03-02-329

NG GROUP.

THE EASTERN SUB-GROUP.

　This includes the following languages:-

Name of District.	Name of language.	Estimated Number of speakers.
Nga Hills...	Angwnku or Tableng...	5,000
	Chingmgnu or Tamlu...	5,000
Sibsgar...	Banpar...	?1,600
	Mutoni...	?1,600
	Mohongi...	?1,600
Lakhimpur...	Namsangi...	?1,870
Extra British Territory..	Chng or Mojung...	6,500
	Assiringi...	?
	Mshng...	?
	Shngg...	?

　The figures for the Nga Hills are only a rough estimate. Those for Sibsagar and Lakhimpur are what are given by the local authorities for 'Ng' without specifying any language for their respective districts. They certainly by no means represent all the speakers of the various languages mentioned, of whom there must be many thousands more beyond our frontier.

　Mr. Damant has given the following account of the Eastern Ng Group:- In this family are included all the tribes found in the tract lying east of the Hatigorria country extending to the Singpho country on the east and bounded on the south by the Patkoi range of hills. Within these limits there are many different tribes, some of them consisting only of a few villages, and all, or nearly all, speaking languages unintelligible the one to the other. Within twenty miles of country five or six different dialects are often to be found. We do not yet possess vocabularies of many of the languages spoken in this area, but, so far as our knowledge extends at present, a considerable affinity appears to exist among them. There is also a great resemblance in the manners and customs of the Ngs of this tract; they nearly all expose their dead upon bamboo platforms, leaving the body to rot there, the skull being preserved in the bone- house, which is to be found in nearly every village. Most of the tribes tattoo; the tattoo, ak, as it is called, not being given except to men who have killed an enemy. In several of the tribes the women are perfectly naked, in others the men. 　

　Proceeding in an easterly direction from the Hatigorria country, the first tribe we meet are the Tablung Ng, so called from their principal village; they are a tribe of naked Ng inhabiting about thirty villages, with a population of about 25,000. Very little is known of these people.

　Next to them come a tribe called Sangloi, the name of their principal village; nothing is known of them, but they are believed to be as numerous as the Tablung Ng.

　The next tribe to the east are the Banfera, Joboka, or Abhaypurya tribe; they have about twelve villages, with a population of some 20,000. Joboka and Banfera are names of two of their principal villages. Abhaypurya is a name given them by the people of the plains.

　The Mutonia, so called from Muton, their largest village, are a small tribe with only four villages, and a population of about 4,000.

　The Mohongia, who are also called Borduaria and Paniduaria, have a population of about 10,000. I have no information as to the exact number of their villages, but it may be eight or ten.

　The Namsangia, or Jaipuria, as they are also called, have probably about thirty villages, with a population of 25,000, or 30,000. They are the last Ng tribe of importance to the east, though there are a few broken tribes still further to the east of them; these are of little note, and are in subjection to the Singpho.

　 I regret that, for the purposes of this Survey, I have only been able to obtain a few new lists of words in these languages. In order to make the information regarding the Ng speeches as complete as under the circumstances I could, I have endeavoured to collate what has hitherto been known regarding each, and to throw it into the form of the Standard List of Words and Sentences. Much that is there given must be taken with reserve, for, even where a list is apparently nearly complete, it has all the defects 2u