1872.] 
9 
Notes on a Visit to the Tribes inhabiting the Sills south of Sibsdgar, 
Asam. — By S. E. Peal, Esq. 
The various Hill tribes bordering on the valley of Asam, both on the 
north-east and south, present so many points of interest and seem to be so 
little known, that I take the opportunity of putting these few notes together 
of a short trip into the hills to the south of Sfbsagar district, Mauza’ Oboe- 
pur, hoping they may be of some use or interest. 
Our ignorance of these various tribes, their many languages, customs, and 
internal arrangements, seems to be only equalled by their complete ignorance 
of us, our power and resources. The principle of clanship is here 'carried to 
the extreme ; not only are there numerous well marked tribes inhabiting con- 
siderable tracts, as the Butias, the Abors, Singphus, Nagas, but these 
again are cut up into small, and usually isolated, communities, who, among 
the Nagas at least, are constantly at war with each other. Their isolation is 
often so complete, that their resources lie wholly within their limited area. 
There seems good reason to suppose that the present state of things has 
existed for a considerable period. Not only are the languages spoken by 
contiguous tribes often mutually unintelligible, but the still better evidence 
of strongly marked physical variation holds good. And to these inferences 
of a long period must be added the tangible fact, that at their villages, or 
‘ changs’, and not elsewhere in the hills, there are numerous Jack trees, 
many of them very large, and not less than 400 years old, I should say, 
as the Jack is a slow growing wood. 
I had often wished to visit some of these ‘ changs’, but had not the 
opportunity till this occasion ; and though the season was rather advanced, 
I determined to go, as the Rajah of the Banparas had invited me for 
the third or fourth time. My nearest neighbour consented to accompany 
me, and arrangements were made to start on the 30th May, at day-break. 
Before daylight our people were astir, caught the elephants, and tied our 
baggage. At 6 A. M., we started. Our party consisted of two native 
muharrirs, a barqandaz, and six Leklas, an interpreter, or Sokeal, joining 
us afterwards. 
It was a beautiful morning, a fresh breeze blowing across Bhagmorial 
Potar as we passed through it, though we lost it on entering the jungle 
at foot of the hills beyond. The path, so-called, we found clearer than 
was to be expected ; fallen trees and such like obstructions were singularly 
few. Game was looked for in vain, although it was evidently a good 
shooting ground ; and tracks of buffaloe, pig, and deer, were plentiful. This 
luck indeed pursued us the whole way, though it must have been exceptional. 
We soon reached the Ladia Ghur, an old road, leading from Kukila Mukh 
2 b 
