Tibeto-Burman

The Tibeto-Burman group gathers the speakers of the non-Chinese languages of the Sino-Tibetan family, reaching from the Himalayas through northeastern India and Burma to southwestern China. The largest members are the Burmese, the Tibetan Ü-Tsang and Amdowa, the Yi, the Karen and the Newars of Kathmandu. Tibetan and Burmese literary traditions date from the seventh and twelfth centuries.

The Pagan Kingdom, which had united the Irrawaddy valley, fell to the Mongols in 1287. In Tibet, the Sakya lamas ruled under Mongol patronage, and in 1642 the Gelug school's Dalai Lama became ruler with the backing of Gushi Khan. The Tangut state of Western Xia, home of the Mi-Niah, was destroyed by the Mongols in 1227.