Idu Mishmi language

Idu Mishmi
Idu Mishmi
	Diorama and wax figures of Mishmi people in Jawaharlal Nehru Museum, Itanagar
Region	India: Assam; Arunachal Pradesh: Dibang Valley district, Lower Dibang valley, Lohit; East Siang District; Upper Siang. China: southeastern Tibet Autonomous Region: Nyingchi Prefecture: Zayü County; western Yunnan
Ethnicity	Mishmi people (categorized as Lhoba and Mishmi)
Native speakers	11,000 (2001 census)
Language family	Possibly Digarish (Mishmic) Idu Mishmi;
Language codes
ISO 639-3	clk
Glottolog	idum1241
ELP	Idu-Mishmi
	Idu Mishmi is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

The Idu Mishmi language is a small language spoken by the Idu Mishmi people in Dibang Valley district, Lower Dibang Valley district, Lohit district, East Siang district, Upper Siang district of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh and in Zayü County of the Tibet Autonomous Region, China. There were 8569 speakers in India in 1981 and 7000 speakers in China in 1994. It is considered an endangered language.

Religion

They follow Animism and Shamanism. 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).^[2] The Idu live in the Danba River 丹巴江 and E River 额河 watersheds in Zayü County, Tibet. They are officially classified by the Chinese government as ethnic Lhoba people.

In India, the Idu are found in Arunachal Pradesh.

Script

The Idu Mishmi people did not usually have a script of their own. When needed Idu Mishmis tended to use the Tibetan script. 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^[3]
Sulikata by the indigenous Assamese people of the Assam Plains.
Idu in general.
Yidu may be used in China.
Midu, Mindri and Mithu (also called Bebejias by the indigenous Assamese ethnicities) are subclassifications within the Idu tribe based on the pitch and pronunciation of certain words. However, Idu people prefer the ethnonym "Kera-Ah" (children of Kera)^[4]

Dialects

Dialect name	Alternative name (if any)	Area spoken
Mindri		Anini area
Mithu	Bebejia	Hunli, Desali, Koronu, Abango, Bhismaknagar,
Midu		Roing, Dambuk, Aohali, Injonu
Mihi		Ahi valley (Anelih)

Registers

Idu has various registers that are used in different situations. These include:^[5]

shamanic register, known as Igu^[6]
hunting register
cursing register
mediation register
mourning register
babytalk register
humorous register

References

^ Idu Mishmi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
^ Jiang Huo. 2005. Yiduyu Yanjiu. Beijing: Minzu University Press.
^ CULHANE, Kirsten & PECK, Naomi & BOUAZIZ, Wifek & REINÖHL, Uta. 2023. The loss of word-initial consonants in Kera’a: A challenge for phonological theory. 26th Himalayan Languages Symposium, 4-6 September 2023. Paris: INALCO.
^ Idu^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^ Blench, Roger. 2022. Why would a language with 5000 speakers have seven registers? Register-flipping in the isolates of Northeast India compromises the unitary concept of language. Cambridge: Kay Williamson Education Foundation.
^ 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.