A History of Assam c22: Chapter XVI. Relations with Frontier Tribes
A History of Assam c22
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Chapter XVI. Relations with Frontier Tribes
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This work would be incomplete if it did not contain some account of the relations of the British Government with the various hill tribes along the frontier, other than those already mentioned. To deal with this subject at all fully would take up far more space than could be spared. Moreover, a complete account down to the year 1883 has already been compiled.* In the present chapter, therefore, the narrative will be confined to a brief notice of the more noteworthy episodes in the history of this frontier.
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The only event of importance in our relations with the Bhutias is the war of 1864-66 which has been alluded to in the last chapter. The quarrel arose on the Bengal section of the Bhutan frontier, but, when war was declared, operations were undertaken on the Assam side also. Four columns advanced into the lower hills, *viz.*, two from Jalpaiguri in Bengal, one from Goālpāra, which occupied Bissengiri, and one from Gauhāti, which took possession of Diwāngiri. At first no serious resistance was encountered; and orders had actually been issued permanently to annex the Duārs that still remained in the hands of the Bhutias, and to break up the field force when, suddenly, almost simultaneous attacks were made on the different posts. These were repulsed with ease, except at Diwāngiri, where the defenders suffered some loss, and were cut off from their water-supply and from communication with the plains. The garrison of this post had been reduced to six companies with two guns and some sappers. Colonel Campbell, who was in command, considered that this force was not strong enough to dislodge its assailants, and determined to retreat. He evacuated Diwāngiri at night, but the main column lost its way in the darkness, and a panic set in, in which the guns and many of the wounded were abandoned and all the baggage was lost. Reinforcements were hastily sent up from India and, in less than two months, Diwāngiri was retaken, with very few casualties on our side, but with excessive and needless slaughter of the Bhutias who were found within the post. This practically concluded the war, and since that time the Bhutias have given no serious trouble. Occasional acts of violence have been committed, but they have been the work of individuals, and reparation has, when insisted on, been made by the higher authorities.
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∗ *History of the Relations of Government with the Hill Tribes of the North-Eastern Frontier of Bengal*, by the late Sir Alexander Mackenzie, printed in Calcutta in 1884 at the Government of India Press.
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The Akas, or Hrusso as they call themselves, are divided into two sections, which are known to the Assamese as the Hazāri Khowas, or taxers of a thousand hearths, and the Kopaschors, or cotton thieves. The commutation of their exactions for a fixed money payment has already been described. For many years the Kopāschor chief, Tangi or Tagi Raja, committed numerous robberies and murders in the plains. In 1829 he was captured and imprisoned in the Gauhāti jail. He was released in 1832, when he immediately resumed his attacks; and three years later he massacred the inhabitants of the British village and police outpost of Bālipāra. He continued his depredations till 1842 when he submitted, accepted a small pension, and agreed to take up his residence in the plains. The demarcation of the boundary, in 1874-75, caused some discontent amongst the Akas, but it was not until 1883 that they again gave any real trouble. In that year the Kopāschor chiefs, Medhi and Chandi, carried off and detained several native officials. A punitive expedition occupied Medhi's village, and recovered the captives and some loot, which had also been taken, but it did not wait there long enough to force the chiefs to submit. A blockade of the frontier followed, but it was not until 1888 that the chiefs came in and tendered their submission.
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The Daflas, who occupy the hills to the east of the Akas, speak a dialect closely allied to that of the Abors and Miris. They committed frequent raids prior to 1852, when the posa question was finally settled, but since then they have only twice broken the peace—in 1870 and 1872.* On both occasions their object was the pursuit of tribal quarrels, and not the plundering of alien inhabitants of the plains. As a punishment for the above raids a blockade was established. This proved ineffectual, and a military force was sent into the hills. The Daflas offered no active opposition, and, in the end, surrendered their captives.
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The Apa Tanangs, or Ankas, are an offshoot of the Apa Daflas. They occupy the valley of the Kali river, at the Tanangs. back of the range of hills which forms the northern boundary of the North Lakhimpur sub-division. They were unknown to us until comparatively recent times. In 1896 they committed a raid in British territory, killing two men and carrying off three captives. A small force made its way unopposed to their principal village and rescued the captives.
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The Miris are found, both in the plains, where they are Miris. peaceable British subjects, and also in the hills to the north, where also they are quiet and inoffensive. They act as a channel of communication with the Abors, and from this circumstance comes the name by which they are known in Assam, which means a "go-between." They have never given any trouble.
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The Abors, though speaking the same language, differ Abors. greatly from the Miris in character. They are the most ruthless savages on the whole of the northern frontier, and the former sparseness of population of the north bank of the Brahmaputra, from opposite Dibrugarh to Sadiya, was due chiefly to dread of their raids. Their designation in Assamese means "independent," as contrasted with bori, meaning "subject." They seem to have remained on friendly terms with out officers until 1848, when Captain Vetch led a small force into the hills to rescue some kidnapped Kachāri gold washers, and burnt a village as a punishment for a night attack on his camp. Several other raids followed, but the first serious outrage did not occur until 1858, when they destroyed a gold washers' village only six miles distant from Dibrugarh town. A punitive expedition which was sent against them was compelled to retreat, and a second one met with very scant success. The Abors, thus emboldened, took up a position threatening the plains. A third, and stronger, force entered the hills in 1859, and ejected them, and burnt a number of their villages. One section of the Abors then submitted, but another section was again on the war path in the following year. This led to the construction of a road along the frontier and the establishment of a line of outposts. The offenders, on seeing these preparations, submitted. During the next few years agreements were concluded with the different Abor communities, by which they were given an allowance of iron hoes, salt, rum, opium and tobacco so long as they remained on their good behaviour. There were no further outrages until 1889, when four Miris were decoyed across the frontier and murdered. For this a fine of twenty bison was imposed, and the frontier was blockaded pending payment, which was made in less than a year. In 1893 the Abors of all sections became hostile and attacked several parties of police. An expedition occupied the principal Bor Abor villages, after overcoming a good deal of resistance, and was followed by a blockade which lasted until 1900, when a general submission was made. The last disturbance was in 1911 when Mr. Williamson, Assistant Political Officer of Sadiya, Dr. Gregorson and a considerable party of servants and coolies were treacherously murdered by Abors at Pāngi, north of Pāsighāt. After the successful conclusion of the expedition which was sent to exact reparation for this outrage, a new system of administration on the frontier was introduced. This will be described in the next Chapter.
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∗ Their raiding propensities were by no means new. In the days of Aurangzeb, Muhammad Kasim wrote: "The Daflas are entirely independent of the Assam Raja and plunder the country contiguous to their mountains whenever they find an opportunity." We have already seen, how frequently they came into collision with the Ahom troops. They appear to have meddled considerably in the internal affairs of the Ahoms during Gaurināth's reign, and in the narrative of Captain Welsh's expedition, we read that at Kaliābar Lieutenant Macgregor was introduced to the "principal men of the Daflas, who had elected the Bar Gohāin as their chief."
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The Mishmis inhabit the country between the Dibong Mishmis and the Brahmakund. There are four main tribes, Chulikātā, Digāru, Miju and Bebejiā. In 1854, a French missionary reached the confines of Tibet by way of the Miju country,* but in the following year, when repeating the visit, he was murdered. The crime was punished by a brilliant feat of arms. Lieutenant Eden led a small body of twenty sepoys and forty Khāmti volunteers with a few hill porters far into the hills, and, after forced marches for eight days in succession, surprised and captured the offending chief and his village. In spite of this, the years that followed witnessed frequent raids. In 1866 the expedient was tried of creating a militia, by supplying arms to the local Khāmtis and giving a monthly payment of one rupee to all members of this tribe who would settle along this section of the frontier. This proved successful, and very little trouble has since been given by the Mishmis. Two small raids were reported in 1878. The culprits were pursued, but escaped, and no further action was taken. In 1899 the Bebejiā Mishmis murdered three Khāmtis and carried off several children. A force was despatched against them which, in the face of great natural difficulties, reached the guilty villages, burnt them, and recovered the captives. One of the raiders was subsequently given up, and was tried and executed at Sadiya.
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Our relations with the Khāmtis have been dealt with at Khāmtis. sufficient length in the last chapter, and it will suffice to add that, while those round Sadiya pay revenue and are subject in all respects to the jurisdiction of the local officers, those living on the Tengapāni merely acknowledge allegiance to the British Government, and are exempt from taxation and from interference with their internal affairs. The number of Khāmtis in Sadiya is dwindling; and at the time of the last census only 1,975 were enumerated there against an estimate of 3,930 in 1839.
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∗ This visit disposed of the old idea that a Hindu race is to be found somewhere in this direction. This idea was expounded in the following passage in Neufville's paper in *Asiatic Researches* for 1828:—"The country to the eastward of Bhot (*sc.* Tibet) and north of Sadiya, extending on the plain beyond the mountains, is said to be possessed by a powerful nation, called Kolitas or Kultas, who are described as having attained a high degree of advancement and civilization." According to the same writer, their power far exceeded that of the Ahoms, and there was formerly communication between the two States. In 1885 Mr. F. J. Needham, C.I.E., and Captain E. H. Molesworth also penetrated to Tibet through the Miju country.
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Singphos. The Singphos, who live, intermixed with the Khāmtis, in the country watered by the Burhi Dihing, the Noā Dihing and the Tengapāni, which formerly belonged to the Ahoms, are merely an outlying section of their tribe. Their real home is in the hilly country between the Chindwin river and the Pātkāi, where they are known as Kākhyens. The name by which they are known on the Assam frontier is simply the tribal word for man. They made their appearance on the outskirts of Assam during the Moāmariā rebellions. Their attacks on the Assamese and the subsequent release of their slaves by Captain Neufville have already been described.
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This measure struck a severe blow at their prosperity, and the feelings of resentment which it kindled led to a series of risings. The last took place in 1843, and was shared in, not only by all the Singphos on the Assam border and by others from the direction of Burma, but also by a certain number of Shāns and Burmese. It was believed to have been fomented by the Tipām Raja, a scion of the Ahom royal family, whose sister had married the king of Burma, and who had been appointed by that monarch to be Governor of Hukong with, it was said, instructions to take advantage of any opportunity that might arise for invading Assam. No time was lost in marching troops against them. The operations dragged on for months, but they ended in the capture of the chiefs who had instigated the rebellion, and in the complete submission of the Singphos. Since then they have shown no disposition to give trouble. Their pacific attitude in recent times is attributed by some to their now universal habit of eating excessive quantities of opium, which, it is said, has sapped their energy and robbed them of their old warlike proclivities.
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Eastern Nāgas. The Nāgas of the Nāga Hills district have already been noticed at sufficient length, but certain tribes bearing this designation are found further east, far beyond its boundary.
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From the Dikhu to the Tirāp, an affluent of the Burhi Dihing, the Nāga tribes along the frontier are distinguished by the names of the passes through which they descend to the plains, such as Nāmsāngiā, Jobokā, Tāblungia, Assiringiā, etc. In the time of the Ahom kings, those near the frontier used to pay annual tribute of elephants' tusks, etc., in return for which they obtained grants of land. Some of these, known as Nāga Khāts, are still enjoyed. These people carry on a considerable trade in cotton and other hill produce, which they exchange for salt and rice; and they are easily kept in order by preventing them from visiting the plains, when guilty of misconduct, until reparation has been made. They quarrel amongst themselves, but it has never been our policy to meddle with their domestic feuds. Behind them are other tribes of whom we have little knowledge, except that some of them come down in the winter months to work on the tea gardens. Further east, as far as the Pātkāi, there are various Nāga tribes who are in complete subjection to the Singphos, and who seem to be quite harmless and inoffensive.