Lhoba people
[4] The area nowadays inhabited by the modern Lhoba people was known in medieval texts as Lhoyü (or Luoyu, lho-yul, ལྷོ༌ཡུལ་).While most Tani tribespeople living in modern-day Arunachal Pradesh point to a traditional homeland in or around this region,[11] there is currently no independent means of verification.Most people designated as "Lhoba" within the modern-day Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) actually refer to themselves via a diverse set of endonyms, speak different languages, and do not traditionally self-identify as a single entity.[12][13] The two main tribal groups which fall under the designation "Lhoba" in the TAR are the Mishmi people (simplified Chinese: 义都; pinyin: Yìdū), who speak the Idu Mishmi language, and the speakers of the Bokar dialect of Abo Tani, who are found in far greater numbers inside Arunachal Pradesh, a state of modern-day India claimed by China.The Idu men wear a sword and waterproof cane helmet, and a chignon on their hair and shields made of buffalo hide.The Idu calendar was based upon the menstrual period of the women and dating is done by untying one each from a number of knots put on a piece of string.The Lhoba engage in barter trade with the Tibetans, trading goods like animal hides, musk, bear paws, dye (locally knowns as tamen or botanically known as Rubia cordifolia) and captured game for farm tools, salt, wool, clothing, grain and tea from Tibetan traders.Many Lhobas have converted to Tibetan Buddhism in recent years as they traded with Buddhist monasteries, frequently blending it with their indigenous animist beliefs, which traditionally have deep roots in the tiger.[clarification needed] Others, remain animistic, especially those in Arunachal Pradesh, who follow Donyi-Poloism; the pilgrimage centre of their community lies at Atho-Popu the Dibang valley.[citation needed] The stories about immigration are told along the banks of twelve rivers in the Dibang valley, the clustered area known as Cheithu-Huluni.Festivals such as Reh are celebrated to appease the mold deities, who are traditionally believed to control the peace and prosperity of the people.They live in nine villages in Tibet's Zayu County and virgin forest areas between the Himalayas and the Hengduan Mountains at an elevation of 1000 meters.