200 The Hill-trihes of the Northern Frontier of Assam. [No. 4, 



and- Hindu fashion-a piece of cloth is spread out over the whole. ^ 



The Aka, although given to loot and robbery, is yet no idler : he is 

 a great agriculturist. Unlike the Butias, the Akas import no gram 

 from Assam, but subsist on the fruits of their own labour. They 

 cultivate the fine plateaux on the backs of their broad hills, and some 

 of those smiling valleys that stretch themselves out between their hills, 

 miles in length and width. 



They hoe the ground and beat the surface fine ; then pierce holes 

 with a pointed stick, and drop into each hole 3 to 4 grains of rice 

 (dhan). Their rice -crops they declare to be as good as, if not superior 

 to those of the best parts of Assam. Beside the common kinds of 

 rice, they cultivate a kind of grain, called Dafla-dhan, of a small size 

 but growing in numerous clusters ; it is a grain, in fact, resembling 

 millet. Also vegetables of the same description as those which are 

 found in Assam, and pulses of various kinds are cultivated by the 



Akas. 



There are, however, neither cotton, nor hemp and flax-plantations, 

 to be met with ; the only fibre used by them and the Mijis, as well as 

 all the other hill-tribes, is that derived from the rind of a tree known 

 in Assam by the name of Odal, and used for nets and ropes. Th 

 consequence is, that the women of the Akas neither spin nor weavi 

 but rely for their cotton cloth on the plains, as already mention* 

 Nor do they breed the silkworms known to the Assamese. Thoug 

 they covet the Eria Bor-Kapors of Assam, and the finer silk dhuties,. 

 yet they have never taken the trouble of introducing the silkworm 

 into their hills. 



The Akas keep large flocks of mithuns or mithans, and cows— 

 their flesh is eaten, but the milk of mithuns, cows and goats they 

 never touch. They breed pigs and rear fowls and pigeons in great 

 numbers, but geese and clucks are forbidden to them by the gods. 



The Hrusso pride themselves on being better feeders than any of 

 the other hill-men. They eat the food of civilized people ; never 

 touch the flesh of dogs, or elephants, or other objectionable animals. 

 They indulge in the use of opium and tobacco— in fact, the pipe 

 seldom leaves the mouth of an Angka man or woman. Such a pipe 

 is generally a bit of bamboo with a reed inserted into it at a right 

 angle. Now and then, however, Tibetan pipes of composition metal 



