Taron (ethnic group)

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Taron is also the name of 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 the South Pacific, the Tarons are very small, averaging less than 4 feet and 3 inches (139,5 cm). 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 Myanmar 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.