03-03-383
INTRODUCTION.
383
Mng M
t. The Kachins call them Yawyin and the Chinese Lihsaw. The language
has no resemblance to Kachin, but is practically the same as La'hu. It is possible
that, like the La'hus, they are a half-breed race. See Gazetteer of Upper Burma,
Vol. I, Pt. I, pages 388 and 587. Vocabulary on pages 661 and 702.
The La'hus are commonly referred to as the Mu Hs. The Chinese call them
Loheirh or Law'he. They are locally called Myen by the Sh
ns, while the Wa
some- times called them Kwi, which seems to be really the name of a sub-clan.
In the K
ngt
ng State there are two main divisions who call themselves
La'hu-na and La'hu- hsi, and speak different dialects. The principal seat of
the La'hus, so far as known, is in the country north of M
ng Lem between
the Salween and the Mekhong. There are also colonies of them scattered over
K
ngt
ng and K
ng Cheng. Their language is practically the same as
Lihsaw. See Gazetteer of Upper Burma, Vol. I, Pt. I, pages 576 and ff. Vocabulary
of La'hu on pages 670 and ff. Of La'hu-na on pages 697 and ff., and of La'hu-hsi
on pages 699 and ff.
The Akhas or Kaws are probably the most numerous and widely distributed of
the hill tribes of Kngt
ng. Their language appears to be connected with
La'hu and Lihsaw, but the resemblance is not very close. I have placed them
provisionally in this group. See Gazetteer of Upper Burma, Vol. I, Pt. I, pages
588 and ff. Vocabulary on pages 692 and ff.
The Ak are probably a half-breed race. They are closely related to the
Akha and also dwell in K
ngt
ng. Their language is very similar to Akha,
and in the case of the pronouns, closely resembles La'hu. There is no record
of the Akha pronouns. See Gazetteer of Upper Burma, Vol. I, Pt. I, page 594.
Vocabulary on page 694.
The Li-sus are a transfrontier tribe who live on the upper courses of the Salween and Me-kong. Their language, so far as we can judge from the meagre vocabulary available, is allied to that of La'hu and Lihsaw, and, through them to that of Burmese. See Gazetteer of Upper Burma, Vol. I, Pt. I, page 616. Vocabulary on page 671.
The head-quarters of the Musus or Mossos are at Yetche, near the Me-khong, a little south of Tseku, about the 28th parallel of north latitude. They call themselves Na-chi or Na-chri. They are a transfrontier tribe, and the one meagre vocabulary which we possess points to a close connexion of their language with that of the Li-sus. See Gazetteer of Upper Burma, Vol. I, Pt. I, page 616. Vocabulary on page 671.
D.-UNGROUPED LANGUAGES.
The following appear to be Tibeto-Burman, but, with the materials at my command, I am unable to say how they should be grouped.
The Lolos are a transfrontier tribe, whose home is the part of Ssu-ch'uan
included in the large bend made by the Yangtzu River in 103゚ east Longitude.
Thence they have spread south into Ynnan and east into Kueichao, and are
found in scattered communities as far as Ssumao and the southern frontier. They
call themselves Lo-su and Ngo-su, and in some dialects Ne-su. See Gazetteer
of Upper Burma, Vol. I, Pt. I, pages 613 and ff. On page 670 there is given
a vocabulary of the Lolo spoken in M
ng-hwa village. The language is said
to resemble Lihsaw, but I do not find this to be borne out by this vocabulary.
On page 598 it is stated that some authorities consider that Lolo should be
grouped with Burmese.