54 / 64
N
orth-east india is considered one of the most culturally diverse
regions of the world, being a land inhabited by more than 200
fascinating tribes. One among such is the Singpho tribe.Though their
origin is not anthropologically authenticated, legend has it that their abode
was in the hills of Singra-Boom in Tibet.They migrated from there in groups
to China, Burma (now Myanmar) and north-east india.
it has already been established that Robert Bruce, the Englishman who
discovered tea in Assam, came to know of its existence after he was offered a
concoction of the beverage by the then Singpho King, Bessa Gaum, in early
1823. As the story goes, when the British East india Company, by the treaty
of Yandaboo in 1826, annexed Upper Burma to Assam, the Company made a
similar treaty with the tribal chiefs of different clans to start tea cultivation
while also paying a royalty for the same, this practice being since discontinued.
The Singphos are divided into a number of clans, each under a Chief known
as aThu-Gam. Like other tribes, they live in ‘Chang Ghars’ (houses standing
on stilts), also known as ‘Pinrang intahk’.The women traditionally wear the
Bukang (Mekhela), the chest being covered with the Nungwat or Methoni
and around their waist they drape the Chinket. They also wear coloured
turbans called Bum-Bam. women often dress in black jackets with silver
decorations during festive occasions and don silver ornaments.The men too
are sartorially distinctive. They wear the Lasababu-Bupa or Baka (a length
of cloth draped around the waist).
The Singpho people are Buddhists by religion.They celebrate the ‘Sangken’
festival in the month of April and a community festival every year in the
month of February known as ‘Shapawng Yawng Manao Poi’.This festival is
designed to bring the Singpho people scattered across Arunachal Pradesh,
Assam and parts of Myanmar and China, on one platform.
MeetingThe Present Singpho King
in the process of writing this article on this intriguing tribe, a few of us
decided to meet the present Singpho king. we ventured out on a journey
towards Ledo town, driving through Ledo T. E. to reach a village called
Bisa Gaon.The lingering mist, with sunshine filtering through the ‘takau’
trees (Chinese Palm) that adorn the road on both sides, paved the way to
T
h
e
W
o
r
l
d
A
r
o
u
n
d
U
s
The Singphos
~ Inderjit Dutta
Dehing T. E.
54 JULY 2015
Eco-Lodge at Inthong Village
Shapawng Yawng Manao Poi Festival
Bisa Kai & Bisa Roja