This document discusses the origins and migrations of various tribes in Northeast India based on archaeological findings and literature such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata. It describes: 1) Archaeological evidence from Arunachal Pradesh and Assam showing Northeast ancestors were present in the Paleolithic and Neolithic ages, and engaged in hunting, food gathering, and early agriculture. 2) Puranic literature describing powerful kingdoms founded by the Manavas tribe in the ancient Northeast. 3) The migrations of various tribes such as the Mons, Tanis, Nagas, Mizos and others out of their original homelands in Kashmir, Manali, and Sri Lanka to other parts of Northeast India, Southeast

1. ORIGIN AND MIGRATION
OF
THE TRIBES OF NORTH EAST INDIA
By
Dr. N. Lego

2. CONTENTS
Chapter Page
Preface i
Chapter-I 1-4
Introduction 1
NorthEast Ancestorsin PaleolithicAge 2
NorthEast AncestorsinNeolithicAge 2
NorthEast AncestorsinVedicAge 2
NorthEasr AncestorsinEpicAge 3
Chapter-II 5-10
OriginandMigrationof the tribesof AncientNorthEast India 5
OriginandMigrationof the Mons 5
OriginandMigrationof the Tanis 6
OriginandMigrationof the Mishimis 7
OriginandMigrationof the Nagas 7
OriginandMigrationof the Mizos 9
OriginandMigrationof the Bodos 10
Chapter-III 11-16
OriginandMigrationof the Tribesof Medieval NorthEastIndia 11
TheirOrigin 11
TheirOriginal Home 11
TheirLanguage 12
TheirMigration 13
Chapter-IV 17-28
Migrationof the Tanisof Arunachal PradeshandAsom 17
Migrationof the Idusof Dibang Valley 18
Migrationof the Tanisof Subansiri Valley 18
Migrationof the Tanisof the SiangValleyandAsom 20
Migrationof the Akas(Hussros) of KamengValley 24
Migrationof the Mijis(Sajolongs)of KamengValley 26
Migrationof the Khawas(Buguns) of KamengValley 26
Migrationof the Sulungs(Puroiks) of KamengValley 27
Migrationof the Ahomsof Asom 27
Migrationof the Khamjangs(Tutsas),KhamtisandSingphosof AP 27
Conclusion 28-29

3. References 30-31
Chapter-1
Intoduction
a hand axe of stone of Paleothicage wasdiscoveredatMariyangin UpperSiangDistrictof Arunachal
Pradeshin1971. The stone axe wasfoundwhile the authorandhisfriendsof GovernmentMiddle
School.Mariyand(nowGovernmentHigherSecondarySchool,Mariyang) renovatinganatural pond
nearthe school as fishpond.
The departmentof Research,Governmentof Arunachal Pradeshalso,hasrecentlydiscoveredstone
axesand otherarifactsat KomkarVillage inUpperSiangwhile conductinganarchaeological
explorationinthe area.Similarhandaxesare to be foundinthe other partsof NorthEast India.
It isa matterof conjecture asto whowere the usersof those stone axes,pebbletoolsandother
artifacts?Were those artifactsthe creationof remote ancestorsof the races of NorthEast India?
Dr.B.Chakravarti inhisbook-A Cultural Historyof NorthEastIndiais of the view thatthe Stone Age
ancestorsof PaleolithicAge remainedasthe huntersandfoodgatherersandtheywere yetto make
permanentsettlements.
1. North East Ancestorsin PaleolithicAge
Dr. B. Chakravartybelievesthatthe huntersof LowerPaleolithicAge mighthave beenroamingfrom
foresteveninNeolithicAge andhence,theyhadnotyet settlesonthe soil tobecome the sonsof
the soil.Ramayanadescribesthe peopleof NorthEastIndiaas the Kirataswere thicktop-knotand
livingonthe fruitandroots. However,agriculturewasstartedinthe NeolithicAge andstone celts
were developedasthe agricultural implementstopursue the occupation.Dr.Chakravartysays,”We
findthatwesternpartof the country hadU-shapedcelts,whichmaybe associatedwiththe
Mediterraneanorthe DravidianRaksasapeople.The Kiratapeoleof the East seemto have
developedrectangularcelts,whichco-existedwiththe shoulderedinBengal, BiharandOrissawhich
may be associatedwiththe Danava(Austronesian) people”.
2. North East Ancestors in NeolithicAge
Withthe dawnof the Bronze Age,agriculture mighthave ledthe people of NorthEastIndiato
economic prosperity.Inthe Puranicliterature,we findthe Manavas(the ancestorsof the NorthEast
Indianpeople)foundingverypowerfulkingdoms,vizPrabhuPahar(Subansiri Valleyof Arunachal
Pradesh) byKingHiranakyashipur,PrabhuKuthar(DibangValleyof Arunachal Pradesh) byDaksha
and Pragyotishpur(Asom) byKingMahiranga.
3. North East Ancestors in VedicAge
The Puranic literature like Yogini Tantradescribesthe migrationof the KiratasandManavasfrom the
plainsof Kamrupa(Asom) tothe hillyareasof NorthEast India.The Yogini Tantra tellsthatonce,
Yama lodgeda complaintwithBrahmasayingthatall those wholivedinKamrupa(Asom) wentto
heavenbecause of the sacrednessof the place andnobodywenttohisrealm.Inturn, Brahma

4. carriedthiscomplainttoVishnuandtheytogethermetSiva.Atthis,Sivaagreedtotake action and
orderedisconsort,GoddessTara and herhoststo drive awayall the inhabitantsof Kamrupa(Asom).
In course of the drive,theyevenlaidhandsonVashista,the sage whowasmeditatingonSivaonthe
Sandhyacala(inGauhati).
The KalikaPuranaalso stsresthatNarkasur,the fostersonof Janaka,the kingof Videha(Mithila)
cruiseddownthe Gangesand sailedupthe riverBrahmaputraand attackedKampura(Asom)in
about3rd
millenniumBC.The Danavas undertheirking,Ghatakafoughtvaliantlydefendingtheir
motherland,butGhatakawaskilledinthe battle andNarkasurdrove awaythe Danavas uptothe
riverDikrang.
4. North East Ancestors in Epic Age
In the Epic Age,we findthe existence of verypowerful kingdomsinNorthEastIndia,viz.
Kamrupa(Aom) of Bhagadatta,Sonitpur(Asom) of Bana,Vidharba(Roingareaof Arunachal Pradesh)
of Bhismak,Sedi,(Tezuareaof Arunachal Pradesh) of Sishupal,Hidimba(Dimapurareaof Asom) of
Heromba,Manipurof ChitrangadaandSindhu(betweenManipurandKamrupa) of Jayadratha.
The people of NorthEast Indiaparticipatedinthe battle of Kurukshetra(inHariyana) of the
Mahabharata War underthe leadershipof Bhagadatta,the Kingof Asom.The Mahabharata is full of
praisestowarriorsof NorthEast India.It says,“The Kiratas,withhair done inpointedtop-knot,
pleasanttolookupon,shininglike gold,able tomove underwater,terrible,veritabletigermenso
are theyfound”.Interestingly,the Apatanis,Bangnis(westernNyishis),Hill-MirisandNyishisof
Arunachal Pradesh preserve the same hairstyle called“Podum”till today.The “Kirata”isthe genetic
termappliedtothe entire hill tribesof NorthEastIndiawhile “Chin”isthe alliesorkinsmenof
Kiratasappliedtothe Chinsof ChinHills (Southern-MizoramandMyanmar).
Chapter-II
Origin and Migration of the tribes of Ancient North East India
1. Origin and Migration of the Mons
Dr.B.Chakravarti inhisbooklet-ArunachalPradesh (A Landof the Monpas, Tanavas(Children
of Tani) andthe Kiratas) placesthe original home of the Mons(MonpasandSyntengs) to
Manali where a veryancienttemple of Manuisfound.He considersManuas a kingor
cultural heroof these people.Duringthe greatfloodVaisvastawaManulivedonthe high
Himalayaswithhisprogenyandthe flockof birdsand beasts.Afterthe floodhe came down
to Manali.
Dr.B.Chakravarti believesthatthe Monpasof KamengValleyof Arunachal Pradeshhail
fromthe greatMon race,whichspreadoverfromthe WesternHimalayastothe Eastern
Himalayas.ManyMons were the followersof the Bonreligionwhichiscelebratedwith
tridentsanddrumsresemblingSaivism.Thereafter,manyof thembecame Buddhists.

5. Mon kingdomslike Daravati,Haripujanyaetc.Flourished inLowerMyanmaras earlyasthe
7th
centuryA.D.We have the Mons like Khasi andJayanti people (Syntengs) inMeghalaya,
whostill retaintheirAustricorMon-Khmerlanguage andculture because of isolation.The
Mons of Arunachal Pradeshcame intocontactwithKochs,the Khensand Tibetansandtheir
language andculture mixedtogethertoformthe mainstreamof Arunachal Mon culture.The
Mons heldconsiderable influence inthe southernHimalayasbefore the immigration of the
Tibetansandotherraces intothe Mon Country.
2. Originand Migrationof the Tanis
The Tanis comprise of Adi,Apatani,Bangni(westernNishi),Hill-Miri,Mishing,Nishi andTagin
of Arunachal PradeshandAsom.Dr.B.Chakravarti inhisbook- The Childrenof Abo-Tani in
India,FijiandPolynesiaattributesthe originof the TanistoDanava. He assertsthat
MohirangaDanava whoruled Pragjyotishpur(Asom)withhiscapital atMoirang(now called
BeltolainGuwahati) belongedtothe people,whoclaimedAbo-Taniastheirancestor(Taneh
apatyampuman iti Tanavah) andthe SanskritPuranaspronounce andspell the wordTanava
as Danava.
The local historylike AhomBuranji statesthatMohirangaDanavawasthe firstkingof
Pragjyotishpur(Asom).The namesof Danavakingswhoruledoverthe greatKiratarace on
NorthEast Indiawere- Mohiranga,Hataka,Sambara, Ratna,Ghataka etc.
The KalikaPuranastatesthat Narak Asur(Narkasur),the fostersonof Janaka,the kingof
Videha(Mithila) cruiseddownthe Gangesandsailedupthe riverBrahmaputraandattacked
Pragjyotishpur(Asom) onthe bankof Brahmaputrain aboutthirdmillenniumBC.The
Danavas valiantlyresisted the intruders,butGhatakathe rulerof Pragjyotishpurwasslainby
Narkasurand the latterdrive the Danavasupto DikrongRiver.
Afterdefeatinthe river,the Kiratasfledawayandtookshelterbeyondthe ocean.Many
Danavas like Meiteisof ManipurleftAsom, crossedthe hillstoThailandandMyanmar.Some
of themsaileddownthe BrahmaputraandmigratedtoMalaysia,Indonesia,NewGuinea,Fiji
and Polynesia.Insupportof Dr. Chakravarty,NicholasHarris,inhisbook“The Illustrated
Encyclopediaof History”,saysthatthe Aboriginal people of AustraliamigratedfromAsia
about50,000 yearsago ans NewGuineaabout40,000 years ago.Those whoremainedin
Indiarecededtothe Kirata(Mongoloid) areas,viz The UpperBrahmaputraregionandthe
NorthEastern Himalayas(nowArunachal Pradesh).They are the Tanisof Arunachal Pradesh
and Asom.Dr. Chakravartyalsoincludesthe tribesof Hawai andNew Zealandasthe
descendentsof Abo-Tani.
3. Originand Migrationof the Mishimis
Dr. Suniti KumarChatterjee inhisbook-TheKirataJanakriti identifiesthe Mishimisasthe Kiratas.
The Vedasreferstothe Mishimiswomendiggingthe herbformedicine andthe medicinesof the
Mishimislike the MishimiTita(coptista) isstillaverypopularmedicine.
4. Originand Migrationof the Nagas
Dr. B. Chakravartyin hisbook-IndiaandThailandidentifiesKashmirasthe original home of
Nagas(Austronesians).Accordingtohim, the Nagassettledbythe side of lakes,riversinKashmir
inthe stilledhousesandeveninhouse boats.

6. From Kashmir,the NagasmigratedtoTakshasilaandsettledthere.The Nilamatrapuram,
composedbythe Naga Chief,Nilastatesthat the racescalledManavasand Pisacasinfiltrated
intoKashmirandthe Nagascouldnot accept themas the neighboursbecause of the ghastly
habitsof the Manavas andPicasas.Hence,the Nagasunderthe leadershipof Taksakamade
friendshipwiththe chief of the DevasandestablishedakingdominTakshasilaandsettledthere.
OtherNaga groupsroamedfrom place forgenerations,while somewenttoMongoliaand
several centurieslater,theyhave come downtoThailand.Some Nagagroupsmovedfarther
north-eastandcrossedthe BeringStraitand foundtheirwayto Patal Desa(LatinAmerica),
where theyestablishedakingdomwithBasuki astheirkingandnamedtheircapital as
Bhogavatipura.
Aftercenturies,whenthe Pandavaswere burningKhandavaforesttoexpandtheirterritories,
theycame into conflictwiththe hermitsand Nagasof Takshasila.Taluka,the NagasChief of
TakshasilaassassinatedPariksit,the Pandavakingtoavenge the insulttothe hermitsanddeath
of some Nagasubjects.Inretaliation, Janamejaya,the sonof PariksitattackedTakshasilaand
tookmany Nagasas captivesandbroughtthemto Indraprasthafor sacrificingthem.This
resultedinthe NagasmovingfromWesternIndiatothe eastto Myanmar in the Nagasmoving
fromWesternIndiato the eastto Myanmar and alsosouthwardstoAndra Telenganatoavoid
persecutionfromthe Pandavas.
Some otherNagasfledfromTakshasilatowardsMongoliaandafterlivingatthe footof the
Attai MountainsinCentral Mongoliaforsome time,they movedsouthwardsandfinallysettled
inCentral Thailand.The free mixingof the Nagapopulationwiththe Thai race gave themsome
Mongoloidfeaturesandsome elementsof Thai language andculture,butitremainedpre
dominantlyandbasicallythe Nagas(Austronesians).
5. Originand Migrationof the Mizos
The Mizos have beendescribedinRamayanaasthe Yaksas (quotedbyDr.Chakravartyfrom
Dr. Sangkima’spaper- Impactof Ramayanaupon the Mizos).Accordingtothe Ramayana, Sri
Lanka wasruledby the Yaksas whose kingwasKuvera,butRavana,the leaderof the Raksas
(Negrito- Dravidians) occupiedSri Lankaanddrove the Yaksas fromthe island.The Yaksas
sailedoutfromSri Lanka and cruisedalongthe coast of Indiaand crossedthe Bay of Bengal
and settled aroundthe shore of the Bay nearSaptagram (presentlyChittagongin
Bangladesh) andCox’sBazar.
The Lai and Mara tribesof Mizorampushedonand foundedthe kingdomof Sendhu
(Sindhu) whichlocatedinbetweenthe kingdomof Kamrupa(Asom) andManipur(Kamrupa
on the westand Manipuron east).Jayadratha,the kingof SindhuwaskilledbyArjunaatthe
battle of Kurukshetraduringthe MahabharataWar. The Mahabharata describesthe Sindhu
as the brave and violentwarriors.
Othertribesof Mizoramhad beendescribedasthe Chinswhofoughtthe Mahabharata
War underthe commandershipBhagadatta,the kingof Kamrupa(Asom).Inthe battle of
Kurukshetra,Bhagadattafell while fightingandhissub- ordinate kings,chiefsandKirataand
Chinsoldiersof NorthEastIndiafledhelterandshelteronthe run,insteadof retracingtheir
stepsthroughthe Gangatic plainstothe native countries,manyChinsoldiersmoved

7. northwardsto the UpperHimalayasforsafetyand made theirwayto the Upper Himalayas.
They settleddownthere andnamedthe place asYaksa Chinafterthe name of theirrace
whichisnowcorruptedintoAksai Chin.
The Tibetianbook- SindhuGyalpoNamtharrecordsaboutaSindhuchiefdominBhutanin
the 8th
centuryA.D. It says thata Sindhu kingdomwasfoundedinCentral Bhutanwithits
capital at Bumthang.The Sindhukingbuiltanine storiedironcastle atBumthang.The iron
was suppliedbyhisparentsSidhucommunityfromAsomorMizoram. The Sindhuusedto
procure ironfrom ChittagongHill tractsand supplythemtoMizosand othertribes.The
Sindhuscanbe foundinthe southernpartof MizoramborderingMyanmar.
The Yaksas or Chins,whodidnot participate inthe MahabharataWar, butstayedback in
theirvillagesonthe shore of the Bayof Bengal,were lateron,pushedeastwardsbythe
tribeslike the Chakmas.Ultimately,theyreachedthe southernpartof the presentMizoram
aroundPawngpui where theysettleddown.Gradually,the Lais(Mizos) acquirednew
territoriesinMizoram,ArakanandChittagongHill tracts.
6. Originand migration ofthe Bodos
DhuparamBasumutari inhis book- Bodo- KacharisBathouDharma AruSamaj Sanskriti
identifiesthe Bodosasabranch of the Kiratarace. Dr. B. Chakravarti isof the opinion that
the Bodosare one of the earliesttribeswholivedinPragjyotispuraorKamrupa(Asom).
Many of the place namesas well asthe namesof the hillsandthe riversof the NorthEast
Indiaare currenttoday,have beenderivedfromthe originalBodonamesgiventothemby
the Bodo people.The othertribesof NorthEastIndianotmentionedhere separatelybelong
to the Kirata race of ancientfame.
Chapter-III
Origin and migration of the Tribes of Medieval North East India.
1. Their Origin
All the tribesof NorthEast Indiabelongtothe Tibeto- Myanmarese sub- familyof the Indo-
Chinese familyof Mongoloidstock.“The Kacharis,the Ravas,the Meches,the Miris,the Lalungs,
the Garos, the Nagas,the Kukisetc,are the membersof earlyMongoloidgroup”saysHem
Baruah. AccordingtoSuniti KumarChatterjee,the AdisandMishingscome underthe broad
groupof the Indo- Chinese racesandso,all the Tani group (Adi,Apatani,Hill Miri,Bugun,
Mishing,Nishi,Puroik,SajolongandTagin) belongtothe Indo- Chinese groupof Mongoloid
stock.
2. Their Original Home
The original home of all the Mongoliantribesof AsiahadbeenMongoliabetweenChinaand
RussiaG.A.Griersonholdsnorth-westernChinabetweenthe uppercoursesof Yang-Tse Kiang
and Howang-HoriversinChinaasthe traditional home landof all the Indo-Chinese races.

8. 3. Their Language
Linguistically,all the dialectsof North-EastexceptKhasi (Synteng),belongtothe Tibeto-
Myanmarese sub- familyof Tibeto- Chinesefamily.SirEdwardGait has dividedthe dialectsof
thissub- familywhichare currentinNorth East intothree maingroups,viz,Nagaspokenin
Nagalang,Kuki- ChinspokeninManipur,CacharandMizoram and BodospokeninAsom, North
Cachar (Asom) andGaro Hills(Meghalaya).
The dialectsspokeninArunachal Pradeshformthe UpperAsomgroupof the Tibeto-
Myanmarese sub- familyof the linguisticmosaic.
The SyntengdialectspokeninKhasi HillsandJaintiaHillsof Meghalayaisalliedtothe Munda
familyof IndiaandMon- Khmerlanguagesof Myanmarand it belongstothe Austro- Asiatic
family.The Austricdialectsare spokeninmanypartsof SouthEast Asiaand islandsof the Indian
and Pacificoceansasfar as Easter Islandoff the coast of SouthAmerica.“Thoughthere are many
exceptions,the majorityof the speakersof thiswidespreadlinguisticfamilyare Mongolianby
race and recentresearchpointstothe eastof Indo- Chinaas far as the place where itptobably
originated”saysSirEdwardGait.
The Syntengs,the MongolianimmigrantsthroughAsomorMyanmarperhapsborrowedthe
Munda languageswhichwhere originallyspokenbythe “Dravidian”family.Inthisconnection,it
may be notedthat the Munda speakingtribesusedtoerectmonolithsinmemoryof theirdead
ancestors,similartothose erectedbythe Syntengsof Meghalaya.Probably,the Syntengswho
are unmistakablyMongolianmergedtheirdistinctive language,cultureandphysical featurein
that of the earlierDravidianinhabitants.
4. Their Migration
The Tibeto- Chinese racesmighthave firstmigratedfromtheircradle landbetweenTongtsian-
He (Yang-Tse Kiang) andHowang-Ho(Yellow River) riverstowardsthe headwatersof Irrawaddy
and of the Salweenand“fromthatstartingpointsuccessive wavesof immigrantsentered
Assam.The firstwere the Maan- Ahomswholeftthe Khasisandto be seeninAnnamand
Cambodia”claimsG.A.Grierson.
The Syntengs,Dimasas,Bodos,Meiteis,Nagas,MizosandTripurismighthave followedthe
course of IrrawadyRiverinMyanmar and migratedtotheirpresenthabitats.Aboutthe Nagas
W.Robinsonopinesthatthe Nagatribesof Nagalandmighthave migratedfromthe north-
westernbordersof China,probablyduringsanguinaryconflictforsupremacy,whichtookplace
betweenthe different membersof the Chinese andTartardynastiesinthe thirteenand
fourteenthcenturies.Pembertonisof the view thatthe Meitiesof Myanmarproper,immigrated
alongwiththe Nagas fromthe same placesand the same time.
It appearsthat the SyntengshadmigratedfromCambodia(Kampuchea).HenryMouhot,a
Frenchnaturalist,whohadgone to Indo- Chinainsearchof rare birdsand insectsinJanuary
1860, establishedthatthe cityof Angkorwas constructedbya SouthEast Asianpeople knownas
Khmers.The firstgreatCambodian(Kambujan) leader- Jayavarman-IIrose topowerin802 AD
and foundedthe Khmerempirewhichflourishedformore then600 years.Jayavarman-VII,the
lastKhmerrulerdiedin1219 AD and the Khmerempire became veryweak.The Siamese (Thai)

9. invadedandseizedthe cityforsevenmonthsandreturnedhome withasmuchlootas they
couldcarry. Whenthe ThaisinvadedCambodiaforthe secondtime,theyfoundthe cityof
Angkordeserted.Probably,afterthe Thai invasion,the Syntengsandotherinhabitantsmight
have migratedfromtheirhome land.
The Tangsas, NoctesandWanchus of Arunachal Pradeshmusthave migratedfromthe
IrrawadyValleyof Myanmarto Tirap and Changlangaftercrossingthe difficultterrainsof Patkai
Hillstothe presenthabitats.The Tangaswhoare akin to the Kachintribesof Myanmar regarda
hill calledMasoi Sinrapum,whichissupposedtobe somewhere inthe eastbeyondMyanmaras
theiroriginal home.VerrierElwinhasrecordeda Wanchu legendaboutWanchumigration.
Accordingto one tradition,the Wanchusmigratedfromaplace called“NyannuAfan”whichis
somewhere inMyanmar.Anothertraditiontracesthe coursesof the Wanchu migrationto their
presenthabitatsthroughTangnuandSangnuboth inthe Tuensangarea of Nagaland.yetanother
traditionsaysthat there were twoWanchubrotherswhocame togetherforma place called
“Uphannu” to the Patkai Mountainwhere theysacrifiedadog andagreedto divide the land
betweenthem.The elderremainedinMyanmarandthe younger wentonintoIndia.“The
Wanchusmust have beenpre- cededbythe Ahomwhoenteredthe Brahmaputravalleyin1228
A.D” saysElwin.
The rest tribesmight have followedthe coursesof ChindwinandLanchungKiang(Mekong
River) andsettledinMekongValley inMyanmar.Theymighthave followedNuJiang(Nyulum
SianginAdi) towardsRimain Zayul Valley(China).T.K.Bhattacharjee considersNyulumSiang
(NuJianginChina) as the Zayul River,one of the tributariesof Lohit.The Taraon- Mishimisand
Miju- Mishimsi mighthave followedthe coursesof LohitRiverandsettleddowninthe present
habitats.AccordingtoT.K. Bhattarcharjee,the TaraonsandMijus whoare believedtohave
similaritieswithKachinsof Myanmarenteredtheirhome- followingthe course of LohitRiver
afterprotractedand arduoussojournsininhospitable terrains.
Aftera sojourninZayul Valley,the remainingtribesmighthave startedonthe trackalong
the ChindrukRiverwhichledthemtothe highpasscalledDashungLa in TibetandDajingEgo in
Adi.Theycrosseditand came uponPoTsang- Powhichthe AdiscalledNamgongSiangand
LangongChu by the Khampas.Thisisthe area knownto the Adisas the countryof the Taros in
Tibet.Fromthere,theypushedwestwardsandreachedLhasa,which isstill rememberedbythe
Adisas the original place of theirsettlement.
From Lhasa (Tibet),the MonpasandSherdukpensmighthave migratedtoTawangandWest
Kameng,while the GarostoMeghalaya.The Garos claimto have migratedfromTibet.The Rongpas
or Lepchas(Sikkimese)mighthave migratedtoSikkim,while the Drukpas(Bhutanese),Membasand
Khambusto Bhutan.FromBhutan,the Membasand KhambasmigratedtoUpperSiang Valleyof
Arunachal Pradesh inthe late 19th
centuryA.Din searchof the “promisedland”calledPemakoin
Tibet.
The Sherdukpensclaimthemselvesasthe Tibetanorigin.Itissaidthat the TibetanKing
Srong TsanGampo heardabout the paragon beautyof the daughterof Asomkingand sent
hisablestministerRigpe ChantoSibsagarforherhand.The kingof Asomgave hisdaughter,
but onthe way,the cunningministerseducedherandimpregnatedher.She gave birthto
twosons namely, JabdungNgowangNamje,the elderandJaptangBura,the youngerand,

10. whenthe twobrothersgrewup,Namje succeededtothe throne of Bhutanwhile Japtang
tookoverpresentSherdukpencountry.The firstSherdukpenking,JaptangBurafirstsaidto
have come to Bhut and Khoina,butlateronshiftedhiscapital toRupa.All these mighthave
happenedinthe 7th
centuryA.Das Srong Tsan Gampo wasthe rulerof Tibetinthe earlypart
of 7th
centuryA.D.
Chapter-IV
Migration of the Tanis of Arunachal Pradesh and Asom
The original place of migration,rememberedbythe TanisisLhasa inTibetcalledUli- Usha
(Lhasa) by the AdisandLocha- Lhasa (Lhasa) bythe Idus. The Taniswere drivenoutfromLhasa by
more powerful tribescalledMihum- MiyangKumtingbythe Adis.The Myangprovince of erstwhile
easternTibetonthe westernboundaryof Chinawasnot easilyaccessible eitherfromTibetorChina
and itsinhabitantswere calledLopa(Loba),Nyopo(Nyobo) etc,bythe Tibetans.The Tanislivedina
clusteror compact andcalledthemselves –Bo(Pailibo),Bobin(Tangam),Bogen(Shimong),Bogum
(AshingandGalo),Bokar- Karbo(Karka- Galo,Bokar and Ramo),Bomi (Milling,PadamandPasi),
Bomong(Gete andMishing) Bonyong- Nyobo(Komkar,MinyongandPanggi),Bori andBotung
(Karko) etc.
In early7th
centuryA.D.,Tibetunderthe Yarlungdynastybecame verypowerful. The Tibetan
KingTsrong Tsan Gampodeclaredthe Buddishmasthe sate religionthroughoutTibetwhichresulted
inBonpo uprisingsinCentral TibetandLoba(Tani) rebellioninMyangprovince.The Taniswantedto
preserve theirage oldculture andreligion andrefusedtoembrace Buddhismas theirreligion.
Consequently,the TibetanKingsenttroopstoMyang province anda result,the Tanisfledtothe
Taro country (PoValley),KhamregionandIndia.
The Tani emigrationtoIndiawascompleted,whenGodan,the Governorof Kansuregion
(China) andthe greatgrandsonof the Mongol leader,ChengizKhaninvadedPoValleyandKhan
regionin1239 A.D.,lootingandkillingthe inhabitants.
1. Migration ofthe Idus of Dibang Valley
The Idus fromKhamregionfledtoDibangValley.The firstplace of settlementremembered
by the Idusis the Inie Chungpuwhichisthe Tsang- PoValleyinTibet.The Idussaythat they
came downto Lochalasha(Lhasa),butfurthermoveddownLayilanu(Myangregion) from
there,theycame to KeyaAmu- Ee (Khamregion) andfinallytheymovedtoMathunand Dri
of DibangValleywhere theyultimatelysettleddown.ThisIdutraditionclearlyshowsthat
theybelongtothe great Abo- Tani group of Arunachal Pradesh.
2. Migration ofthe Tanis of Subansiri Valley
The Tanis followedthe downstreamof the Tsang- Poor SiangRiverand came to Mina- Bogo,
DijumBogo,Kidi- Deba,Koje- Sipang,Shrirang,Nyanggu- Nyangga,Midi- Tompu,Rigu-
Siyengetc,all inNugong Valleyof PoinTibetandmoveddowntowardsGellinginUpper
SiangValleyof Arunachal Pradesh(India) aftercrossingthe highpasseslike PerokDumbok

11. (betweenMidi TompuinChinaandJayingRiverof SinggaCircle inIndia),OshongMekok
(betweenthe source of SikangorDibangand Nigongor Yangsangchurivers) andKepangLa
(Northof Gelling) etc,onthe inter- national boundaryline betweenTibetandIndiaknownas
McMohan Line andsettleddownatTangam- Tare (betweenNgamingandKugingonthe left
bankof SiangRiver),Rigu- Rirang(GellingnearPoloYorbe) andotherareasandsettleddown
inTutingand Miggingcircles.
From Angong- Luyor(between Janbo- Janoareaor AngongValleyandSiyomValley),
the Apatanis,Bokars,Buguns,Hill- Miris,Hussros (notof royal line),Nishis,Puroiks,Sajolangs
and Tagins migrated to West Siang Valley, Subansiri Valley and Kameng Valley.
According to Dr. Hage Lasa, the Apatanis attribute Mudo Supung in Tibet as the
original place of their migration. However, the Apatanis crossed Angong River and other
turbulentriversof Shimang,Siyom,Sinyik(Subansiri),Kurung and Kumey and finally settled
down in the present Apatani Plateau in Lower Subansiri district.
Mudo- Supung of the Apatanis is the Sopung – Saam (Sipung or Sipu and Siyom
riversinthe SiangValley) of the Nishis.The NishisclaimSopungSaam(Sipung- Siyom) as the
original place of migration. From Angong, they came to Narba and drifting from place to
place,through Begil, Bolo and Yolang, crossed the Subansiri River and then to Kamla River.
From there,theyspreadall over the hills lying between the rivers Kamla and Kurung. Later
on, they pushed their way to the plains ans the Panior Hill and ultimately to the present
habitats.
The Hill- Miris might have followed the Nishis.
The Tagins believe that they have migrated from the north to Mechuka in West
Siang in West Siang district. They might have followed the Bokars and Ramos.
3. Migration ofthe Tanis of Siang Valleyand Asom
The Bokars mighthave migrated toMonigongarea fromMiggingarea crossingLuyor
Hill (betweenMiggingandBori area) andsettlednearTadadege.The Ramonsfollowedthem
and settleddowninMonigongarea,butafterwardsmigratedtoMechukainWest Siang
district.
The Boris migratedfrom AngongtoBomo,thento Rumong(SimangValley),thento
Sipuor Aalo(SiyomValley) andfinallytothe presentareasof WestSiangdistrict.
The Galos migratedfromTutingarea inUpper Siangto WestSiangby different
routes.FromMiggingarea, the Karkas(Galos) pushedwestward,crossedLuyorHill
(betweenMiggingandBori area) and migratedtoWestSianf.The Bogums(Galos) migrated
fromSiringRiverat NinggingValleytoJanbo,thentoBomdo,Ramsing,Karko,thence to
Dosingand ultimatelypresenthabitats.The Bams(Galos) consideredthe source of Siyom
Riveras the original place of migration.Thatmeans,theytookthe same route (LuyorHill) of
the Bokars,Karkas and Ramos.The Riba Rinasseemedtohave migratedtoJanboand then
to Riga alongwithEringsand settledatRego(ErengLidungat Raga Village).
4. Migration ofthe Akas (Hussors) of KamengValley
5. Migration ofthe Mijis(Sajolangs) of KamengValley
6. Migration ofthe Khawas (Buguns) of KamengValley
7. Migration ofthe Sulungs(Puroiks) of Kameng Valley
8. Migration ofthe Ahoms of Asom

12. 9. Migration ofthe Khamjangs (Tutsa), Khamtis and Singphosof A.P
Conclusion