Singpho
Encyclopedia
The Singpho people of Arunachal Pradesh
inhabit in the district of Lohit
and Changlang
and the Kachin State
of Burma. Some are also found in the Tinsukia district
of Assam
. Comprising a population of at least 7,200 in India, they live in 13 villages, namely Bordumsa
, Dibang, Ketetong, Pangna, Ulup, Ingthem, Mungbhon, Pangsun, Hasak, Katha, Bisa, Namo and Namsai. The Singpho are the same people as those called the Kachin in Burma and the Jingpo in China
. They speak the Singpho dialect
of the Jingpo language.
The Singphos are divided into a number of clans, each under a chief known as a Gam. The principal Gams include the Bessa, Duffa, Luttao, Luttora, Tesari, Mirip, Lophae, Lutong and Magrong. The Singpho are also divided into four classes, namely Shangai, Myung, Lubrung and Mirip.
, the Songken festival is celebrated in April. Spiritual worship (nat) is also practised as well in addition to Buddhism. According to their belief, malevolent and responsible spirits causing miseries to mankind were worshipped on ceremonies and spirits like Ningsenat, Multung-Dingna, Cit-Hungnat, Natkum, Mainat, etc. were given offerings upon the sacrification of cattle such as bulls, pigs, cows and chickens to appease the spirits. They also believed that God uses a rainbow as the ladder to meet his wife on the moon. Small Christian communities do exist among the Singpho.
The Singpho uses the Burmese pasto as an undergarment, which is woven from coloured cloth or silk in check pattern. A coloured cotton jacket is worn over the upper portion. Many chiefs adopted the Shan or Burmese costumes. The Singpho women wear a cloth similar to the Assam
ese mekhela that is tied at the breast, which reaches to little below the knee. The men occasionally wear small earrings, although the women wear large pieces of amber earstuds on their ears. The men lightly tattooed their limbs, arm and shoulders. At the same time, the married women also tattooed their legs from the ankle to the knee in broad parallel bands which consist of eight bars in alternate black and white. However, the unmarried women are not permitted to tattoo at all.
was a traditional practice among the Singpho, and it can be witnessed that the opium has severely harmed the fertility among the tribesmen. According to the 1950 census, the population of the Singpho tribe has fallen from 50,000 to less than 10,000 in recent years. With the free trade of opium between India and Burma since the signing of the bilateral trade in 1995, extreme abuse of opium have been reported since of 1997, especially in the villages of Pangsun and Kumsai. Cases of selling off their properties for the sake of buying opium was widespread in recent years. Many of these addicts consumed opium by smoking wooden and bamboo pots known as Doba, although injection of needles is also used. Most of these addicts take twenty grams, or even higher amounts of opiums. According to one villages, opium used by the Singpho is supplied by members of the Tangsa
tribe living just across the Burmese border.
The Indian government had also responded to the problem. Of late, they have established laws of jail terms and rehabillation centers for opium addicts. The Singpho National Council also have plans to set up posts to restrict of the opium inflow into India
.
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh is a state of India, located in the far northeast. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south, and shares international borders with Burma in the east, Bhutan in the west, and the People's Republic of China in the north. The majority of the territory is claimed by...
inhabit in the district of Lohit
Lohit district
Lohit is an administrative district in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in India. The district headquarters are located at Tezu. As of 2011 it is the third most populous district of Arunachal Pradesh , after Papum Pare and Changlang.-Etymology:...
and Changlang
Changlang District
Changlang district is located in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, located south of Lohit district and north of Tirap district. As of 2011 it is the second most populous district of Arunachal Pradesh , after Papum Pare.-Post-independence:...
and the Kachin State
Kachin State
Kachin State , is the northernmost state of Burma. It is bordered by China to the north and east; Shan State to the south; and Sagaing Division and India to the west. It lies between north latitude 23° 27' and 28° 25' longitude 96° 0' and 98° 44'. The area of Kachin State is . The capital of the...
of Burma. Some are also found in the Tinsukia district
Tinsukia district
Tinsukia district is one of the 27 administrative districts in the state of Assam, India. The district headquarters are located at Tinsukia. Tinsukia district occupies an area of , comparatively equivalent to South Georgia.- History :...
of Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
. Comprising a population of at least 7,200 in India, they live in 13 villages, namely Bordumsa
Bordumsa
Bordumsa is a town in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh, India. The main inhabitants living in this area belong mainly to the Singpho tribe. In Bordumsa circle one can also find people belonging to the Tai-Khampti and Tai-Khamyang tribe who live in harmony. Also few families belonging to the...
, Dibang, Ketetong, Pangna, Ulup, Ingthem, Mungbhon, Pangsun, Hasak, Katha, Bisa, Namo and Namsai. The Singpho are the same people as those called the Kachin in Burma and the Jingpo in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. They speak the Singpho dialect
Singpho dialect
Singpho is the language of the Singpho people in Assam. It is spoken by at least 3,000 people. It is a dialect of the Jingpho language; "Singpho" is the local pronunciation of "Jingpho"....
of the Jingpo language.
The Singphos are divided into a number of clans, each under a chief known as a Gam. The principal Gams include the Bessa, Duffa, Luttao, Luttora, Tesari, Mirip, Lophae, Lutong and Magrong. The Singpho are also divided into four classes, namely Shangai, Myung, Lubrung and Mirip.
Religion
Like the Khampti, the Singpho are mainly Theravada Buddhist by religion. In memorial of Gautama BuddhaGautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
, the Songken festival is celebrated in April. Spiritual worship (nat) is also practised as well in addition to Buddhism. According to their belief, malevolent and responsible spirits causing miseries to mankind were worshipped on ceremonies and spirits like Ningsenat, Multung-Dingna, Cit-Hungnat, Natkum, Mainat, etc. were given offerings upon the sacrification of cattle such as bulls, pigs, cows and chickens to appease the spirits. They also believed that God uses a rainbow as the ladder to meet his wife on the moon. Small Christian communities do exist among the Singpho.
Lifestyle
Unlike most hill-people, shifting cultivation (Jhum) is not as widely practised, although tea is widely planted. The Singpho produce their tea by plucking the tender leaves and drying them in the sun and exposing to the night dew for three days and nights. The leaves are then placed in the hollow tube of a bamboo, and the cylinder will be exposed to the smoke of the fire. In this way, their tea can be kept for years without losing its flavour. The Singpho also depended on yams and other edible tubers as their staple food.Dress
The Singpho made shields from buffalo hide, many of them can be as long as four feet. They also have helmets are made from either buffalo hide or rattan-work, and vanished black and decorated with the boar's tusks. Most men tie their hair in a large knot on the crown of the head. The women dress their hair gathered into a broad knot on the crown of the head, fastening it by silver bodkins, chains and tassels, which is similar to the architecture of the modern skyscraper. The maidens tie their tresses into a roll and keep it tied just above the nape.The Singpho uses the Burmese pasto as an undergarment, which is woven from coloured cloth or silk in check pattern. A coloured cotton jacket is worn over the upper portion. Many chiefs adopted the Shan or Burmese costumes. The Singpho women wear a cloth similar to the Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
ese mekhela that is tied at the breast, which reaches to little below the knee. The men occasionally wear small earrings, although the women wear large pieces of amber earstuds on their ears. The men lightly tattooed their limbs, arm and shoulders. At the same time, the married women also tattooed their legs from the ankle to the knee in broad parallel bands which consist of eight bars in alternate black and white. However, the unmarried women are not permitted to tattoo at all.
The Opium Controversy
The consumption of opiumOpium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
was a traditional practice among the Singpho, and it can be witnessed that the opium has severely harmed the fertility among the tribesmen. According to the 1950 census, the population of the Singpho tribe has fallen from 50,000 to less than 10,000 in recent years. With the free trade of opium between India and Burma since the signing of the bilateral trade in 1995, extreme abuse of opium have been reported since of 1997, especially in the villages of Pangsun and Kumsai. Cases of selling off their properties for the sake of buying opium was widespread in recent years. Many of these addicts consumed opium by smoking wooden and bamboo pots known as Doba, although injection of needles is also used. Most of these addicts take twenty grams, or even higher amounts of opiums. According to one villages, opium used by the Singpho is supplied by members of the Tangsa
Tangsa
The Tangsa, termed Tangshang in Myanmar , is a community of several tens of thousands living in Changlang and Tirap Districts of Arunachal Pradesh,and parts of Tinsukia District of Assam, in north-eastern India, and across the border in Sagaing Region, Myanmar . The Tangshang in Myanmar were...
tribe living just across the Burmese border.
The Indian government had also responded to the problem. Of late, they have established laws of jail terms and rehabillation centers for opium addicts. The Singpho National Council also have plans to set up posts to restrict of the opium inflow into India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.