1841.] Account of Arakan. 683 



This hill tribe belongs to the same great family of the human race 

 as the Myam-md; their languages being apparently of the same struc- 

 ture ; their physiognomy alike ; they have black strait hair, high cheek 

 bones, oblique eyes, and scanty beards. The Kumis, in short, appear like 

 Ra-khoing-thds in a more rude state of existence ; the traditions of the 

 latter people refer to the former as already possessors of the country 

 when the Myam-md race entered it. The Kumis chiefly inhabit the 

 Kola-dan and its feeders. They are divided into several clans, which 

 will be enumerated hereafter. 



The next hill tribe is the Khyeng, There is comparatively a small 

 number of this people within our border, that is to say, within the 

 actual bounds of British authority in Arakan ; only those who live 

 on, and near to the banks of the Le-myo river, are subject to our con- 

 troul. Eastward of this river, up to the great Yu-ma-toung range, there 

 are powerful tribes of this people, who rejoice in perfect freedom, (as 

 long at least as they can defend themselves from the attacks of their 

 neighbours.) They are separated from British authority by pathless 

 mountains and forests, and being to the west of the Yu-ma-toung 

 range, the Burmese have no dominion over them ; many indeed to the 

 eastward of those mountains are virtually independent of Burmah. 

 The Khyengs live in the same primitive style as the Ku-mis, their 

 manners and appearance being similar.* 



The remaining hill tribes are the Doing-nuk and the Mrung. They 

 both inhabit the upper course of the Mayu river. The language of 

 the first is a corrupt Bengalee. They call themselves Kheim-hd-nago. 

 Of their descent I could learn nothing ; probably they may be the 

 offspring of Bengalees carried into the hills as slaves, where their phy- 

 sical appearance has been modified by change of climate. In religion 



* There is a class of people residing in the Chittagong district, who call themselves 

 Raj-bunse, and in Burmese Myam-md-gyee, ov '' gvedit Myam-mas." They pretend 

 to be descendants of the kings of Arakan, a flattering fiction which they have invented 

 to gloss their spurious descent. They are doubtless the offspring of Bengalee women 

 by Myam-mus, when the latter possessed Chittagong, and other districts in Bengal. 

 Their dress and language are Bengalee ; but they profess the religion of their fathers, 

 viz. Budhism. These people are called Mugs in Bengal, and being well known in 

 Calcutta as Mug cooks. I believe it is pretty generally supposed that the Arakanese 

 are one and the same with them ; a terrible insult to the Burma race ! All 

 Arakanese are termed Mugs by the people of India, from whom Europeans have 

 borrowed the name. How it arose I cannot say. 



