192 The Hill-tribes of the Northern Frontier of Assam. [No. 4 



The Hill-tribes of the Northern Frontier of Assam ;-ty Key. 

 C. H, Hesselmeyer. 

 [Received 26th August, 1867.] 

 The Himalaya mountains, so far as they form the northern boun- 

 dary of Assam, are inhabited by two distinct races of men. Originally, 

 probably one and the same race, they seem to have undergone a 

 change sufficiently marked to authorize their being considered at the 

 present moment, as two distinct races. 



The mountaineers who occupy the eastern half of those frontier- 

 hills seem to be original occupants, or first arrivals, and to have 

 retained their original habits and customs. Those who live to 

 the west, appear to belong to a later period of immigration, subse- 

 quent to their descent from Central Asia. When they drove out 

 from before them the first occupants, say the Dimasa and Boro, or 

 Lalong, now living in the plains of Assam, they seem to have come 

 in contact with a certain degree of civilization which effected that 

 change both of feature and habits and customs which is so striking 

 to the beholder. 



The last mentioned of these two races are the people commonly 

 called Butias or Butanese— this name applying to all the various 

 and numerous tribes who belong to the same race. These, however, 

 having served our purpose thus far, we may leave for the present, 

 while we turn our attention more in particular to their less civilized 

 brethren to the east. 



Unlike the Butias, these possess no common name. The region 

 they occupy, is fully as large as Butan, and equally as interesting. 

 Indeed, little as we know of the people, the country they occupy, is 

 still less known : as much a terra incognita, in fact, as the interior of 

 Africa. The few Europeans who have crossed the frontier, have barely 

 done more than skirted this unknown region : none have ever pene- 

 trated to the snowy range ; none ever crossed its entire width from 

 Assam to Tibet proper. All we know about the country and 

 its inhabitants, we have learnt from the latter, who are, however, not 

 in all cases reliable informants. Until, therefore, a Livingstone or 

 a Wilcox will undertake to traverse its cane-bridged mountain 



