ABORS AND GALONGS. 7 



dang with the Pobas. Tibetans bring down tea and vessels, etc. of brass or bronze . 

 but not of white metal. The Pobas bring much merchandise from the south, such as 

 musk, shao horns, a very occasional gun, and a few one-handed swords with lizard 

 (monitor ?) skin handles for which the Pobas are famous. These Pobas wear their hair 

 like the Lobas but even longer — to the waist instead of the shoulders. They speak a 

 dialect of Kamba, but Rindze, although a Kamba himself, had difficulty in under- 

 standing them. Rindze knew of no minerals ; mules were very plentiful, and there 

 appears to be a certain amount of trade with districts to the West. 



Alando is taken to be A.K.'s Alado Giachug, Giachug being the Tibetan for a stage 

 on a journey. Here salt (imported from the north) is bartered for white and red 

 rice, peaches, walnuts, chillies (? Tib. Sibi) , swords, musk, stag's horns, bears' livers 

 and skins that the Pobas give in exchange. The Pobas are in all probability Kambas, 

 and under the Central Tibetan Government. They are said to trade with their neigh- 

 bours the Lobas. The evidence given describes the Pobas as a very savage race. It 

 seems quite possible that the idea of a ferocious buffer tribe, or zone of tribes, is 

 deliberately encouraged by the trade intermediaries, both Tibetan and Abor, to prevent 

 direct intercourse between Tibet and the communities centred at Simong and in the 

 populous Siyom and Rimi-Siu valleys ; a belief that the existence of bands of Lo- 

 teu robbers to the South of Tsari would undoubtedly foster. Rindze describes the 

 Pobas as wearing either Tibetan clothes or sometimes skins. Takin skin coats were 

 found and much admired for their quality and cut by the Mishmi Exploration party 

 up the Ithun River. Deer-skin surcoats are worn, quite commonly, by the hill tribes 

 on raids and forays. The Pobas use rupees obtained from Chinese traders and 

 others. It is thought that the main trade artery runs through the Pobas into 

 the Mishmi country and thence westwards through the communities too far south 

 to be in touch with the trading clans of the north. Mr. Dundas, CLE., informs 

 me that dank is come down into the Mishmi country from Tibet. They possibly 

 come, therefore, eastward, and south through the Po country along this trade route, a 

 trade route that can be traced as far west as the Subansiri. The Pobas are 

 said to possess a certain number of guns and are reported to manufacture 

 long swords of good workmanship from iron obtained in their own country. 

 A good sword is worth the equivalent to 50 rupees. This statement regarding the 

 working of iron, although possibly correct, requires more direct proof. The manu- 

 facture of swords of special excellence in the north most probably refers to Tibet. 

 This is to some extent substantiated by the history given to a sword obtained 

 through the Dobangs from the Karkas who, in their turn, had obtained it from 

 the Boris. Excellent swords are said to be made from iron and steel imported from 

 Assam by the Memongs. Personal observation in those portions of the Dana and 

 Abor countries that it has been possible to visit afforded no evidence of the work- 

 ing of iron ore in those areas, although, as in the Siemen valley, iron was found to 

 exist. Nor have any iron workings been noticed up the Dibang valley. 



In those Kamba statements on which reliance may reasonably be placed, it is 

 noted that gold is washed below Tsetang on the Echhu, a small tributary of the 



