4 GEORGE D-S-DUNBAR ON 



own (i.e. it is not Tibetan), and are also acquainted with the dialect of their 

 eastern neighbours, the Pobas. Those who have dealings with the Tibetans speak 

 a little of that language. The Loteus, from this evidence, are actively engaged in 

 diverting Tibetan goods into the Lo country to the south. Tibetans, according to 

 Tugden, bring down salt, iron, thick whitish or red woollen cloths, musical 

 instruments, swords and necklaces (the Abor " moni"), receiving in exchange skins 

 and deer's horns. This last commodity is for the preparation of Chinese medicine. 

 Tugden stated that the salt came, in the ordinary course of trade, from Lha-sa, which 

 does not tend to confirm the Dobang belief that in the Lama country, so it is said, where 

 there are rocks of salt, a human being is sacrificed before the salt is excavated. This 

 account of the articles of commerce tallies with what was learnt in the Memong country 

 of the Boris who come as far down as Kombong, and agrees with quite independent 

 evidence obtained regarding the Bori traders who work yearly, down the left bank of 

 the Subansiri into the Rimi valley and penetrate as far south as Gamlin, a large Karka 

 village, said to be three easy marches from Basar. The Boris do not appear to be a 

 large or widely extended tribe and are possibly to some extent controlled by their 

 Minyong and Galong neighbours, but Boris, Bokas and similar tribes to the west must 

 be the Lo traders met with at the trade marts scattered along the frontier of Tibet. 



The plains Miris, on the authority of the Abors of Riu and Kebang, believe that 

 there are three tribes of ' ' Abors ' ' living to the north of the Minyongs. These are 

 the Bakut, who cut their hair in almost European fashion, the Membas who wear long 

 woollen coats and are supposed to be akin to the Tibetans, and the Basin of fabulous 

 strength. 1 



A debt of gratitude is owed to Mr. Coggin Brown of the Geological Survey 

 of India for the following facts discovered by the Dihang Valley Exploration party 

 under Mr. Bentinck, I.C.S., that went up to Singging at the beginning of 

 1912, and for some interesting legends current about the unknown tribes to 

 the north. Beyond the Minyongs were the Karko Abors, and to the north of this clan 

 the Bomo-Janbo, who differed in appearance from the Minyongs, but seemed to be not 

 unlike the Boris. Their northern neighbours were the Membas. The most northern 

 communities visited told of the Mimats, 2 a race of cave-dwelling cannibals who were 

 called Loma-mani Trunshar 3 (neckless savages). They were reported to exchange 

 cooking-pots, perhaps the daiikis so highly prized further south, for the bodies of dead 

 Abors. No information could be obtained from Tugden as to the importation of 

 dankis into the Lo country. 



1 It was discovered by the Dihang Survey parties in 1913 that beyond the Bomo-Janbo (or Angong) Abors to the 

 north of the Karko people live the Membas, who are comparatively recent colonists from across the main range. They 

 have not entirely dispossessed the most northern Abors the Tangam —who are still to be found in the poor bleak villages 

 scattered below the gorge. The Bakut may possibly be the Boka, a tribe on the Upper Siyom with whom touch has not 

 been established No tribe answering to the description of the Basin was discovered. 



* This is the Abor name for the Tibetans. Their habits were apparently brought forward to give verisimilitude 

 to a bald and unconvincing narrative. 



3 The most northern Abors, on the upper borders of the Memba colonies, are so goitrous as to make this solution 

 of the mysterious people a possible one. A perfect description of the appearance of the " neckless savages " is to be 

 found in Shakespere's Tempest. 



