Abor Hills
Encyclopedia
The Abor Hills is a region of Arunachal Pradesh
in the far northeast of India
, near the border with China
. The hills are bordered by the Mishmi Hills and Miri Hills, and drained by the Dibang River, a tributary of the Brahmaputra.
During the British Raj
, the hills had a reputation as a troublesome area, and military expeditions were sent against the residents in the 1890s. The region was administered as the Abor Hills District from 1948, with headquarters at Pasighat
, but later reorganized into the Lower Dibang Valley and Lohit
districts.
The Abor Hills are a tract of country on the north-east frontier of India, occupied by an independent tribe, the Adi people
, formerly called the Abors. It lies north of Lakhimpur district, in the province of eastern Bengal and Assam, and is bounded on the east by the Mishmi Hills and on the west by the Miri Hills, the villages of the tribe extending to the Dibong river. The term Abor is an Assamese word, signifying "barbarous" or "independent," and is applied in a general sense by the Assamese to many frontier tribes; but in its restricted sense it is specially given to the above tract, because the Abi were considered to be difficult to control and resistant to centralized authority. In former times they frequently raided the plains of Assam, and have been the object of more than one retaliatory expedition by the British government. In 1893-94 occurred the first Bor Abor expedition. Some military police sepoys were murdered in British territory, and a force of 600 troops was sent, which traversed the Abor country, and destroyed the villages involved in the murder as well as all other villages that opposed the expedition. A second expedition became necessary later on after two small patrols were killed; and a force of 100 British troops traversed the border of the Abor country and punished the tribes, while a blockade was continued against them from 1894 to 1900.
The Abors, together with the cognate tribes of Miris, Daphlas and Akas, are supposed to be descended from a Tibetan
stock.
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh is a state of India, located in the far northeast. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south, and shares international borders with Burma in the east, Bhutan in the west, and the People's Republic of China in the north. The majority of the territory is claimed by...
in the far northeast of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, near the border with China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. The hills are bordered by the Mishmi Hills and Miri Hills, and drained by the Dibang River, a tributary of the Brahmaputra.
During the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, the hills had a reputation as a troublesome area, and military expeditions were sent against the residents in the 1890s. The region was administered as the Abor Hills District from 1948, with headquarters at Pasighat
Pasighat
Pasighat is the headquarters of East Siang district in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. Situated at 155 meters, with its scenic splendours Pasighat is Arunachal's oldest town and also the district headquarters of East Siang.- History:...
, but later reorganized into the Lower Dibang Valley and Lohit
Lohit district
Lohit is an administrative district in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in India. The district headquarters are located at Tezu. As of 2011 it is the third most populous district of Arunachal Pradesh , after Papum Pare and Changlang.-Etymology:...
districts.
The Abor Hills are a tract of country on the north-east frontier of India, occupied by an independent tribe, the Adi people
Adi people
The Adi, or Bangni-Bokar Lhoba people is a major collective tribe living in the Himalayan hills of Arunachal Pradesh, and they are found in the temperate and sub-tropical regions within the districts of East Siang, Upper Siang, West Siang and Dibang Valley. The older term Abor is a deprecated...
, formerly called the Abors. It lies north of Lakhimpur district, in the province of eastern Bengal and Assam, and is bounded on the east by the Mishmi Hills and on the west by the Miri Hills, the villages of the tribe extending to the Dibong river. The term Abor is an Assamese word, signifying "barbarous" or "independent," and is applied in a general sense by the Assamese to many frontier tribes; but in its restricted sense it is specially given to the above tract, because the Abi were considered to be difficult to control and resistant to centralized authority. In former times they frequently raided the plains of Assam, and have been the object of more than one retaliatory expedition by the British government. In 1893-94 occurred the first Bor Abor expedition. Some military police sepoys were murdered in British territory, and a force of 600 troops was sent, which traversed the Abor country, and destroyed the villages involved in the murder as well as all other villages that opposed the expedition. A second expedition became necessary later on after two small patrols were killed; and a force of 100 British troops traversed the border of the Abor country and punished the tribes, while a blockade was continued against them from 1894 to 1900.
The Abors, together with the cognate tribes of Miris, Daphlas and Akas, are supposed to be descended from a Tibetan
Tibetan people
The Tibetan people are an ethnic group that is native to Tibet, which is mostly in the People's Republic of China. They number 5.4 million and are the 10th largest ethnic group in the country. Significant Tibetan minorities also live in India, Nepal, and Bhutan...
stock.