only in eleven villages (around 500 persons) belonging to the Lamaistic sect or Tibetan form of Mahayana Buddhism (Barua 1995; Dutta and Tripathy, 2008) which Singh (1995) calls it a peculiar blend of Buddhism and pre-Buddhist tribal religious belief.
THE MEYOR: A LEAST STUDIED FRONTIER TRIBE OF ARUNACHAL PRADESH, NORTHEAST INDIA
Ambika Aiyadurai
Introduction
Frontier regions often hamper academic research and administrative intervention because of limited accessibility and lack of anthropological enquiry. In Northeast India, several regions inhabited by hill tribes would qualify as being ‘least known’ who are not only numerically insignificant but information about them is scanty in anthropological literature and in the socio- political and economic spheres (Chaudhuri 2003). Status of tribes living on the international borders is often ambiguous who are at times treated as either - migrants or just refugees (Sarkar 1996). This paper focuses on Meyor tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, one of the understudied tribal groups of India and provides preliminary observations in addition to the secondary literature available about the Meyor till date. The geographic location of Meyor in the frontier region restricts visitors and researchers, thus diminishing academic interests. Except the Gazetteers of Lohit district (Choudhury 1978) and People of India series (Singh, 1995), there is very little further information about them. Two other recent publications deserve mentioning here, one by Victor Landi (2005) on Meyor language and other on Meyor marriage system by Manyu (2006).
Meyors are Buddhists (Mahayana sect) living in Walong and Kibithoo circles of Anjaw district, Eastern Arunachal Pradesh (Fig 1). I visited Walong and Kibithoo circles of Anjaw district during January 2006, August 2007 and July 2009 to study wildlife hunting practices of Miju Mishmi group. The information provided in this paper is mainly based on published and unpublished literature, archival records and my interactions and observations with the Meyor people during these field visits. Anjaw region was part of the Lohit district till 2004 when it was made to a new district (Fig 1 & 2). Anjaw district is in the north-eastern extremity of the state bordering Tibet and Burma. The location of Meyor villages is the frontier region not only from the Indian side but also from the Chinese side resulting in inadequate ethnographic work. Most of the district is hilly and rugged. Other than a metalled road till Kibithoo, Hawaii and Hayuliang the rest of Anjaw is difficult to access by vehicles. Frequent land slides and lack of proper roads and public transportation are major hurdles in reaching large parts of the region and most of the time, marching by foot and crossing the foot suspension bridges are the only way to reach the villages. There are seven administrative circles namely, Hayuliang, Hawai, Walong, Kibithoo, Chaglagam, Manchal and Goilliong with its headquarters in Hawai. The vegetation of Anjaw district are classified pine, temperate and alpine forests (Kaul and Haridasan, 1987).
Meyor group in the archival literature was often referred to as Lama, Zakhring, Jakring or just Tibetans and these terms were interchangeably used in the past. There was a lot of ambiguity in their names leading to confusion to their identity. Barua (1995) reported they call themselves as ‘Charumba’. According to the colonial records, Miju Mishmi called them ‘Meiyo’ or ‘Meiyer’ and Digaru Mishmi called them ‘“Jakrin Lama’ and do not understand Tibetan from Lhasa (Mainprice, 1945). The Mishmi made distinction between the Meyor and Jakrin based on the geographical separation along the Tibetan border. Williams (1944) stated that they are ‘not Tibetans proper’ and have a language of their own which is a mixture of Miju and Tibetan which Driem (2007) confirms that Meyor have a dialect ‘Zaiwa’ which is a close relative of the Miju Mishmi dialect. Bailey (1945) makes a distinction between true Tibetans and the half- breeds who probably were the Meyors. Bailey (1945) writes:
‘the true tibetans does not willingly live below about nine thousand feet, and
these savages! cannot live above five thousand. The result of this is that
there is belt of country between these two heights quite uninhabited, though
occasionally some half-breed Tibetans like those at Rima? and Kahap’ fill the gap. -
In this paper, I use ‘Meyor’ because during my visits, ‘Meyor’ was used by the neigbouring Mishmi and Meyor themselves. They are believed to have migrated in 1906-07 from across Indo-Tibet border to evade taxes imposed on them by the Tibetan officials (Singh 1995; Barua 1995; Choudhury, 1978; Osik, 1999). Williams (1944) observed Meyor to be a poor and heavily depressed tribe of Tibetans living in southern Zayul. Mishmi opposed the arrival of Meyor and raided their villages but later allowed Meyor to settle in Walong area and gave them protection with an agreement that Meyor would pay annual tributes to Mishmi and become herdsmen of the Mishmi (Choudhury, 1978).
Meyor reside only in eleven villages (around 500 persons) belonging to the Lamaistic sect or Tibetan form of Mahayana Buddhism (Barua 1995; Dutta and Tripathy, 2008) which Singh (1995) calls it a peculiar blend of Buddhism and pre-Buddhist tribal religious belief.
