Taron people

Taron people
Total population
179 (2015)[1]
Regions with significant populations
 Myanmar
Languages
Derung, L2: Rawang
Related ethnic groups
Derung, Nu, Rawang

The Taron or T’rung (တရုမ်း [ta.rumː]) are an ethnic group in the Himalayan foothills of northern Kachin State, Myanmar, whose population is declining to the point where they may disappear entirely. They have been referred to as the "East Asian pygmies". They are allegedly descended from an ethnic group concentrated in China known as Derung who migrated to Burma from Tibet in the 1880s.[2]

Like the Pygmies of Central Africa and the Negritos of Southeast Asia, the Tarons are very small, with an average height of 149 centimetres (59 in) for males, and 140 centimetres (55 in) for females.[3]

  1. ^ Nyunt Nyunt Win (2015). "The Taron: one of the hidden groups of hill ethnic groups in Myanmar" (PDF). Mandalay University Research Journal. 6: 1–9. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
  2. ^ "The Uncertain Fate of Myanmar's Little People". myanmarburma.com. 22 March 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  3. ^ Trost, Wolfgang H. (2024-02-17). "Almost Gone: The Tarong of Myanmar's Far North". The Irrawaddy.