Nyishi Exchange Relations with the Plains of Assam: Trade Routes, Posa and the Transformation of a Frontier Economy

Author(s)	Ms. KABAK KADAR
Country	India
Abstract	Abstract This article examines the historical development of exchange relations between the Nyishi of Arunachal Pradesh and the plains of Assam. It argues that this relationship was not a simple transition from subsistence to a monetised market economy, but a gradual transformation in which barter, reciprocity, commodity exchange, and monetary transactions coexisted. Particular attention is given to the duars, frontier markets, and posa as important institutions connecting the hill and plains economies. Drawing on archival records, colonial administrative proceedings, trade reports, and historical scholarship, the study traces the movement of commodities, people, and payments and examines the increasing colonial regulation and monetisation of frontier exchange. It demonstrates that colonial rule did not create Nyishi–plains exchange but progressively regulated, recorded, and reorganised existing networks of economic and political interaction. The article therefore views the Nyishi–Assam relationship as a layered frontier economy shaped by geography, customary institutions, and changing colonial structures.
Keywords	Nyishi, exchange, Assam plains, frontier economy, duars, posa, barter, colonialism.
Field	Arts
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 5, September-October 2026
Published On	2026-09-30
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i05.88744

About IJFMR Fees & Payment Current Issue Publication Archive	Submit Research Paper Track Submission Status Publication Guidelines Publication Ethics Peer Review & Plagiarism	Join as a Reviewer Editors & Reviewers Reviewer Referral Program Get Reviewer Membership Certi.	Website/Journal Policies Usage Policy Content Policies Privacy Policy

Contact Us		+91-9687-828-838	editor@ijfmr.com

International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research