pə̆.la⁵⁵

See also: pə̆.lai⁵⁵

Pela

View from Mengguang village, one main village of Pela people.

Etymology

Unknown; according to Kong Zhien, an explanation of its etymology is shared among some seniors, claiming the tribe name was from a legend that their ancestor was once raised by the family which his mother remarried (i.e. came to the new family following his mother), thus from pə³¹- ("do sth in place of someone, do sth together with someone") + la⁵⁵ ("come (to a higher place)"). Compare Zaiwa Bolo and Jingpho Bono, Bolo.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /pə̆.la⁵⁵/, [pə̆³¹.la⁵⁵]

Noun

pə̆.la⁵⁵

1. Pela/Bela, an ethnicity of the group Kachin, living in Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province, China and Northeastern Myanmar.

Derived terms

• pə̆.la⁵⁵ mjaŋ³¹ ("Pela language")
• pə̆.la⁵⁵ mju⁵⁵ ("Pela ethnicity")
• pə̆.la⁵⁵ nɔ³¹ ("Pela guy, member of Pela")
• pə̆.la⁵⁵ pju⁵⁵ ("Pela people, member of Pela")
• pə̆.la⁵⁵ ta³¹ ("Pela people")

 

Descendants

• → Chinese: 波拉, 布拉
• → English: Pela, Bela
• → Jingpho: Bono, Bolo
• → Zaiwa: Bolo

See also

• ti³¹ va⁵⁵ ("Kachin people")
• ti³¹ ta³¹ ("Kachin people")

References

• Dai Qingxia, Jiang Ying, Kong Zhien, A Study of Pela Language (2007; Publishing House of Minority Nationalities, Beijing)