Taron (ethnic group)

The Taron are a small ethnic group in the Himalayan foothills of northern Burma (Myanmar) whose population is declining to the point where they are in danger of disappearing entirely. They have been referred to as the "Asian pygmies".

Like the pygmies of Central Africa and the Negritos of Southeast Asia, the Tarons are very small, averaging less than 4 feet and 3 inches (139,5 cm).

Evolutional history

The Tarons have got their name from their original habitat; The headwaters of the Taron River. Leaving their original homeland around 200 years ago, the Tarons moved into Burma territory through the Thalalarkha mountain pass.

They settled in Kachin State, in the lower Adunlaung River valley in the Naung Mun Township of Putao District. The landscape is dense forests and difficult terrain, with torrential streams and snow-clad mountains that are home to rare wild animals such as the blue sheep and the leaf deer.

A 1997 field trip commissioned by the Kachin State Peace and Development Council revealed that only eight individuals of pure Taron stock remained. It makes the Taron one of the most highly endangered human populations in the world today.

(One editor posted that "They are good swimmers". There was no citation for that and I don't believe it is a statement that can pass any sort of scientific muster.)

External links

* [http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2001/oct/myanmar/011017.myanmar.excerpt.html Discussion on the current status of the Taron]
* [http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0512/features/alan_rabinowitz3.html Alan Rabinowitz's Fight of His Life]
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7043116 An Asian Pygmy and his Pal from Far Rockaway]
* [http://myanmartravelinformation.com/mti-myanmar-people/taron.htm]