87-780: The Nocte people , also known as the Nocte Naga , are a Tibeto-Burmese ethnic group primarily living in Northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh . They number about 111,679 (Census 2011), mainly found in the Patkai hills of Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh , India. Ethnically related to the Konyak Naga , their origins can be traced back to the Hukong Valley in Myanmar , where they migrated from between
174-514: A Central branch of Tibeto-Burman based on morphological evidence. Roger Blench and Mark Post (2011) list a number of divergent languages of Arunachal Pradesh , in northeastern India, that might have non-Tibeto-Burman substrates, or could even be non-Tibeto-Burman language isolates : Blench and Post believe the remaining languages with these substratal characteristics are more clearly Sino-Tibetan: Notes Bibliography Miles Bronson Miles Bronson (July 20, 1812 – November 9, 1883),
261-682: A catechism in Nocte. Bronson and his fellow missionaries brought a printing press with them to Sadiya. They learned the Assamese, Khamti and Singpho languages, and prepared to write books in those languages. Very soon the missionaries began to publish books on their press at Sadiya. When they left Sadiya for Joypur in January 1839, following the Khamti insurrection, they took their printing press with them. After his first Namsang visit, Bronson prepared
348-413: A "Yanpo". However, women are not permitted to enter the boys’ dormitory, although the reverse is permitted. Dormitories are built upon wooden raised piles, usually measuring four feet above the ground. The bachelors' dormitories are decorated with human skulls taken in headhunting, which are used for containing large log drums carved out from wooden logs. The drum, known as 'thum' or 'log-drum'. However, with
435-615: A 1876 report, ever since the gardens were transferred to the Assam Company on the relinquishment of the government undertaking, the Assam Company paid yearly subsidies of Rs. 200-250 each, to the Chief. The gardens changed hands often, but the owners always continued to pay the subsidy, till 1873, when a Mr. Minto was the owner. About this time, the Namsang Chief was reported to have assumed a threatening attitude in connection with
522-631: A British botanist, recommended for the first time that tea cultivation should be taken up in India. Four years later in 1780, Robert Kyd, who founded the botanical garden at Kolkata in 1787, started experimenting with tea cultivation in India with consignments of seeds arrived from China. Decades later in 1815, Colonel Latter, a British army officer, reported that the Singpho people gathered an indigenous species of tea, and ate its leaves with oil and garlic. In 1820s, Maniram Dutta Baruah , an Assamese nobleman who
609-487: A bun kept at the back of the neck, although the widow will cut their hair short on the condition if they do not remarry. Like the Wancho , they tattoo their faces and bodies. Owing to the humid climate, the menfolk will wear a loincloth in front with cane belts, which acts as a waistband. Bamboo slips and armlets made of ivory are worn on all four limbs as well. The womenfolk tend to wear a short cotton skirt that measures from
696-572: A catechism book in Nocte. The book was published in 1839 and Bronson followed it up with A Spelling Book and Vocabulary , written in English, Assamese, Singpho, and Naga. During his second visit to Namsang, he presented the two books to the Bor Khonbao (acting chief). Bronson wrote how the Bor Khonbao was pleased that two books had been printed in their language; it could no longer be said that they had no books. Bronson wrote another two books for
783-608: A further "douceur" of Rs. 1,000 and presents; and "from that time to the present (1873), owing to his power to retain possession as against the Borduria Chief, he has been undoubtedly recognized as the landlord." These gardens were the subject of correspondence between the Government of British India and the Bengal Government. At that time, the present-day Northeast India was under the Bengal Government. As per
870-868: A huge family consisting of all the Eurasian languages except the Semitic , "Aryan" ( Indo-European ) and Chinese languages. The third volume of the Linguistic Survey of India was devoted to the Tibeto-Burman languages of British India . Julius Klaproth had noted in 1823 that Burmese, Tibetan and Chinese all shared common basic vocabulary , but that Thai , Mon and Vietnamese were quite different. Several authors, including Ernst Kuhn in 1883 and August Conrady in 1896, described an "Indo-Chinese" family consisting of two branches, Tibeto-Burman and Chinese-Siamese. The Tai languages were included on
957-402: A large fire was kept blazing under them. When the water boiled away, it turned into salt. Making salt in this process took at least 6 men, wrote Bronson. It took one man to attend the arch, one to bring the brine, and four to gather wood. There was controversy over the land-rights to the wells and Bronson supported the idea of the government taking on the manufacture of salt, with Nagas working for
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#17327934353451044-579: A long period, leaving their affiliations difficult to determine. The grouping of the Bai language , with one million speakers in Yunnan, is particularly controversial, with some workers suggesting that it is a sister language to Chinese. The Naxi language of northern Yunnan is usually included in Lolo-Burmese, though other scholars prefer to leave it unclassified. The hills of northwestern Sichuan are home to
1131-446: A powerful enactment of warrior dance by the mighty Chief in his house with the best rice beers. The first 'Cham-kat" of the young Chief will not go to his clan 'Cham' but join the "Nook-Pangmi-Cham" under the care of "Tangdong-Lowang". Last day of the festival is called "Than-lang-jaa". Before the dance 'Chin-lit' ceremonies are performed by the maternal family. As an act of blessing and to ward off evil spirit fresh single ginger neckless
1218-524: A valid subgroup in its own right. Most of the Tibeto-Burman languages are spoken in remote mountain areas, which has hampered their study. Many lack a written standard. It is generally easier to identify a language as Tibeto-Burman than to determine its precise relationship with other languages of the group. The subgroupings that have been established with certainty number several dozen, ranging from well-studied groups of dozens of languages with millions of speakers to several isolates , some only discovered in
1305-574: A wealth of data on the non-literary languages of the Himalayas and northeast India, noting that many of these were related to Tibetan and Burmese. Others identified related languages in the highlands of Southeast Asia and south-west China. The name "Tibeto-Burman" was first applied to this group in 1856 by James Logan , who added Karen in 1858. Charles Forbes viewed the family as uniting the Gangetic and Lohitic branches of Max Müller 's Turanian ,
1392-641: Is Burmese , the national language of Myanmar, with over 32 million speakers and a literary tradition dating from the early 12th century. It is one of the Lolo-Burmese languages , an intensively studied and well-defined group comprising approximately 100 languages spoken in Myanmar and the highlands of Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and southwest China . Major languages include the Loloish languages , with two million speakers in western Sichuan and northern Yunnan ,
1479-406: Is a place where the elders teach children about traditional mythology, folklore, and religion. In cases of Christian families, Christian teachings are also mixed with traditional teachings as well, which is evident among Catholic converts. The chiefs are addressed in either of the two titles: Namsang and Borduria. The dormitory of a bachelor is known as a "Poh", while a bachelorettes' one is known as
1566-515: Is an enactment of empowering the four distinctive "Clans", the "Lotung-som Cham", 'Matey-som Cham', 'Khetey-som' Cham and 'Nook Pang-mi Cham" (the Nook Pangmi-Cham warriors will be led by the "Tang-dong Lowang". This brand of youths was furious warriors. While returning from the "Nook-Pangmi-Chaam" every member of the village must give right of way to these warriors; even by the mighty chief & his family. The warriors would be received for
1653-610: Is an extensive literature in Classical Tibetan dating from the 8th century. The Tibetic languages are usually grouped with the smaller East Bodish languages of Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh as the Bodish group. Many diverse Tibeto-Burman languages are spoken on the southern slopes of the Himalayas. Sizable groups that have been identified are the West Himalayish languages of Himachal Pradesh and western Nepal,
1740-504: Is central to the family in that it contains features of many of the other branches, and is also located around the center of the Tibeto-Burman-speaking area. Since Benedict (1972), many languages previously inadequately documented have received more attention with the publication of new grammars, dictionaries, and wordlists. This new research has greatly benefited comparative work, and Bradley (2002) incorporates much of
1827-400: Is garland by the female members of the maternal clan. "Woo-soak" ceremony is also performed on the last day by the chief assisted by 'tan-waa' (priest) village elders "Ngoan-Wang" and council members to understand the fortunes of the new year by reading the formation of eggs tenderly pouring the eggs yolk on a specific type of leaves called "Nyap-lin". The eggs have to be fresh and collected from
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#17327934353451914-656: Is known from inscriptions using a variant of the Gupta script . The Tangut language of the 12th century Western Xia of northern China is preserved in numerous texts written in the Chinese-inspired Tangut script . Over eight million people in the Tibetan Plateau and neighbouring areas in Baltistan , Ladakh , Nepal , Sikkim and Bhutan speak one of several related Tibetic languages . There
2001-448: Is now accepted by most linguists, with a few exceptions such as Roy Andrew Miller and Christopher Beckwith . More recent controversy has centred on the proposed primary branching of Sino-Tibetan into Chinese and Tibeto-Burman subgroups. In spite of the popularity of this classification, first proposed by Kuhn and Conrady, and also promoted by Paul Benedict (1972) and later James Matisoff , Tibeto-Burman has not been demonstrated to be
2088-438: Is rice, which is often supplemented by leafy vegetables , fish and meat . A local liquor brewed from rice, tapioca , and millet proved to be popular among the Nocte although in recent times tea is consumed as well The menfolk have a tendency to shave their hair in the frontal part of the head, and the back tuft of hair is tied into a chignon just above the nape. The womenfolk will keep their long auburn tresses tied into
2175-499: Is spoken in an area from eastern Nepal to western Bhutan. Most of the languages of Bhutan are Bodish, but it also has three small isolates, 'Ole ("Black Mountain Monpa"), Lhokpu and Gongduk and a larger community of speakers of Tshangla . The Tani languages include most of the Tibeto-Burman languages of Arunachal Pradesh and adjacent areas of Tibet. The remaining languages of Arunachal Pradesh are much more diverse, belonging to
2262-465: Is then divided into several branches, some of them geographic conveniences rather than linguistic proposals: Matisoff makes no claim that the families in the Kamarupan or Himalayish branches have a special relationship to one another other than a geographic one. They are intended rather as categories of convenience pending more detailed comparative work. Matisoff also notes that Jingpho–Nungish–Luish
2349-449: Is widely used, some historical linguists criticize this classification, as the non-Sinitic Sino-Tibetan languages lack any shared innovations in phonology or morphology to show that they comprise a clade of the phylogenetic tree . During the 18th century, several scholars noticed parallels between Tibetan and Burmese, both languages with extensive literary traditions. In the following century, Brian Houghton Hodgson collected
2436-692: The Akha language and Hani languages , with two million speakers in southern Yunnan, eastern Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, and Lisu and Lahu in Yunnan, northern Myanmar and northern Thailand. All languages of the Loloish subgroup show significant Austroasiatic influence. The Pai-lang songs, transcribed in Chinese characters in the 1st century, appear to record words from a Lolo-Burmese language, but arranged in Chinese order. The Tibeto-Burman languages of south-west China have been heavily influenced by Chinese over
2523-740: The British occupation , the place became important for large-scale tea plantations. At Joypur, Bronson opened a school with the help of Captain S.F. Hannay. Bronson spent his time studying languages of the surrounding tribes, including that of the Noctes and Wanchos . The Noctes at the time were concentrated in Namsang, Khonsa and the Liju area in the Tirap district of present-day Arunachal Pradesh . The Noctes had close contact with Joypur and frequently visited
2610-653: The Jingpho–Luish languages , including Jingpho with nearly a million speakers. The Brahmaputran or Sal languages include at least the Boro–Garo and Konyak languages , spoken in an area stretching from northern Myanmar through the Indian states of Nagaland , Meghalaya , and Tripura , and are often considered to include the Jingpho–Luish group. The border highlands of Nagaland , Manipur and western Myanmar are home to
2697-478: The Songlin and Chamdo languages , both of which were only described in the 2010s. New Tibeto-Burman languages continue to be recognized, some not closely related to other languages. Distinct languages only recognized in the 2010s include Koki Naga . Randy LaPolla (2003) proposed a Rung branch of Tibeto-Burman, based on morphological evidence, but this is not widely accepted. Scott DeLancey (2015) proposed
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2784-673: The Tamangic languages of western Nepal, including Tamang with one million speakers, and the Kiranti languages of eastern Nepal. The remaining groups are small, with several isolates. The Newar language (Nepal Bhasa) of central Nepal has a million speakers and literature dating from the 12th century, and nearly a million people speak Magaric languages , but the rest have small speech communities. Other isolates and small groups in Nepal are Dura , Raji–Raute , Chepangic and Dhimalish . Lepcha
2871-569: The "Sala-jaah and Thingyan-Jaah" the last egg would be for the good omen of going to the plains for trade and labor contract works. The festival is then concluded with dancing around the village singing romantic songs, the climax of the festival would be the fast rhythmic movement called the "Kepa-boong". During this dance, the chief singer will evoke the holy spirit to bless the village until the next festivity. The Nocte are agriculturalists and have good planning in their daily diet. Main crops such as rice and maize are planted, as their staple food
2958-410: The 1670 and 1700. Their chiefs who were originally known as Ang exert control over the village with his council the "Ngoang-Wang" (modern-day cabinet), and since they did not have an army under their control they would consult trusted family (lowang-tang) on an important matter. The Chief also consult village elders and priests on all important socio-religious ceremonies. The term Nocte was coined in
3045-571: The 1950s. It has been derived from two words: Nok, which means village, and Tey, which means people. In the medieval and the colonial period, the Nocte people was called Noga or Naga because of the close ethnic relation with the Naga people of Nagaland. As per the location of the village, the Ahoms called the Noctes as Namsangya or Namsangia, Borduaria or Bor Duris, and Paniduaria. In 1776, Sir Joseph Banks,
3132-568: The 21st century but in danger of extinction. These subgroups are here surveyed on a geographical basis. The southernmost group is the Karen languages , spoken by three million people on both sides of the Burma–Thailand border. They differ from all other Tibeto-Burman languages (except Bai) in having a subject–verb–object word order, attributed to contact with Tai–Kadai and Austroasiatic languages . The most widely spoken Tibeto-Burman language
3219-677: The American Baptist missionaries had come to Assam at the invitation of the Company Government, with patronization from the British officials. The British administration and tea planters like C. Bruce had invited them, having political and economic ends, and aided the missionaries both with financial and moral support . Bronson had close relationships with British officials from his arrival in Assam. When he moved to Joypur for
3306-576: The British occupation, Joypur became important for tea cultivation. Bronson saw the prospect of tea cultivation among the adjoining tribes of Joypur, particularly the Noctes. He seriously discussed the matter with Bruce. He hoped that it would help to civilize the peoples, improve the country, and bind the Nagas to the Company by another strong link. He was also in favor of introducing the cultivation of wheat, potatoes, garden vegetables, cotton, and apples. At
3393-504: The Britishers on account of the indigenous tea growing on them. The land belonged to the Namsang Chief, and was also claimed by the Borduria Chief. These gardens became operational from October 1840. The gardens are now under Assam's Jeypore area of Dibrugarh district. Teams of wild elephants were harnessed to clear the dense forest, toppling trees with a girth of 25 feet. In 1838, India's first twelve chests of manufactured tea, made from
3480-524: The Nocte Naga had 14 "loku" the most important 'loku' was "Chalo-loku". While most "Loku" of the Nocte-Naga last between 1 and 2 days; "Chalo-loku" has to last for 3 days to complete all rituals that go with this particular festival. The festival, which lasts for three days, involves the slaughter of cattle, entertainment and the gathering of food on the first day. The second day, known as Chamkatja
3567-639: The Nocte Naga villagers under the Ang of Namsang and Ang of Borduria including those friendly villagers of Wancho area of now Longding district, Lotha Khunbao was known for his spirituality and accepted tenets of Vaishnavism in early 18th Century. He was named as "Narottam", meaning the best among men, by Sri Ram, the Gukhai of the Bare Ghar Satra. In 1972 Lt: Governor late Col. KAA Raja honored Lotha Khunbao by naming (Namsang-mukh) as 'Narottam Nagar', where now,
Nocte people - Misplaced Pages Continue
3654-519: The Nocte to Christianity , principally those living in Khonsa . One Buddhist Channel in 2010 claimed there were no Christians anywhere in Arunachal Pradesh province in 1951, which seems to indicate that this conversion to Christianity largely happened in the latter half of the 20th century with continuation into the 21st century. "Chalo-Loku" (Harvesting Festival or thanks, giving festival),
3741-589: The Nocte. The Nocte were followers of Theravada Buddhism and Animism, although they have adopted Hinduism since the 18th Century, under the influence of Sri Ram or Shankardeva. Traditionally Nocte Naga believed in Nature worship. All cosmic power was known as 'Jauban' and worshiped. Their animist religiosity was akin to the "Native American". After death, the spirit of the mighty Chief becomes 'Laa' or mighty Eagle. Other malevolent and benevolent deities are also worshipped as well. Offerings of food and water are given to
3828-466: The Noctes of the day. In his accounts he referred to dress, jewelry, customs, and language usage as well as the economy and political system of the tribe. Men (particularly the warriors) had their heads and ears ornamented with shells and precious stones . Describing their wild habits, he mentioned that they were indolent and had an untamed nature. He spoke of the hospitality of the Noctes and talked-about their economic life. The barter system existed among
3915-537: The Noctes. They lived entirely upon the profit of their salt springs and were daily seen on the plains, exchanging salt for needed goods. He also mentioned the process of salt making. The water was drawn from deep wells by buckets made of leaves, which was poured into large wooden troughs nearby for the purpose of boiling. The Noctes then built a long arch of stone and clay. On the top, thin but single joints of spread bamboo were placed closely together. These held up to three quarts each. The joints were kept full of brine and
4002-472: The Noctes: Vocabulary in English, Assamese Singpho and Naga (1840), and Phases in English and Naga (1840). Ruth Bronson translated Worcester’s Primer into Nocte in 1840. Bronson made his second Namsang mission on December 20, 1839. During this visit, he established a school with the help of villagers. On March 13, 1840, he brought his wife and daughter Marie from Joypur. Initially, running
4089-596: The West until her death from cholera at the age of 33. From his accounts, it is known that Bronson made his first journey to Namsang, on January 7, 1839. Taking a rubber tent and an interpreter, he crossed dense forests, streams, and mountains. He was the first Caucasian to visit the area. At first, the villagers took him for a spy for the British East India Company , sent to collect information before annexing their territory. After waiting for two days by
4176-564: The advancement of Western education, it has been witnessed that these practices are in decline. Headhunting, which once proved to be popular among the Nocte, has been banned in 1940 although the last head-hunting was noted in 1991 amongst the Wancho. The Nocte followed an age-old tradition of keeping bodies of the deceased relatives in the open, either near a river or just outside their houses. The Nocte Christians, like most Nocte, would keep their body exposed for three days, although they are kept in
4263-561: The area to trade salt. Most of these people spoke Assamese . Therefore, Bronson chose to work among the Noctes with a vision to go to Burma. During this time the Bronsons had six daughters, including Sophie Bronson Titterington , who wrote several books including a short biography of her sister Maria; Maria went on to work at the school her mother had founded and was part of the Women’s Baptist Missionary Society of
4350-587: The basis of vocabulary and typological features shared with Chinese. Jean Przyluski introduced the term sino-tibétain (Sino-Tibetan) as the title of his chapter on the group in Antoine Meillet and Marcel Cohen 's Les Langues du Monde in 1924. The Tai languages have not been included in most Western accounts of Sino-Tibetan since the Second World War, though many Chinese linguists still include them. The link between Tibeto-Burman and Chinese
4437-650: The book were printed at the American Baptist Mission Press, Jeypore, Assam. With the help of Prof. Stephen Morey of La Trobe University, Australia, Dr. Rikker Dockum of Swarthmore College, USA, and Dr. Luke Lindemann of Yale University, USA, Nocte Digest editor, Shri Wangtum Humchha Lowang, acquired the book in a digital format on 31 July 2021, from the Beinecke Rare Books & Manuscript Library of Yale University, Connecticut, USA. The last ruler of united Namsang, Borduria and all
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#17327934353454524-399: The classification of Sino-Tibetan and Tibeto-Burman languages, Shafer (1955) and Benedict (1972) , which were actually produced in the 1930s and 1940s respectively. Shafer's tentative classification took an agnostic position and did not recognize Tibeto-Burman, but placed Chinese (Sinitic) on the same level as the other branches of a Sino-Tibetan family. He retained Tai–Kadai (Daic) within
4611-591: The desire to learn Assamese. Once, Bronson sent their native teacher Boliram to Namsang to see if they were daily reading or had forgotten what they learned. After returning, the native teacher reported a very favorable account of their reading in the evenings. Besides his wife and the late sister Rhoda, Bronson was assisted by the Boliram and Bhugchandra in teaching. The later was an interpreter. The continued illnesses in his family brought an end to Bronson’s Namsang mission. After their arrival, they suffered again. There
4698-500: The family, allegedly at the insistence of colleagues, despite his personal belief that they were not related. A very influential, although also tentative, classification is that of Benedict (1972) , which was actually written around 1941. Like Shafer's work, this drew on the data assembled by the Sino-Tibetan Philology Project, which was directed by Shafer and Benedict in turn. Benedict envisaged Chinese as
4785-416: The first family to branch off, followed by Karen. The Tibeto-Burman family is then divided into seven primary branches: James Matisoff proposes a modification of Benedict that demoted Karen but kept the divergent position of Sinitic. Of the 7 branches within Tibeto-Burman, 2 branches (Baic and Karenic) have SVO -order languages, whereas all the other 5 branches have SOV -order languages. Tibeto-Burman
4872-586: The first time, Bruce gave half of his residence over to Bronson for temporary settlement. In consultation with Captain Hannay, Bronson decided to work among the people of Namsang. He had donations from different British officials for the Namsang mission. From a letter of Bronson's, it is known that he received 600 rupees from Bruce and 240 rupees from Hannay in 1838, 50 rupees from Lieutenant Sturt and 200 rupees from T. C. Robertson in 1839, and 240 rupees from Hannay and 60 rupees from Lieutenant Brodie in 1840. After
4959-403: The first to arrive in 1837, and Bronson arrived at Sadiya in Assam on July 8, 1838. Brown and Cutter, along with their families, had landed at Sadia with the objective to go to northern Burma and southern China through Sadiya. Initially, as part of their mission, they worked among the local people by establishing co-ed schools, writing books in the local languages and preaching Christianity. He
5046-438: The gardens, and on Mr. Minto's representations to the contrary, the anomalous position of the gardens came to light. After two years of negotiation, the Namsang Chief and the Government of British India reached an agreement, and the latter sanctioned this settlement,--- vide letter No. 1943P., dated 6 July 1875. The terms of agreement were: 1. That the Namsang Chief shall receive an annual subsidy of Rs. 450 for ever---this being
5133-530: The gods in order to appease them. The Noctes from Namsang village were the first to come in contact with Christianity when American Baptist missionary Miles Bronson visited the village in January 1839 and lived there with his family till the second half of 1840. Bronson's primary objective was to convert the Noctes into Christianity and set up school. He and his wife succeeded in opening a school and even printed several books in Romanized Nocte. However,
5220-459: The government. Regarding their political system, Bronson wrote that councils were held among the chiefs on important matters. Regarding religion, he wrote that they had neither caste system, nor religion. He observed that after marrying Assamese brides, some people of the tribe inclined to the Brahmin faith. Ruth Bronson's writings described the traditional works of Nocte women. Bronson thought
5307-471: The hills, without which, and the consequent suppression of the constant feuds amongst the tribes, there seem to be little hope of effecting any great change in the habits of the people, or of our being able to avail ourselves of the great natural resources of the fine tract of mountainous country. In this letter, Jenkins requested the Secretary to give him permission to allow him to spend 100 rupees in aid of
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#17327934353455394-426: The house. Inevitably, the decomposed bodies would attract bacteria, insects, and germs lying in the open that produced a terrible stench. This was the cause of the frequent outbreaks of health-threatening diseases. Owing to public health education by reformers, the burial of the deceased in proper coffins have completely supplaced this traditional rite since 2004. The Kheti village, which is not far removed from Khonsa,
5481-604: The indigenous tea, were shipped to London and were sold at the London auctions. This paved the way for the formation of the Bengal Tea Association in Kolkata and a first joint stock tea company, the Assam Company, in London. Ironically, the native plants flourished, while the Chinese seedlings struggled to survive in the intense Assam heat and it was eventually decided to make subsequent plantings with seedlings from
5568-399: The key to creating material progress for the Noctes was to introduce the concept of tea plantation. For that purpose he kept close contact with the Company officials. Bronson’s letters to different British officials regarding the Namsang mission reveal his intense desire to uplift the Noctes from what he saw as utter backwardness, keeping in mind the goal of spreading Christianity. In reality,
5655-438: The mission. In his letter to Jenkins dated June 29, 1840, Bronson assured Jenkins that he would do as much possible as he could to successfully carry on "the proposed plan for the civilization of the wild Naga tribes." In the same letter, Bronson informed Jenkins that the Noctes suspected the expansion policy of the government (or the "Onward March"). In his letter, dated August 24, 1840, Bronson wrote to Jenkins that he had informed
5742-578: The missionaries failed to convert the ethnic group into Christianity as they refused to abandon their own religion. Christianity was successfully introduced in the late 20th Century. On 2 August 1993, Mother Teresa visited Borduria village and inaugurated the first Catholic Church of Arunachal Pradesh. It was the only place visited by her in the state. She also laid the foundation for the House for Missionaries of Charity (MC) Sisters. Of late, Baptist missionaries have converted about one-fifth to one-third of
5829-405: The most widely spoken of these languages, Burmese and the Tibetic languages , which also have extensive literary traditions, dating from the 12th and 7th centuries respectively. Most of the other languages are spoken by much smaller communities, and many of them have not been described in detail. Though the division of Sino-Tibetan into Sinitic and Tibeto-Burman branches (e.g. Benedict, Matisoff)
5916-433: The native tea bush. The people from Namsang and Borduria worked willingly for the Company and were paid in kind, and the Chiefs of received "douceurs" from the Managers of the Assam Company. About the year 1861-62, these gardens were transferred to the Northern Assam Company, and the Namsang Chief was taken to Nazira for the purpose of being informed that the lands were about to be transferred to other proprietors. He received
6003-474: The newer data. George van Driem rejects the primary split of Sinitic, making Tibeto-Burman synonymous with Sino-Tibetan. The internal structure of Tibeto-Burman is tentatively classified as follows by Matisoff (2015: xxxii, 1123–1127) in the final release of the Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus (STEDT). The classification of Tujia is difficult due to extensive borrowing. Other unclassified Tibeto-Burman languages include Basum and
6090-399: The reputed institution, Ramakrishna Mission School was established and funded by Namsang-Borduria Fund (from the revenue arising out of Namsang & Borduria people reserve Forest). A picture of the chief and his wife is also available in the British Archive Museum. This has brought them closer to the Hindu culture of much of the rest of India. The 1961 census reported some Buddhists among
6177-453: The request of Bronson, Jenkins wrote to T. H. Maddock, Secretary to the Government of India, about Bronson’s plan and requested a small amount for the cultivation. I conceive that by a proper cooperation with that gentleman (Bronson) and the encouragement of the Nagas to cultivate the products of their hills and tea in particular, we may hope ere long to see civilization greatly advanced among these Nagas, and our supremacy gradually extend over
6264-412: The school was difficult. Only the very young and relatives of the chief were eager to read at the school; the common people had no interest in learning to read and write, as they did not have sufficient time due to the manufacture of salt and completing other domestic chores. Evening school was established and held for those who worked and could not attend the school during the daytime. The scholars came to
6351-639: The school with their dao (swords) and spears. The villagers were not in favor of female education and were unwilling to spare their women from their traditional duties. When Bronson was working among the Noctes, the American Board sent Cyrus Barker with his wife to assist him. Miles Bronson's sister, Rhoda Bronson, also came with Barker to work at Namsang. They arrived at Joypur on May 7, 1840. Rhoda Bronson went to Namsang with her brother on May 18, 1840, and busied herself with school affairs. Soon, she engaged herself in studying Nocte. The climate of Namsang
6438-630: The side of the village, the Khonbao (chief) called upon him. Bronson told the villagers that he had come to learn their language and to preach the messages of the Gospel . With his geniality, soft words, and useful gifts, he was able to gain the goodwill of the Khonbao . Soon, the people accepted him into the village and the Khonbao allowed two of his sons to teach him the Nocte language . Bronson stayed in Namsang until January 29, 1839, studying and preparing
6525-683: The small Ao , Angami–Pochuri , Tangkhulic , and Zeme groups of languages, as well as the Karbi language . Meithei , the main language of Manipur with 1.4 million speakers, is sometimes linked with the 50 or so Kuki-Chin languages are spoken in Mizoram and the Chin State of Myanmar. The Mru language is spoken by a small group in the Chittagong Hill Tracts between Bangladesh and Myanmar. There have been two milestones in
6612-469: The small Qiangic and Rgyalrongic groups of languages, which preserve many archaic features. The most easterly Tibeto-Burman language is Tujia , spoken in the Wuling Mountains on the borders of Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou and Chongqing. Two historical languages are believed to be Tibeto-Burman, but their precise affiliation is uncertain. The Pyu language of central Myanmar in the first centuries
6699-487: The small Siangic , Kho-Bwa (or Kamengic), Hruso , Miju and Digaro languages (or Mishmic) groups. These groups have relatively little Tibeto-Burman vocabulary, and Bench and Post dispute their inclusion in Sino-Tibetan. The greatest variety of languages and subgroups is found in the highlands stretching from northern Myanmar to northeast India. Northern Myanmar is home to the small Nungish group, as well as
6786-462: The sum Mr. Minto paid to them. 2. That this payment shall cover claims not only in respect of the tea gardens of Hukanjuri and Namsang, but of all the tract of country which will come within the "Inner Line," and over which the Namsangias have hitherto asserted rights. 3. The Namsang Chief was also granted license for obtaining arms and ammunition. In 1839, the first book on the Nocte people
6873-405: The village. The first eggs would be for the Chief and his family/clan, 2nd eggs will be for selecting the next 'jhum' to be cultivated (both Namsang & Borduria has 12 jhum' properly ear-marked. They will break as many eggs is required till the best 'jhum' land is selected as shown by the formation of the fresh 'egg'. After a 'jhum' is selected the council of Wiseman will also see the prosperity of
6960-438: The waist to knees, and a blouse is worn to cover the upper body. The goats' horns act as earlobes, although ornaments include metal bangles and earrings are worn. The Nocte construct houses made of silts, bamboos and palm leaves for roofs , although the chief's houses are constructed with carved massive blocks and wooden pillars. Dormitories are provided for bachelors and unmarried women separately. According to their tradition, it
7047-512: Was hanged for his role in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, informed the British cultivators - Major Robert Bruce and his brother Charles Alexander Bruce - about the indigenous tea growing in the jungles of the Nocte and the Singpho countries, which was hitherto unknown to the rest of the world. C.A. Bruce is best known for being the father of the tea industry in India. In or about 1833-34, Namsang and Hukanjuri tea gardens were taken up by
7134-844: Was no medicine and no doctor, either in Namsang or Joypur. Without proper treatment, Rhoda Bronson died on December 8, 1840. Afterward, Bronson was no longer eager to work in Namsang, moving to the plain areas of Assam. He went to Nowgong and opened the Nowgong Orphan Institution in 1843. He worked with Nathan Brown and Cyrus Barker, organized and founded the first Baptist church at Panbazar in Guwahati on January 25, 1845. Ruth Bronson died in 1869 and in 1871 Miles married Mrs. F. A. Danforth who died in Rangoon in 1874. Miles later married Mary Donnelly Rankin and they had twins, Laura and Ruth. Bronson's writings throw light on
7221-472: Was not favorable for Rhoda; frequent attacks of fever forced Bronson and his sister to return to Joypur on October 2, 1840. It was their last journey from Namsang. The establishment of the school at Namsang was not totally unsuccessful. While the school was in operation Bronson wrote, all the sons of the chiefs came to the school and were able to read the books prepared for them. Several boys could read both in their own language and Romanized Assamese. Several had
7308-900: Was one of the first American Baptist missionaries who worked in the state of Assam in northeastern India. Bronson was born in Herkimer County in New York to Deacon Bronson and Rebekah Hall Bronson and was the youngest of five children; he married Ruth Montague Lucas in 1836. In 1835, David Scott, the Agent to the Governor General in the North-East Frontier invited American Baptist Missionaries working in Burma (now Myanmar) to come to Assam to spread Christianity and education. Rev Nathan Brown and Oliver Cutter were
7395-541: Was prominent in the official recognition of the Assamese language. After staying for almost a year, Bronson left Sadiya and moved to Joypur , Assam, in April 1838. At the time, Joypur, with its location on the bank of the Burhi Dihing River , was an important strategic point for the Company Government because of its road link to Burma. Joypur also had connections with adjoining towns, including Namsang . After
7482-542: Was the last village to give up this practice in the modern Nocte society. Tibeto-Burmese The Tibeto-Burman languages are the non- Sinitic members of the Sino-Tibetan language family , over 400 of which are spoken throughout the Southeast Asian Massif ("Zomia") as well as parts of East Asia and South Asia . Around 60 million people speak Tibeto-Burman languages. The name derives from
7569-506: Was written and published. Titled, "A spelling book and vocabulary in English, Assamese, Singpho and Naga", the book was authored by Miles Bronson , the American Baptist Missionary who lived with the Nocte people from January 1839 to October 1840. A 66-page book, it consist of more than 730 vocabularies and 47 reading lessons each in Nocte (Naga), Singpho, Assamese and English languages. As per the records, 500 copies of
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