ABORS AND GALONGS. 39 



The village community in the Abor and Galong country , where society is in a 



slightly more advanced state than amongst the Daflas and 

 Mishmis of both Dibang and Lohit valleys consists of the 

 headmen of the village, the medicine-man, the craftsmen, the groups of families, the 

 young men and the slaves. 



The headman (Gam) is chosen by the voice of the community. In this election 



experience to guide such affairs as policy and the selection 



Headmen. 11 ... - ri . 



and division of fresh sites for " jhums, and wealth to en- 

 tertain strangers when necessary in the name of the village, all weigh. Age is also a 

 factor, for the Gam is the village Nestor. An unusually young Gam connotes excep- 

 tional force of character. But the most important plank in the candidate's plat- 

 form is the measure in which his orders and ideas convey the ' ' sense ' ' of the village, 

 for he as Gam must represent the sanior pars of the Councils periodically held in the 

 moshap. If he does not the opinion of another man is listened to, and here the road to 

 suspersession begins. It is personality, and a persuasive tongue, that rule. The 

 several Gams to be found in almost every village may thus be accounted for. It has 

 been observed that only the word of the leading Gam carries real weight in the com- 

 munity. No form of voting appears to exist. The moot-like method of shouting 

 down any dissentient and so obtaining unanimity in the Council is, presumably, 

 adopted. Doubtful matters are, however, settled by the casting of lots. When the 

 common interests of a group of villages are likely to be affected, the Gams of the com- 

 munities concerned meet and hold a council together. But the village is the true unit, 

 not the sept, nor the clan, still less the entire tribe although, of course, blood relation- 

 ship creates a certain amount of sympathy. A community has been known, as a 

 matter of pohcy, to elect a Gam from another village ; an instance of this is to be 

 found in the election during 191 1 of a leading Komsing man as Gam of Kebang, after 

 the deposition of Takot. 



Dutem Gam of Ledum, who is the strongest personality amongst the villages 

 of the Abor foot hills, gave me an interesting account of the procedure that is adopted 

 by an Abor who is anxious to get a voice in the affairs of the village. The ambitious 

 Abor, who must be rich enough to defray his considerable election expenses, gives a 

 feast, called ebor, to the village, at which a large amount of apong (wine) is provided, 

 and mithan (tame Bos frontalis) are killed. The word ebor is not to be found in Lorraine ' 

 but etor is given as ' ' name of an Abor feast." I asked one of my interpreters, a Miri 

 of Oiyang village, what the word meant and he said it is a feast, given by one manor 

 more, at which much apong and a cow, or mithan, is provided. This feast brings the 

 donor's wealth and generosity into due prominence. In about a year's time he gives 

 another feast, and on this occasion some villager is put up to make a laudatory speech. 

 The enthusiasm born of apong is calculated to assure the election of the would-be Gam. 

 If he can afford it the new Gam, after election, gives a third feast. Dutem described 

 this as a well-known custom but one that, apparently, met with singularly little 



1 Dictionary of the Abor-Miri Language, Lorraine. E. B. Assam, Secretariat Printing Office, 1910. 



