Millang

The Milang tribe (alternately Millang, Malaa, or Holon) are a sub-group of the Adi people found in Arunachal Pradesh and nearby Rigbi, Jonai, in Assam, India.

Etymology

The term Milang is an exonym, a name given to them by people not in the group. Members of the tribe call themselves Malaa.

Language

Main article: Milang language

The Malaa people use a dialect unintelligible to most other subgroups of Adi. There have been several theories regarding the creation of their unique dialect, but most of the Malaa maintain they adopted it from a group of people called the Soi-sotem who inhabited their lands long before the Malaa people settled there. The Malaa still mention and remember the Soi-sotem people, who they claim migrated to other places, in their ballads, through lyrics like:

Soi belu kettunge, Sotem belu kettunge.

The Soi-sotem were believed to have originated from Kalang Ade(dite), the highest peak in the land of the Malaa beyond which is the land of Idu Mishmi tribe.

Religion

The Malaa are adherents of indigenous Donyi-Poloism, the practice of praying to the almighty Sun goddess and The Moon God. The priests, called Madar in Malaa, are popularly believed to be the intermediaries between the natural, human world and the Spiritual or supernatural world. Male priests are connected with the act of divination while the female priests are related to the healing of sickness. The priesthood is a hereditary practice, passed from generation to generation in a family. One particular ritual called Lulu involves the sacrificing of an animal to cure a disease. Whenever there is an epidemic or disease breakout in a village, the villagers construct a gate at the entrance of the village and a dog is sacrificed by hanging with its intestines sagging out. This ritual is called Lukan.

Ayid Madar Bemmanu, a ritualistic dance, is performed throughout the night. During this dance, priests bargain to appease the spirits to release the souls of diseased people in exchange for gifts. The priests examine the liver of a chicken, reads omens, and use those to interpret the nature of the disease and a corresponding sacrifice to be made to heal the ill.

Festival Name	Date
Aran	7 March
Solung Etor	15 May
Solung (Lune)	1 September

Geography

Geographically the Malaa land lies approximately between 94-95 degree N latitude and 28-29 degree E longitude in the Upper Siang district. The land of the Milangs extends to the Chage and Felo hills in the north which is the land of the Idu tribe of Dibang valley. To the south and the east, they are bounded by the land of the Padams.

Their land is a rich source of the Aconitum plant (variously known as monk's hood or wolf's bane), the source of the powerful poison aconitine, which the Milang historically used on their spears and arrows during battle. The Anglo-Abor wars between 1835 and 1912 saw massive use of 'EMO'(called AMU in Millang) being supplied from Peki Modi village against the invading British forces.

The principal rivers are Sidip, Yamne, Yammeng, Satamak, and Chapel besides many rivulets flowing through their land.

Millang, Dalbing, and Peki Modi are the important ancestral villages of the Malaa. However, as of today they are found residing in the hills and the valleys of East Siang, Upper Siang, and Lower Dibang Valley Districts of Arunachal Pradesh.

Surnames

Surnames used by Malaa are based on family lineage. Common surnames include:

• Ayom
• Binggep
• Bitin
• Borang**
• Dalbong
• Daltem
• Dameng
• Gamno
• Langkam
• Lego**
• Litin
• Libang
• Miew
• Modi
• Ngukir
• Ngupok
• Patuk

Some of their clans/family with Milang history & origin**

Each Malaa surname are further subdivided into several clans. For example, the Modi have the following clans:

• Ketin
• Kebang-Bamuk, Bapok (Kepok)
• Rungmi
• Taruk
• Ngusang
• Miew

Further reading

• Modi, Milorai (2007). The Millangs. Himalayan Publishers.
• Mibang, Tamo; Chaudhuri, SK, eds. (2004). Understanding tribal religion. New Delhi: Mittal. ISBN 81-7099-945-6.
• Lego, NN (1992). British relations with the Adis, 1825-1947. New Delhi: Omsons Publications. ISBN 81-7117-097-8.

External links

• Ethnologue: Adi
• Research Centre for Linguistic Typology: Mark Post (fieldworker)
• BBC: Adi Tribe
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