Idu Language
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The Idu Mishmi language is a small language spoken by the Idu Mishmi people in Dibang Valley district, Lower Dibang Valley district,
Lohit district Lohit () is an administrative district in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in India. The district headquarters is located at Tezu. As of 2011 it is the third most populous district of Arunachal Pradesh, after Papum Pare and Changlang. Etymol ...
, East Siang district,
Upper Siang district Upper Siang (Pron:/ˈsjæŋ or ˈsɪæŋ/) is an administrative district in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in India. It is the fourth least populous district in the country (out of 640). History The majority of the people are of the Adi trib ...
of the
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
n state of
Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeast India. It was formed from the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and India declared it as a state on 20 February 1987. Itanagar is its capital and la ...
and in
Zayü County Zayul County ()
KNAB, retrieved 5 July 2021.
Tibet Autonomous Region The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), often shortened to Tibet in English or Xizang in Pinyin, Hanyu Pinyin, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China. It was established in 1965 to replace the ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. There were 8569 speakers in India in 1981 and 7000 speakers in China in 1994. It is considered an
endangered language An endangered language or moribund language is a language that is at risk of disappearing as its speakers die out or shift to speaking other languages. Language loss occurs when the language has no more native speakers and becomes a " dead langua ...
.


Religion

They follow
Animism Animism (from meaning 'breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, human handiwork, and in ...
and
Shamanism Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...
. Ini Mashelo-Zinu and Nani Intaya are the supreme deities who are worshipped. Idu Mishmis believe that they created the universe and mankind. They also believe in the almighty sun and the divine spirit that governs the universe, spirits that govern nature and have a strong belief in an afterlife and spirit guides. They worship spirits, including benevolent and malevolent ones, and believe in the existence of ghosts. The Idu Mishmi tribe's shaman is called an Igu, and they perform rituals and dances to ensure the safety and health of their families and households. The Igu wears a coat, loin cloth, and an apron-like garment, and uses musical instruments while dancing, chanting, and singing.


Locations

In China, Idu Mishmi is spoken in Xiba village 西巴村, which has just over 40 residents and is located at the foot of Xikong Mountain 习孔山. Xiba village is located 10 kilometers from the nearest administrative center, namely Migu village 米古村 (Jiang 2005:4). The Idu live in the Danba River 丹巴江 and E River 额河 watersheds in
Zayü County Zayul County ()
KNAB, retrieved 5 July 2021.
Lhoba people Lhoba (English translation: ; ; ) is any of a diverse amalgamation of Sino-Tibetan-speaking tribespeople living in and around Pemako, a region in southeastern Tibet including Mainling, Medog and Zayü counties of Nyingchi and Lhünzê Cou ...
. In India, the Idu are found in
Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeast India. It was formed from the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and India declared it as a state on 20 February 1987. Itanagar is its capital and la ...
, Although after the declaration of Roing as a Township, Adi people migrated south towards Sadiya. Idu's followed and occupied the Northern Part of Lower Dibang Valley. Idu People are believed to have Migrated with the Adi from southern Tibet in the early 1700's following footprints.


Script

The Idu Mishmi people did not usually have a script of their own. When needed Idu Mishmis tended to use the
Tibetan script The Tibetan script is a segmental writing system, or '' abugida'', forming a part of the Brahmic scripts, and used to write certain Tibetic languages, including Tibetan, Dzongkha, Sikkimese, Ladakhi, Jirel and Balti. Its exact origins ...
. Currently the Idu Mishmi have developed a script known as "Idu Azobra".


Alternative names

The Idu Mishmi language is also referred to as: * Kera’a * Sulikata by the indigenous Assamese people of the Assam Plains. * Idu in general. * Yidu may be used in China. * Midi by the Adi's.


Dialects


Registers

Idu has various registers that are used in different situations. These include: *shamanic register, known as ''Igu''REINÖHL, Uta. 2023. ''Shamanic languages and their potentials for understanding language history, genealogy and contact – The case of Igu''. 26th Himalayan Languages Symposium, 4-6 September 2023. Paris: INALCO. *hunting register *cursing register *mediation register *mourning register *babytalk register *humorous register


References


Further reading

*Blench, Roger. 2017
A dictionary of Idu, a language of Arunachal Pradesh
Roing, Arunachal Pradesh: Mishmi Publishing House. *Blench, Roger. 2016
Attempts to write the Idu language and a proposal for a modern orthography
*Blench, Roger. 2016
Hunting among the Idu, a people of Arunachal Pradesh
*Blench, Roger, Mite Linggi, Hindu Meme, and Apomo Linggi. 2016
Reading and writing Idu: a book of letters
Roing, Arunachal Pradesh: Idu Language Development Committee.
Preliminary notes on the phonology of Ida Mishmi

Discovery - Endangered Languages


* {{Arunachal languages Definitely endangered languages Digaro languages Mishmi languages Languages of China Languages of Tibet Languages of Arunachal Pradesh Endangered languages of China Endangered languages of India Endangered Sino-Tibetan languages