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Tirap Frontier Division, now known as Tirap
district, is the southernmost district of North-East Frontal
Agency (NEFA). The Patkai mountain range, in the northeast frontier
of India, bordering Myanmar, is spread over the Tirap and Changlang
districts of Arunachal Pradesh.
The Tirap district comprises 2362 sq. km. area, and shares its
border with Mynamar in the south, Nagaland in the west, Assam
in the north & Changlang district in the east. Altitudes
range from 150 to 1500 metres approximately. |
| There are quite a good number
of spring-heads in the Tirap district which are of great help
to the people as being sources of salt water. The local people
collect the spring water and manufacture salt out of that.
Such salt springs are very common in the Nocte area and the
local people use the salt not only for their own consumption
but get many things of daily necessity in exchange for this
commodity. Before the advent of British administration, salt
was an important item of trade with them and for this, people
from the plains used to visit their villages with various trade
goods to be offered in exchange of salt. Thus so far as trade
was concerned they were in an advantageous position because
of the availability of salt in their locality which gave them
an unique position to dictate terms to others. |
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Mopaya Village near Narottam Nagar |
From the earliest days people from the
east came to Assam crossing the Patkoi range and then passing
through the present district of Tirap. This is how the area
was known to the people living both to the east and west of
the Patkoi range. The Ahoms, who ruled over the Brahmaputra
valley for more than six hundred years from the beginning
of the 13th century to the beginning of the 19th century,
as well as the Khamptis, Singphos, Phakials and the Burmese
invading army entered Assam following routes running through
this district.
There are many tribes inhabiting the district which were known
by the names of the passes through which they came to the
plains such as Borduries, Namsangias, Paniduarias, Mithonias,
Banpheras, Jobokas etc.
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A Tribal Family
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An attempt in 1878 to survey
the eastern part of the district led to disastrous results.
On 2 February, Lieutenant Holcombe, Assistant Commissioner
of Jaipur along with a survey party was attacked at Ninu,
a village four days march from the plains. Lieutenant Holcombe
and eighty men were butchered and fifty others were wounded.
Coming to know about the incident a military expedition was
immediately sent to the hills, which destroyed the offending
village and recovered the heads of the murdered men along
with the arms and plunder taken by them.
During the year 1942-43 a Control Area comprising the Namsang
Borduaria area was constituted.
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| With the recruitment of
Indian Frontier Administrative Officers in 1953 the Administration
started taking more interest in matters relating to the Divisions.
Co. P N Luthra, IFAS went to Tirap as the Political Officer
and was in charge of the Division from 25 January 1954 to 23 March 1955.
For the sake of better administration it was decided as early
as 1951 that the Headquarters of the Divisions should be shifted
from the plains to the respective Divisions and in accordance
with that decision the Headquarters of the Tirap Frontier
Division was shifted from Margherita to Khela with effect
from 2 August 1955 when Sri Wagray was holding charge of the Division.
After Sri Wagray, Col. K A A Raja went to Khela as Political
Officer and was in charge of the Division upto 26 September 1969. During
this period the Division made rapid progress toward all-round
development with special attention given for removing the
communication difficulties.
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The Headquarters was again
shifted with effect from 17 August 1959 from Khela to Khonsa, a site
considered better in almost all respects.
The Noctes, about 35000 in number, live in 63 villages, occupying
half of the Tirap district. The other half of the district
beyond the river Tissa is the home of the Wangchos. Noctes
are a combination of several groups of people that came from
different directions and settled together in the present habitat.
Nok means 'group of people', and te means 'that reside'. Nokte
is now known as Nocte, a major tribe of Arunachal Pradesh.
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Khonsa Village, Tirap |
| A group of Noctes migrated
from the Hukong Valley in Burma. They came trekking the hills,
as said, through Pangsau pass, down to the plain area, along
the river Dihing, and then came up the hill and settled in
the present Namsang-Borduria habitat.
Bamboo, Hollong, Mekai, Nahar, orchids, herbs and flowers
and various kinds of birds, butterflies, animals such as bears,
dears, hogs, elephants, monkeys etc. are in plenty here.
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