A Sketch of Assam: With some account of the Hill TribesButler, John, Major
History
A Sketch of Assam: With some account of the Hill Tribes
Butler, John, Major
Assam (India) -- Description and travel; Assam (India) -- Social life and customs; Ethnology -- India -- Assam
The town of Tibbung is stated to be sixteen days' journey from the
plains of Assam. For the first twelve days the route lies through the
country belonging to the Kooreahparah Booteahs. The next march brings
the Thebingeah Booteahs to their own frontier village of Sangtie. The
Thebingeahs are tributary to the Towung Rajah, who is subordinate
to the Deba and Dhurma Rajahs of Lassah. In speaking of Lassah, they
make the distance from their country much greater than there is reason
to believe it to be. They aver that in going to Lassah they cross a
great river (probably the Sampoo) which is the Lohit or Burrampooter,
that traverses the whole valley of Assam. Towung is said to be twenty
days' journey from Tibbung, in a westerly direction. From the little
information we have hitherto been able to gather, it is evident
the Thebingeah Booteahs were once a powerful tribe; but feuds and
exterminating wars with other neighbouring tribes have reduced them
to an insignificant state. The British Government generously bestows
on this clan 141 rs. 13 ans. 6 pice per annum, in lieu of the black
mail they formerly extorted from the Ryots of the village of Majbat
in Char Dooar.
HUZAREE KHAWA AKHAS.
These tribes reside eastward of the Rooprae and Sheergawn Booteahs,
in the mountains north of Burgong, called the Jumara Guyah hills,
distant from Burgong, viâ the Dymarahhat or market, about six difficult
marches. The whole of the Akha tribe is reported to consist of two
hundred families; the Kuppah Choor Akhas, of sixty or seventy families;
and the Meeches (who are also, like the Kuppah Choor Akhas, a tribe of
Akhas residing far in the interior, north of the whole) are estimated
at three or four hundred families. The whole are armed with bows and
arrows, and long swords, but they have no fire-arms of any kind. The
Huzaree Khawa Akhas were formerly the most formidable of the two clans,
but through the energy and daring of Kuppah Choor Akha chief, Taggee,
they have been obliged to acknowledge him supreme. His will at the
present day may be said to be paramount; for though his contemporary
chiefs profess to look on him as their friend and equal they fear
to incur his resentment, and submit to his dictation with concealed
feelings of dissatisfaction.
Previous to the massacre of a detachment of the 1st Assam Light
Infantry at Baleeparah, the Huzaree Khawa Akhas had always collected
Pocha or black mail to the yearly amount of 175 rupees; but after the
above catastrophe they were looked on as outlaws, and were denied all
intercourse with the people of the plains. In February, 1844, however,
the following chiefs of this tribe were summoned to Tezpore, and an
annual sum of 148 rupees was settled upon them; on the condition of
their abstaining from committing further depredations on our subjects
or joining with other disaffected tribes:--
Rs.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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