Mishmi

Mishmi dancers in traditional dress

Mishmi, tribal people mostly of Arunachal Pradesh (formerly North East Frontier Agency) in extreme northeastern India, near Tibet and Assam, speaking dialects of the Tibeto-Burman linguistic family. Numbering about 35,000 in the late 20th century, the Mishmi live along the valleys of the Dibang (where they are known as Midu) and Luhit rivers. Those of the Luhit Valley are divided into two groups, the Miju on the upper Luhit and the Digaru on that river’s lower reaches.

The Mishmi trace their descent through the paternal line, and young people are expected to marry outside the paternal clan. Settlements are small and frequently shifted. There are no chiefs. Each family group is virtually autonomous and inhabits a longhouse built on piling.

Mishmi agriculture is extremely primitive; corn (maize) and buckwheat are the staple crops; barley and wheat are grown at higher altitudes, rice in the foothills. Cattle are kept for slaughter and are also used as currency. Other pursuits include hunting and fishing. The Mishmi carry on considerable barter with peoples living in Tibet and Assam, trading musk, medicinal herbs, paper bark, and aconite poison in exchange for clothing, salt, copperware, and swords. They worship their tribal gods with animal sacrifices and offerings, and some Tibetan influence is evident. Slavery and headhunting are no longer practiced.