Mythologies of the Deng [Mishmi] Tribe

The Deng/Mishmi tribe are an ethnic group of Tibet and Arunachal Pradesh, India. The area is known as the Mishmi Hills. Only one group, called the Deng, occupy Zayu County in southern Tibet. The Mishmi consist of four tribes: Idu Mishmi (Idu Lhoba); Digaro tribe (Taraon, Darang Deng), Miju Mishmi (Kaman Deng), and the Deng Mishmi. The four sub-divisions of the tribe emerged due to the geographical distribution, but racially all the four groups are of the same stock. The Idu are also known as Yidu Lhoba in Tibet and often referred as Chulikatas in Assam. The Idus are primarily concentrated in the Upper Dibang Valley and Lower Dibang Valley district and parts of the northern part of Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh in India. Taraon, also called Digaru Mishmis, are distributed in the hill and the foothills between the Dibang, Digaru and the Lohit rivers. Kamans are also known as the Miju Mishmis; they live between the Lohit and the Kambang rivers in the foothills and in the Mishmi Hills on both sides of the Lohit river right up to the frontiers to Rima river. There are around 30,000 of them in Arunachal Pradesh.

Deng people are dominated by a sole ancestry that could be traced to some ancient northern East Asian populations. The divergence between Deng and Tibetan people (∼4,700–7,200 years) was more recent than that between highlanders and the Han Chinese (Deng-HAN, ∼9,000–14,000 years; TIB-HAN, 7,200–10,000 years). Adaptive genetic variants (AGVs) identified in the Deng are only partially shared with those previously reported in the TIB like HLA-DQB1, whereas others like KLHL12 were not reported in TIB. In contrast, the top candidate genes harboring AGVs as previously identified in TIB, like EPAS1 and EGLN1, do not show strong positive selection signals in Deng. Interestingly, Deng also showed a different archaic introgression scenario from that observed in the TIB. Our results suggest that convergent adaptation might be prevalent on the Tibetan Plateau.

The Mishmi or Deng people of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh are an indigenous group comprising three tribes:Idu Mishmi (Idu Lhoba); Digaro tribe (Taraon, Darang Deng), and Miju Mishmi (Kaman Deng). The Mishmi live in the northeastern portion of the central Arunachal Pradesh. The Idu Mishmis migrated from Burma. They were followed by the ancestors of the Digaru Mishmis a little over 500 years ago. The Mijus were the last to migrate from the direction of Hakamti-Long on the Kachin country. The language of the Miju has recently put into a Roman letter script. The lifestyle of the Miju reflects the mountains and forests where they live. Much of the livelihood of the Miju is based upon the animals they raise. Mishmis are non-vegetarian. Men and children consume pork as well as beef; eating almost every part of the animal. However, their women eat the meat of small birds and fish. Their houses are made of bamboo and the roof is thatched with long grass. They are constructed on raised platforms, beneath which their domestic animals such as pigs and chickens are kept.

People of Mismi tribe, also known as Deng tribe, are found in Tibet and Arunachal Pradesh. This ethnic group is consisted of three sub-tribes, which are Idu Mishmi, Digaro tribe and Miju Mishmi. Mishmi tribal people are mostly seen in the Upper and Lower Dibang Valley, Lohit and Anjaw Districts of Arunachal Pradesh. Mishmis speak in the dialects of Tibeto-Burman linguistic family. The Idus, also known as Yidu Lhoba, are primarily concentrated in the Upper Dibang Valley and Lower Dibang Valley district and on the northern part of Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh. Digaru Mishmis, also called Taraon, are distributed in the hill and the foothills between the Dibang, Digaru and the Lohit rivers. Miju Mishmi or Kamans live between the Lohit and the Kambang rivers in the foothills and in the Mishmi Hills on both sides of the Lohit river right up to the frontiers to Rima. There are around 30,000 of them in Arunachal Pradesh. Mishmi tribal people are allowed to marry outside the paternal clan. Their settlements are small and frequently shifted. Each family lives in a longhouse built on piling. Corn and buckwheat are the staple crops of this tribe. They also cultivate barley and wheat at higher altitudes and rice at the foothills. Mishmi tribal people are also engaged in hunting and fishing. They worship their tribal gods along with animal sacrifices and other offerings. In their rituals, one can find some Tibetan influence as well. Slavery and headhunting are no longer practiced among the people of this community.

The Mishmi or Deng people of Tibet and Arunachal Pradesh are an ethnic group comprising mainly three tribes: Idu Mishmi (IduLhoba); Digaro tribe (Taraon, Darang Deng), and Miju Mishmi (Kaman Deng). The Mishmis occupy the northeastern tip of the central Arunachal Pradesh in Upper and Lower Dibang Valley, Lohit and Anjaw Districts/Medog County. The three sub-divisions of the tribe emerged due to the geographical distribution, but racially all the three groups are of the same stock. The Idu are also known as YiduLhoba in Tibet and often referred as Chulikatas in Assam. The Idus are primarily concentrated in the Upper Dibang Valley and Lower Dibang Valley district and parts of the northern part of Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh in India. Taraon, also called Digaru Mishmis are distributed in the hill and the foothills between the Dibang, Digaru and the Lohit rivers. Kamans are also known as the Miju Mishmis; they live between the Lohit and the Kambang rivers in the foothills and in the Mishmi Hills on both sides of the Lohit river right up to the frontiers to Rima. The IduMishmis were the first come from Burma. They were followed by the ancestors of the Digaru Mishmis a little over 500 years ago. The Mijus were the last to migrate from the direction of Hakamti-Long on the Kachin country.