
The Khamba or Khemba, are a people who inhabit the Yang-Sang-Chu valley 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 ...
, near the borders with
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...
and
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 ...
. Within the valley, they live in the villages Yorton, Lango, Tashigong, Nyukong and Mangkota.
The Khamba are adherents of
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, D ...
and use
Hingna, their own script,
which is based on the Tibetan script. However, due to relative isolation from
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...
and occasional contacts with the
Adi
Adi or ADI may refer to:
Abbreviations
* Acceptable daily intake, in health and medicine
* Acting detective inspector, a type of police inspector
* Africa Development Indicators, a compilation of data assembled by the World Bank
* Alternating ...
tribes, they are also somewhat influenced by the
Donyi-Polo
Donyi Polo is the designation given to the indigenous religion, of animistic and shamanic type, of the Tani and other Indo-Tibetan and Sino-Tibetan peoples of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in Northeast India. The name "Donyi-Polo" means "Sun- ...
faith in their beliefs. In every village there will be a Buddhist
Lama
Lama () is a title bestowed to a realized practitioner of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. Not all monks are lamas, while nuns and female practitioners can be recognized and entitled as lamas. The Tibetan word ''la-ma'' means "high mother", ...
. Festivals that are celebrated are parallel with the
Memba, which includes
Losar, the
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...
an New Year.
Lifestyle
Wheat and maize are principal crops cultivated by the Khamba. Their houses, which are made from stone and wood, are based on a structure that strongly resembles the
Monpa.
References
External links
Ethnologue profile
{{authority control
Buddhist communities of India
Ethnic groups in Northeast India
Ethnic groups in India