East Kameng district

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East Kameng district
District of Arunachal Pradesh
East Kameng district
East Kameng district
Location in Arunachal Pradesh
CountryFlag of India.svg  India
State Arunachal Pradesh
Headquarters Seppa
Area
 • Total4,134 km2 (1,596 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total78,690 [1] (2,011)
Demographics
 •  Literacy 62.5% [1]
 • Sex ratio1012 [1]
Time zone UTC+05:30 (IST)
Website eastkameng.nic.in

East Kameng district is one of districts of Arunachal Pradesh state in northeastern, India. It shares an international border with China in the north and district borders with West Kameng district to the west, Pakke-Kessang district to the south, Kurung Kumey district to the east, Papum Pare district to the southeast. Pakke-Kessang district was bifurcated from East Kameng district on 1 December 2018.

Contents

History

The area around the Kameng river has at various times come under the control and influence of the Mon kingdom, Tibet, and the Ahom kingdom. Aka and Nishi chiefs would exert control over the area whenever no major political powers dominated the area.

The Kameng Frontier Division was renamed the Kameng District. The Political Officer was also redesignated as the Deputy Commissioner of Kameng. However, for political reasons, the Kameng district was bifurcated between East Kameng and West Kameng on 1 June 1980. [2]

Geography

Before the bifurcation, East Kameng district occupied an area of 4,134 square kilometres (1,596 sq mi), [3] comparatively equivalent to Alaska's Unimak Island. [4] Like West Kameng, the East Kameng climate ranges from arid in the tundra of the north through a cool temperate climate to a humid subtropical climate in the southern sub-himalayan hills bordering Assam.

Transport

The 2,000-kilometre-long (1,200 mi) proposed Mago-Thingbu to Vijaynagar Arunachal Pradesh Frontier Highway along the McMahon Line, [5] [6] [7] [8] (will intersect with the proposed East-West Industrial Corridor Highway) and will pass through this district, alignment map of which can be seen here and here. [9]

Economy

Jhum fire Jhum fire.jpg
Jhum fire

Most tribes practice a form of slash and burn agriculture known as Jhum. After clearing the land, crops like barley and rice are planted, and fruit trees are planted to make orchards. Fishing activities first started between 1965–66 and gained momentum in November 1980, when the Fishery Department first started functioning independently. As of today, the Fishery development activities are headed by a District Fishery Development Officer, originally the Superintendent of Fisheries. However, this department was understaffed. Funds were also given for rural agriculture and paddy-cum-fish culture activities.

With the advancement of modern technology, horticulture based on apples and oranges is becoming increasingly popular. Today, temperate and sub-tropical fruits are planted in orchards with chemical fertilizers.

Divisions

The district's administrative divisions are Chayangtajo, Sawa, Khenewa, Bameng, Lada, Gyawe Purang, Pipu, Seppa, and Richukhrong.

There are 5 Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly constituencies located in this district: Bameng, Chayangtajo, Seppa East, and Seppa West. All of these are part of Arunachal West Lok Sabha constituency. [10]

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
196128,234—    
197135,134+2.21%
198142,736+1.98%
199150,395+1.66%
200157,179+1.27%
201178,690+3.24%
source: [11]

Population

According to the 2011 census East Kameng district has a population of 78,690, [12] roughly equal to the nation of Dominica. [13] This gives it a ranking of 624th in India (out of a total of 640). [12] The district has a population density of 19 inhabitants per square kilometre (49/sq mi) . [12] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 37.14%. [12] East Kameng has a sex ratio of 1,012 females for every 1,000 males, [12] and a literacy rate of 62.48%. [12]

East Kameng is inhabited by various tribes of similar origin but with distinct cultures and beliefs, practising the Donyi-Polo religion. The most populous of these, the Nishi, are scattered throughout the entire district. Other tribes, especially the Miji, Puroik and the Aka, are found in regions near the Kameng river.

Since independence, much of the population has relocated to the district capital, Seppa. With the coming of modernism, festivals such as the Sarok of the Aka, Nyokum of the Nishi, Jonglam-Ponklam and Chindang of the Miji and the Gumkum-Gumpa are celebrated in full flair in Seppa.

Religion in East Kameng District (2011)

   Christianity (47.19%)
   Donyi-Polo (35.41%)
   Hinduism (15.67%)
   Islam (0.83%)
   Buddhism (0.57%)
   Sikhism (0.05%)
   Jainism (0.03%)
  Not Stated (0.24%)

Languages

Nyishi

The Nishi is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by approximately 800–1200 people in the East Kameng district who live among the Aka (Hruso), but their language is distantly related, with distinct words for basic vocabulary. [14] [15] Although it has resemblances to Tani further to the east, it appears to be a separate branch of Tibeto-Burman. [16] Koro is unlike any language in the various branches of the Tibeto-Burman family. [17] Researchers hypothesize it may have originated from a group of people enslaved and brought to the area. [18]

Koro was recognized as a separate language in 2010 by a linguistic team of David Harrison, Gregory Anderson, and Ganesh Murmu while documenting two Hruso languages (Aka and Miji) as part of National Geographic's "Enduring Voices" project. [14] It was apparently noticed by earlier researchers. [19]

Tourism

Nyishi People Nyokum festival Nyishi.JPG
Nyishi People

The whole district is in picturesque hills covered with greenery. Tourist attractions in the district are in Papu Valley along the Papu River, among those Chayangtajo 48 km north and Bameng 81 km north of Seppo are hill stations connected by a motorable road. Kameng River is popular for fishing, which requires a fishing license from the district administration. [20]

Papu Valley is one of the most spectacular places in the district. Papu Valley got its name from the snake-like curvy streams of the Papu River. A vast field of rice covers the whole area of Papu Valley. Some of the major villages in this valley are Sede, Seba, Nere etc.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Kameng district</span> District of Arunachal Pradesh in India

West Kameng is a district of Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India. It accounts for 8.86% of the total area of the state. The name is derived from the Kameng river, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, that flows through the district.

The Aka, also known as Hrusso, are an ethnic group of Indian state Arunachal Pradesh. They are found in various areas of Arunachal Pradesh including the Thrizino Bhalukpong, Buragaon, Jamiri, Palizi, Khuppi area in West Kameng. Their language belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family.

The Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh has a total population of roughly 1.4 million on an area of 84,000 km2, amounting to a population density of about 17 pop./km2. The "indigenous groups" account for about two thirds of population, while immigrants, mostly of Bengali/Hindi belt origin, account for the remaining third.

The Tani language, often referred to as Tani languages, encompasses a group of closely related languages spoken by the Tani people in the northeastern region of India, primarily in the state of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. These languages belong to the Sino-Tibetan family and include several major dialects such as Nyishi, Galo, Apatani, Adi, Tagin, and Mising.

The Trans-Arunachal Highway (TAH), which includes an existing 1,811 km (1,125 mi) route comprising NH-13 and parts of NH-15, NH-215 and SH-25, is an under-construction 2-lane more than 2,407 km (1,496 mi) long highway passing through 16 districts in Arunachal Pradesh state in India. It runs from LAC in Tawang in northwest to Kanubari in southeast at the tri-junction of Assam-Nagaland-Arunachal Pradesh. It connects at least 16 districts of Arunachal Pradesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tibeto-Burman languages</span> Group of the Sino-Tibetan language family

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 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.

Koro is a language spoken in Arunachal Pradesh, India. It is typically classified as a Sino-Tibetan language, and has some resemblances to Tani farther to the east. It has been argued that Koro is actually part of the Greater Siangic family, independent from but influenced by the Sino-Tibetan family. Koro is spoken by about 1,500 people in the Koro-Aka tribe who are found in East Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh, northeast India. Few speakers are under 20 years old. The majority of Koro speakers live in bilingual households in which one or more members speak Ako or another indigenous language rather than Koro. The Koro-Aka tribe lives among the Aka (Hruso) tribe. However, the Koro-Aka people speak a very distantly related language from the remaining Aka tribe who speak Hruso-Aka. Researchers hypothesize Koro may have originated from a group of people enslaved and brought to the area.

The Puroik language is a possible language isolate spoken by the Puroik people of Arunachal Pradesh in India and of Lhünzê County, Tibet, in China.

Hruso, also known as Aka (Angka), is a language of Arunachal Pradesh India. Long assumed to be a Sino-Tibetan language, it may actually be a language isolate. It is spoken by 3,000 people in 21 villages in Thrizino Circle, West Kameng District. The Hruso people inhabit areas of South East Kameng and are concentrated in the Bichom River Valley, and speak English, Hindi, and Miji in addition to Hruso.

Miji, also given the dialect names Sajolang and Dhammai, is a dialect cluster traditionally counted as one of the Sino-Tibetan languages that is spoken in Arunachal Pradesh, northeastern India. The varieties are not particularly close, with only half of the vocabulary in common between the languages of East Kameng District and West Kameng District. Long assumed to be Sino-Tibetan languages, Miji and the recently discovered Bangru language may instead form a small independent language family.

Nyishi is a Sino-Tibetan language of the Tani branch spoken in Papum Pare, Lower Subansiri, Kurung Kumey, Kra Daadi, East Kameng, Pakke Kesang, Kamle districts of Arunachal Pradesh and Darrang District of Assam in India. According to the 2011 census of India, the population of the Nishi speakers is approximately 280,000. Though there are plenty of variations across regions, the dialects of Nishi, such as Akang, Aya, Nyishi (raga), Tagin are easily mutually intelligible, with the exception of the rather small in population Bangni-Bangru and Solung Dialects being very different from the former. 'Nisi' is sometimes used as a cover term for western Tani languages.

Arunachal Frontier Highway (AFH), officially notified as the National Highway NH-913 and also called Bomdila-Vijaynagar Highway (BVH), connecting Bomdila Airstrip ALG & HQ in northwest to Vijaynagar Airstrip ALG & HQ in southeast via Nafra HQ-Sarli HQ-Huri Helipad ALG & HQ-Nacho HQ-Mechuka Airstrip ALG & HQ-Monigong HQ-Jido -Hunli HQ-Hayuliang Airstrip ALG HQ-Chenquenty-Hawai HQ-Miao HQ including 800 km greenfield section and network of new tunnels & bridges, is a 2-lane paved-shoulder under-construction national highway along the India-China LAC-McMahon Line border in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The 1,748 km-long (1,086 mi) highway itself will cost ₹27,000 crore and total cost including 6 additional inter-corridors is ₹40,000 crore. In some places, this highway will run as close as 20 km from the LAC. To be constructed by MoRTH in 9 packages, all packages will be approved by the end of FY 2024-25 and construction will be completed in 2 years by 31 March 2027. Of the total route, 800km is greenfield, rest brownfield will be upgraded and tunnels will be built. This highway in the north & east Arunachal along the China border would complement the Trans-Arunachal Highway and the Arunachal East-West Corridor as major highways spanning the whole state, pursuing the Look East connectivity policy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Arunachal Pradesh</span> State in NE India

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Arunachal Pradesh:

Pakke Kessang is a town in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. It is located in Pakke-Kessang district, which has been carved out of the East Kameng district along with five administrative units, namely Pakke Kessang, Seijosa, Pijerang, Passa Valley, and Dissing-Passo with district headquarters at Lemmi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pakke-Kessang district</span> District of Arunachal Pradesh in India

Pakke-Kessang is a district located in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in the Northeast of India. The district used to be a part of the neighboring district, East Kameng, and has been created out of its five southernmost administrative units: Pijerang, Passa Valley, Pakke-Kessang, Dissing Passo and Seijosa. The district headquarters of Pakke-Kessang is located at Lemmi.

Biyuram Wahge is an Indian politician from Arunachal Pradesh. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the president of state's BJP unit. He is a member of the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly representing Pakke-Kessang constituency.

Lemmi is a towan that serves as the headquarters of the Pakke-Kessang district in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in India.

Dera Natung was an Indian politician who served as the Education Minister of Arunachal Pradesh. He was elected as MLA for three consecutive terms since 1989 from the Pakke-Kessang Assembly constituency of Arunachal Pradesh. He served as the Cabinet minister in the Government of Arunachal Pradesh, holding the portfolios of Sports & Youth Affairs, Information, Public Relations & Printing, Tourism, Arts and Culture, Social Welfare, Fisheries and Education. He died in a helicopter crash in 2001.

Niani Natung was an Indian politician from the Indian National Congress. She served as an MLA and Cabinet Minister, handling the portfolio of Social welfare, Women and Child Development. She was the wife of Dera Natung.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in.
  2. ↑ Law, Gwillim (25 September 2011). "Districts of India". Statoids. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
  3. ↑ Srivastava, Dayawanti, ed. (2010). "States and Union Territories: Arunachal Pradesh: Government". India 2010: A Reference Annual (54th ed.). New Delhi, India: Additional Director General, Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Government of India. p. 1113. ISBN   978-81-230-1617-7.
  4. ↑ "Island Directory Tables: Islands by Land Area". United Nations Environment Program. 18 February 1998. Archived from the original on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2011. Unimak Island 4,119km2
  5. ↑ "Top officials to meet to expedite road building along China border". Dipak Kumar Dash. timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  6. ↑ "Narendra Modi government to provide funds for restoration of damaged highways". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  7. ↑ "Indian Government Plans Highway Along Disputed China Border". Ankit Panda. thediplomat.com. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  8. ↑ "Govt planning road along McMohan line in Arunachal Pradesh: Kiren Rijiju". Live Mint. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  9. ↑ "China warns India against paving road in Arunachal". Ajay Banerjee. tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  10. ↑ "Assembly Constituencies allocation w.r.t District and Parliamentary Constituencies". Chief Electoral Officer, Arunachal Pradesh website. Archived from the original on 13 August 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
  11. ↑ Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in. 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  13. ↑ US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 1 October 2011. Dominica 72,969 July 2011 est.
  14. 1 2 Morrison, Dan "'Hidden' Language Found in Remote Indian Tribe". National Geographic Daily News, 5 October 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2010
  15. ↑ Schmid, Randolph E. "Researchers find previously undocumented language hidden in small villages in India" Archived 7 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine . Sync Retrieved on 5 October 2010
  16. ↑ "In Search for 'Last Speakers', a Great Discovery". National Public Radio . 5 October 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
  17. ↑ Khan, Amina (6 October 2010). "Linguists uncover 'hidden' language in north India". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 6 October 2010.
  18. ↑ Weise, Elizabeth (6 October 2010). "Linguists discover new language in India". USA Today. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
  19. ↑ Ethnologue, "Hruso". (Some sound files)
  20. ↑ Tourist places.
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