8 GEORGE D-S-DUNBAR ON 



Tsanpo in the Chumde Gyang district ; copper is said to be worked at Wanko and 

 Mare, five and four days respectively west of Chiamdo. Iron is worked at Iyamda, 

 which is in a pine forest and two days to the west of Chiamdo. Chiamdo is said to be a 

 thirty-four days' journey from Lha-sa overagoodmule road. The Kambas maintained 

 that the metal (or metals) of which dankis are made is found in the L,o country but I 

 have not obtained any proof or even other evidence on this point. Kinthup men- 

 tions two gold mines at L,ha-gya-ri, 27 miles east from Chetang (Tsetang) and lead 

 mines at Kim-dhung, 90 miles further on. 



Rindze stated that, about 9 years ago, he went to a place called Ming-tsenga, 

 about four days' south of Tsetang, and apparently close to the Bhotan frontier. 

 There is a dzong and a monastery (with about 100 monks) at Ming-tsenga, which lies 

 in a district where monasteries are not uncommon and are found still further south. 

 Rindze himself did not go south of Ming-tsenga. It is the scene of a large, annual 

 fair during the 5th Tibetan month, when Tibetans, Kambas, Bhotias,' L,obas 

 and Pobas meet to trade. Rindze went for the fair and found living there very 

 expensive. Ming-tsenga is two days' journey from Towang, which the L,oteus are 

 not allowed to enter. These Loteus would appear to resemble the Memongs, for the 

 description of their women whom they brought with them, with their long hair parted 

 and ,ied in a chignon at the back, good-looking, wearing their clothes Bhotanese 

 fashion and adorned with quantities of necklaces of blue or green porcelain beads, 

 would apply equally to the people of the Sipu valley, south of the Siyom. The IyO- 

 teus at Tsari and Ming-tsenga are practically similar in appearance, and speak what 

 is judged to be the same language. The Abors barter rice and two other cereals, for 

 which the Tibetan is tre and tsi-tsi (millet ? and Job's tears ?), for salt and imitation 

 turquoise necklaces, which, Rindze affirms, are now made in India, and come through 

 Gyantse from Calcutta. Rindze states that the Loteus bring to Ming-tsenga numbers 

 of dankis (which he described with accuracy, but considered to be of poor workman- 

 ship) and sell them to the Bhotias. He called these bowls ' tro,' and said they are 

 made of a whitish brittle metal, called Trogka, that is found in the I v o country, where 

 he maintained they are manufactured. They are made of various sizes, are not looked 

 upon as valuable, and are exchanged for salt. Cymbals and other musical instru- 

 ments are brought down by the Tibetans. Rindze alleged that the Bhotias try to in- 

 duce people to come over into Bhotan with them, where they are made into slaves. 



The course of trade between the different clans can be more conveniently ex- 

 amined when the life of the people is dealt with. But trade routes between the Yamne 

 and the Subansiri may be summarized as follows: North of about latitude 28 , 15' 

 trade flows into the country from the north ; below this area is a zone into which 

 trade percolates from both north and south ; below this again articles of commerce 

 are either bought directly from the kayah's shops scattered along the Assam frontier 

 or are brought in on the strong tide of trade that, coming south from Tibet through 

 the Mishmi country, sweeps along the lower Abor hills to the Subansiri. 



1 Possibly includes Membas from their detached colonies lying immediately south of the main range. 



