The Ethnology of the British Colonies and Dependencies Part 9

3. _The Avans._--_Avan_ is a more convenient term than _Burmese_, inasmuch as it is more definite; the _Burmese Empire_ containing not only very distant members of the great _Burmese_ family, but also populations which belong to other groups. _Ava_, on the other hand, is the centre of the dominant division.

Whether the _Mon_, or a family yet to be mentioned, represent the aborigines of _Maulmein_, it is certain that the Avans of that country are of comparatively recent introduction.

Again, whether the _Tha'y_, or a family yet to be mentioned, represent the aborigines of _Tena.s.serim_, it is certain that the Avans of that country are of comparatively recent origin.

Nevertheless, there are Avans in each; and in Maulmein, although the Mon preponderate in number, they all are able to speak the language of their conquerors. I say _conquerors_, because the Avans are for all the parts south of 18 North lat., an intrusive population: the end of the eighteenth century being the date, when, under Alompra, an Avan or Umerapura dynasty broke up and subjected, in different degrees, the Mon and Tha'y populations to the south, as well as several others more akin to itself on the east, west, and north.

The kingdom of Ava, next to those of China and Siam, best represents the civilization of those families whose tongue is monosyllabic. This implies that it has an organized polity, a lettered language, and a Buddhist creed; in other words that the influences of either China or India have acted on it. Of these two nations it is the latter which has most modified the Indianized members of the great Burmese stock. In strong contrast with these is the fourth and last branch of the _continental_ population for the provinces in question, the

4. _Karien._--The Kariens are partially independent; chiefly pagan; and their language, belonging to the same cla.s.s with the Avan, is unlettered. They are the first of a long list.

Their geographical distribution is remarkable, like that of the Tha'y.

Its direction is north and south; its dimensions linear, rather than broad; and it bears nearly the same relation to the water-system of the Salwin that that of the Siamese does to the river Menam. There are Kariens as far south as 11 North lat. and there are Kariens as far north as 25 North lat. Hence we have them in Maulmein, and in Tena.s.serim, and in the intermediate provinces of Ye and Tavoy as well.

All these, like the Mon, have been eased by the transfer from Avan oppression to British rule; though this says but little. Hence, with one exception, the other members of their family are decreasing; the exception being the so-called _Red_ Karien.

This epithet indicates a change in physiognomy; and, indeed, the physical conformation of the Burmese tribes requires attention. It is Mongolian in the way that the Siamese is Mongolian; but changes have set in. The beard increases; the hair becomes crisper; and the complexion darkens. The Kyo,[24] the isolated occupants of a single village on the river Koladyng, are so much darker than their neighbours as to have been considered half Bengali; and, as a general rule, the nearer we approach India, the deeper becomes the complexion. The Mon, too, of Pegu, are very dark. What is this the effect of? Certainly not of lat.i.tude, since we are moving northward. Of intermarriage? There is no proof of this.

The greater amount of low alluvial soils, like those of the Ganges and Irawaddi, is, in my mind, the truer reason. But this is too general a question to be allowed to delay us. The Red Kariens are instances of an Asiatic tribe with an American colour; just as the Red Fulahs were in Africa. Such are the occupants of the _continent_.

5. _The Silong._--In the _islands_ of the Mergui Archipelago, there is another variety; but whether it form a cla.s.s itself, or belong to any of the previous ones, is uncertain. Their language is said to be peculiar;[25] but of this we have no specimen. As it is probably that of the oldest inhabitants of the continent opposite, this is to be regretted.

They are called _Silong_, are a sort of sea-gipsy; and amount to about one thousand. Of all the creeds of either India or the Indo-Chinese peninsula theirs is the most primitive; so primitive as to be characterized by little except its negative characters. They believe that the land, air, trees, and waters are inhabited by _Nat_, or spirits, who direct the phenomena of Nature. How far they affect that of man, except indirectly, is unascertained. "We do not think about that,"

was the invariable answer, when any one was questioned about a future state. Too vague for monotheism, the Silong creed is also said to be too vague for idolatry, too vague for sacrifices.

The Kariens, also, believe in _Nat_, but, as _they_ believe in their influence on human affairs, they sacrifice to them accordingly.

Little, then, as we know, respecting these two families, we know that the common practice of _Nat_ worship connects them; and this worship connects many other members of the _Burmese_ stock. Consequently it helps us to place the Silong in that group. It also favours the notion of the Tena.s.serim aborigines being Burmese.

It is the delta of the Irawaddi which isolates the _Tena.s.serim provinces_; and the British dependency from which it separates them is--

_Arakhan._--We are prepared for the ethnological position of the Arakhan populations. They are _Burmese_.

We are likewise prepared for a division of them; there will be the Indianized and the Pagan--paganism and political independence going, to a certain degree, together.

We are prepared for even minuter detail; the paganism will be Nat-worship; the Indian creed Buddhism: the alphabet also, where the language is written, will be Indian also. In Captain Tower's vocabulary,[26] only seven words out of fifty differ between the Burmese of Arakhan, and the Burmese of Ava; and some of these are mere differences of p.r.o.nunciation.

The language itself is called _Rukheng_ by those who use it; but the Bengali name is _Mug_.

This applies to the Indianized part of the population, the a.n.a.logues of the Avans and Siamese of Tena.s.serim, and of the Mon of Maulmein. What are the Arakhan equivalents to the Karien?

_The Khyen._--These inhabit the Yuma mountains between Arakhan and Ava.

A full notice of them is given by Lieutenant Trant, in the sixteenth volume of the "Asiatic Researches." But as they are chiefly independent tribes, it is enough to state that they form the Anglo-Burmese frontier.

It is also added that there are numerous Khyen slaves in Arakhan.

Farther notice of them is the less important, because a closely allied population will occur amongst the hill-tribes of--

_Chittagong._--Hindu elements now increase. Even in Arakhan, Buddhism had ceased to be the only creed of western origin. There were Mahometans who spoke a mixed dialect called the _Ruinga_;[27] and Brahminical Hindus who spoke another called the _Rosawn_. In Chittagong, then, we must look about us for the aborigines; so intrusive have become the Hindu elements. Intrusive, however, they are, and intrusive they will be for some time to come.

The foot of the hill, and the hill itself, are important points of difference in Indian ethnology. On the _lower_ ranges of the mountains on the north-east of Chittagong are the _Khumia_ (_Choomeeas_) or _villagers_; _khum_ (_choom_) meaning _village_. These are definitely distinguished from the Hindus, by a flat nose, small eye, and broad round face, in other words by Mongolian characteristics in the way of physiognomy. But the _Khumia_ are less perfect samples of their cla.s.s than the true mountaineers. These are the _Kuki_,[28]--hunters and warriors, divided into tribes, each under elective chiefs, themselves subordinate to a hereditary _Raja_,--at least such is the Hindu phraseology.

Their creed consists in the belief of _Khogein Pootteeang_ as a superior, and _Sheem Sauk_ as an inferior deity; the destruction of numerous enemies being the best recommendation to their favour. A wooden figure, of human shape, represents the latter. The skulls of their enemies they keep as trophies. In the month of January there is a solemn festival.

Language and tradition alike tell us that the Kuki (and most likely the Khumia as well) are unmodified Mugs. The displacement of their family has been twofold--first by Hindus, secondly by Buddhist (or modified) Mugs at the time of the Burmese conquest. The Kuki population extends to the wilder parts of the district of _Tippera_.

_Sylhet._--On the southern frontier we have Kukis; on the eastern Cachari; on the northern Coosyas (_Kasia_). Due west of these last lie the Garo. I imagine that both these last-named populations are members of the same group--but cannot speak confidently. If so, we have departed considerably from the more typical Burmese of Arakhan and Ava.

Still we are within the same great cla.s.s. The Garo will command a somewhat full notice.

The Cachars depart still more from the more typical Burmese; the group to which they most closely belong being one which will also be enlarged on.

North of the Kasia we reach the western portion of the southern frontier of--

_a.s.sam._--Here it will be convenient to take the whole of the valley--Upper as well as Middle and Lower a.s.sam--although parts of the former are independent rather than British--and to go round it; beginning with the Kasia country and the Jaintia mountains on the south-west. I imagine--but am not certain--that the Kasia and Jaintia mountaineers are very closely allied.

Next to the Cachars on the southern, or Manipur, frontier are--

_The Nagas._--These are in the same cla.s.s with the Kuki; _i.e._, the wild tribes of Manipur, speaking a not very altered dialect of the Burmese.

_The Singpho._--This people is said to have come from a locality between their present position and the north-eastern corner of a.s.sam and the Chinese frontier. An imperfect Buddhism, and an unappreciated alphabet of Siamese origin, are the chief phenomena of their civilization.

_The Jili._--These are conterminous with the Singpho; to whom they are closely allied, in language, at least; seventy words out of one hundred agreeing in the two vocabularies.

The _Khamti_ come in now. These have been mentioned as Tha'y in their most northern localities. They occupy north-eastern a.s.sam, and are conterminous with the Singpho. The Khamti language, with its per-centage of ninety-two words common to it and the Siamese of Bankok, ten degrees southwards, has only three out of one hundred that agree with the Singpho, and ten in one hundred with the Jili. This shows the remarkable character of their ethnological distribution, and, at the same time, suggests the idea of great displacement.

_The Mishimi._--These occupy the north-east extremity of a.s.sam. With the Mishimi we turn the corner, and find ourself on the northern or Tibetan frontier. Here it is the most western tribes which come first; and these are--

_The Abors and Padam Bor-Abors._--The first, like the Kuki, on the mountain-tops; the latter, like the Khumia, on the lower ranges.

_The Dufla._--Mountaineers west of the Abors, with whom they are conterminous in about 94 East lon.

_The Aka._--Mountaineers west of the Dufla, with whom they are conterminous in about 92 East lon. The Akas bound Lower a.s.sam, the eastern part of which lies between them and the Cachari country.

The tribes. .h.i.therto mentioned, although sufficiently numerous, represent the mountaineers of the Manipur and Tibetan _frontiers_ only. The native tribes of the valley still stand over. These are--

1. The _Muttuck_ or _Moa Mareya_, _south_ of the Brahmaputra, and so far Indianized as to be Brahminical in religion. Their locality is the south bank of the Brahmaputra; opposite to that of--

2. _The Miri_, on the _north_.--The Miri are backed on the north by the Bor-Abors.

3. _The Mikir._--Mr. Robertson looks upon these as an intrusive people from the Jaintia hills: their present locality being the district of Nowgong, where they are mixed up with--

4. _The Lalong._--I cannot say whether the Lalong speak their originally monosyllabic tongue, or have learnt the Bengali--a phenomenon which does much to disguise the true ethnology of more than one of the forthcoming tribes; one of which is certainly--

5. _The Dhekra_, occupants of Lower a.s.sam and Kamrup, where they are mixed up with other sections of the population.

6. _The Rabha._--Like the Dhekra, these are Hindus. Like the Dhekra they speak Bengali. Hence, like the Dhekra, their true affinities are disguised. It is, however, pretty generally admitted by the best authorities that what may be predicated of the Garo and Bodo--two families of which a fuller notice will be given in the sequel--may be predicated of the sections in question, as also of--

7. _The Hajong_ or _Hojai_.--Hindus, speaking a form of the Bengali at the foot of the Garo hills; and who join the Rabha, whose locality is between Gwahatti and Sylhet, _i.e._, at the entrance of the a.s.sam valley.

The _Garo_ of the Garo hills to the north-east of Bengal now require notice. A mountaineer of these parts has much in common with the Coosya; yet the languages are, _perhaps_, mutually unintelligible. In form they are exceedingly alike.

Now, a Garo[29] is hardy, stout, and surly-looking, with a flattened nose, blue or brown eyes, large mouth, thick lips, round face, and brown complexion. Their _buniahs_ (_booneeahs_) or chiefs, are distinguished by a silken turban. They have a prejudice against milk; but in the matter of other sorts of food are omnivorous. Their houses, called _chaungs_, are built on piles, from three to four feet from the ground, from ten to forty in breadth, and from thirty to one hundred and fifty in length. They drink, feast, and dance freely; and, in their matrimonial forms, much resemble the Bodo. The youngest daughter inherits. The widow marries the brother of the deceased; if he die, the next; if all, the father.