The history of pre-modern Arunachal Pradesh is unclear but the majority of its population are descendants of the great “AboTani” whose origin is unknown but is said to be the first man of the five tribes, namely Tagin, Nyishi, Adi, Galo and Apatani which have a population of over one and half million. The major parts of the history of the Tani people will be found in the ancient libraries of Tibet as from earliest times the Tani people traded with Tibetans for swords and other metals in exchange for meat and wool. Tibetans referred to the Tani people as the Lhobhas – lho means south and bha means people.
Recorded history only became available in the Chutiya chronicles. The Monpa and Sherdukpen do keep historical records of the existence of local chiefdoms in the northwest as well. Northwestern parts of this area came under the control of the Monpa kingdom of Monyul, which flourished between 500 B.C. and 600 A.D. The remaining parts of the state, especially those bordering Myanmar, were under the control of the Chutiya Kings. However, most Arunachali tribes remained in practice largely autonomous up until Indian independence and the formalisation of indigenous administration in 1947.