Chin State, Myanmar

CHIN STATE

2021-03-10T21:23:00.014-08:00

Capital: Hakha

Falam District	· Falam Township · Hakha Township · Htantlang Township · Tiddim Township · Tonzang Township

Mindat District	· Mindat Township · Matupi Township · Kanpetlet Township · Paletwa Township

DAAI TRIBE

2020-12-16T09:11:00.002-08:00

Woman of the Daai tribe, Myanmar © Mattia Passarini

Woman of the Daai tribe, Myanmar © Marco Vendittelli

The Daai are an ethnic group living in Chin State, Myanmar. The Daai consist of 32 Chin tribes, which have been registered by the Government of Burma since 1890. The recent Military Regime’s census mentions the Daai tribe as the 62nd of 135 tribes of Burma. Researchers refer to them as the Daai group in the ethnic survey book of Burma. The Daai Chin appear to be of Mongolian, Indo-Chinese, and Tibeto-Burman descent.

The Daai people live in the Mindat, Paletwa, Matupi and Kanpetlet townships of Southern Chin State in Burma. There are more than 180 Daai villages with a total population of somewhere between 40,000 and 50,000. Their population makes the Daai-Chin the majority tribe of the Southern Chin Hills. The Daai land was an independent country until the British expedition in 1890, and later annexation in 1897 by the United Kingdom. Approximately thirty years ago, Daai people practised animism. Since then, most Daai people have converted to Christianity within the last two decades. Currently about 99% of the Daai people are Christian.

As all Chin tribes, in the past women wore tattoos on their faces. The Burmese socialist government banned the practice of face tattooing during the 1960s as part of their programme of getting rid of the old and ushering in modernisations, with missionaries in the Chin also criticizing it as barbaric. These women are the last generation to all bear facial tattoos; when they die, a chapter of Chin history will be relegated to the textbooks. The six Chin tribes wear an array of different tattoos and the Daai tribes feature long vertical-line tattoos across the entire face, including the eyelids. The tattoos are made using leaves, grass shoots and soot. The leaves give colour, the soot acts as a disinfectant and the grass shoots are added at the end, acting as a bandage and natural healing cover.

2015-11-17T23:22:00.001-08:00

The name Chin is at present our international name with which we have been recognized widely around the world as a people with a definite boundary of territory . It is our own Chin territory which no one can claim as their territory except by us, the Chin people, according to the UN principles. The boundary of our Chin territory according to the Chin Hills Regulation 1896 included even what is today Nagaland as Naga Hills District then and , Mizoram as Lushai Hills District then , Assam hilly parts, Manipur Hilly parts and Tripura Hilly parts all now in India ; Chin Hills District then and it is now Chin State, Singkaling Khamti Naga Hills District today both in Burma , the Chittagong Hills tract in Bangladesh which was once in British India and today in Bangladesh. All the Chin territory in six disticts Area under the british rule together all will be added up to more than 35000 Sq. miles which is larger than Austria in Europe.

CHIN STATE

Capital: Hakha

Districts	Townships	Cities	People	Languages
Falam District
	Falam Township	Falam	Laizomi	Laizomi Language
	Tedim Township	Tedim	Zomi	Zo Language
	Tonzang Township	Tonzang	Zomi	Zo Language
Hakha District from Feb.2012
	Hakha Township	Hakha	Laimi	Lai Language
	Htantlang Township	Htantlang	Laimi	Lai Language
Mindat District
	Matupi Township	Matupi	Matu	Matu Language
	Mindat Township	Mindat	Khumi/Cho	Cho Language
	Kanpetlet Township	Kanpetlet	Khumi/Cho	Cho Language
	Paletwa Township	Paletwa	Khumi/Cho	Cho Language

Chin = Zomi = Kuki = Laimi = Asho = Laizo = Cho/Khumi

Chin Ethnic Group Codes for 2014 Census in Myanmar

2014-02-20T21:28:00.001-08:00

Codes for 2014 Census in Myanmar (ONLY few selected codes)

Number	Main Ethnic Group	Sr No	Ethnicity	Code No.
04	CHIN	01	CHIN	401
		02	MEITEI	402
		03	SALINE	403
		04	KULINKAW	404
		05	KHUMI	405
		06	AWA -KHAMI	406
		07	KHUANO	407
		08	KHAWSU	408
		09	KHUANGSAI	409
		10	KHUALSIM	410
		11	KHUANGLI	411
		12	GUNTE	412
		13	GUITE	413
		14	NGAWN	414
		15	SIZANG	415
		16	SENTHANG	416
		17	SAIZANG	417
		18	ZAHAU	418
		19	ZOTUNG	419
		20	ZOPHEI	420
		21	ZO	421
		22	ZAN-NIAT	422
		23	TAPONG	423
		24	TEDIM	424
		25	TEIZANG	425
		26	TAISUN	426
		27	THADO	427
		28	TAWR	428
		29	DIM	429
		30	DAI-YINDI	430
		31	NAGA	431
		32	THANGKHUL	432
		33	MALIN	433
		34	PANUM	434
		35	MAGUN	435
		36	MATU	436
		37	MARA	437
		38	MI-ER	438
		39	M-GAN	439
		40	LUSHAI	440
		41	LEMRO	441
		42	LENTE	442
		43	LAUTU	443
		44	LAI	444
		45	LAIZO	445
		46	MRO	446
		47	HUALGO	447
		48	ANU	448
		49	ANUN	449
		50	OO PU	450
		51	LHINBU	451
		52	ASHO	452
		53	RONGTU	453

Number	Main Ethnic Groups	Sr No		Code No
09	Myanmar + Foreigner		Myanmar + Foreigner MIX	900
		01	Thailand	901
		02	Malays	902
		03	Nepal	903
		04	Pakistan	904
		05	Singapore	905
		06	Chinese	906
		07	Japanese	907
		08	Korean	908
		09	Indian	909
		10	Bangaladesh	910
		11	US-American	911
		12	Vietnamese	912
		13	Philippines	913
	OTHERS	01		914
		02

Chin Head Basket

2012-12-07T11:39:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard about head basket? Well, we have in Chin Hills. Lets call it Chin head basket. It is a kind of basket that you carry by hanging around your head with a string. You don’t carry it by hand. The basket is quite a large one, big enough to carry a 5 gallons or more water container. And people, even young women and children, carry them by a string hung over their head. It is a tiring thing to do so. We use it to carry fire-wood, to carry vegetables, corns and other from farms, to sell vegetables to other villages, cities. We use it like a suitcases or backpack too.

Memorial stones from Chin Hills

2012-12-07T10:10:00.000-08:00

If you travel in Chin Hills, you will see many stone slabs erected on the side of the road. They are all written in Chin language so you won’t know what the meaning is. They are actually the memorial stones erected in the memory of the deceased. Usually, they give a brief description of the person who passed away, with achievements while they were alive. They include the awards, possessions, wives and children, animals killed, enemies killed in battles, positions held in the government service, etc. Usually, these memorials are erected by the children of the deceased. There usually is a grand feast to those who come the the stone erection ceremony. It is indeed an expensive ceremony with many cows and pigs killed to serve the guests. Although the expense is quite huge, this is considered a great honor to the deceased and the family so the family will try their best to continue this honorable tradition.

These memorials are the written history of Chin State and Chin people. Before the old and neglected memorials are destroyed, we should do something to protect and restore them, and record the contents of the memorials.

A point to note here is that they are not tomb stones, but the real memorials.

None

2012-12-07T10:01:00.002-08:00

WHO ARE THE ZOMI?

2012-12-02T22:24:00.001-08:00

THE GENERIC NAME
Relating to this generic name, Fan-Cho a diplomat of the Tang dynasty of China, mentioned in 862 AD a Kingdom in the Chindwin Valley whose Princes and Chiefs were called Shou (Zo). In 1783, Father Vincentius Sangermano in his book, 'A Description of the Burmese Empire' described them as, "a petty nation called JO (JAW)" Sir Henry Yule, as early as 1508 mentioned about the YO country the location of which was "west of the mouth of the Kyen-dwen (Chindwin) the interior of Doab, between the Irrawaddy and the Chindwin, from Mout-Shabo upwards and the whole of the hill country east and north-east of the capital, towards the Ruby-mines, the upper course of Hyitnge, and the Chinese frontier". Rev. Howard Malcolm also testified thus, "The YAW (ZO) is on the lower waters of the Khyendiwen (Chindwin) not far from Ava. The district is sometimes called YO or JO".

Another early use of the name Zo with reference to the Zomi (Kuki-Chin-Lushai), the first on the Lushai Hills side which till then was a terra incognito, was by Col. T.H. Lewin, the first white man to know the inhabitants of Lushai Hills (Mizoram). He wrote that he came to know, during the Lushai Expedition of 1871-72 that, the generic name of the whole nation is Dzo. Dr. Francis Buchanan also wrote of Zomi and Zomi language, while Captain Pemberton mentioned Zo or Jo in his Reports on the Eastern Frontiers of British India, 1835. The fact that the Zomi were known as ZOU or YO or YAW, before their society evolved into clan based organisation and lineage segmentation, was pointed out by Dr. G.A. Grierson in his survey, thus,

The name (Kuki and Chin) is not used by the tribes themselves, who use titles such as Zo or Yo or Cho.
Rev Sukte T. Hau Go, a former lecturer of Mandalay University (Burma) also shared the same view,
Zomi is the correct original historical name of our people, from the Naga hill to the Bay of Bengal. To the north of Tedim, the Thadous and other tribes call themselves Yo; in Falam, Laizo. The Tedim people call themselves Zo; the Lushais, Mizo; in Haka, Zotung, Zophei, Zokhua. In Gangaw area Zo is pronounced as YAW, in Mindat Jo or CHO; and in Paletwa Khomi. In Prome, Thayetmyo, Sandoway and Bassein areas they call themselves A-Sho. So, in spite of slight variations Zomi is our original historical national name.

It is, therefore, no wonder that Zomi use the term Zo, Zou, Zhou, Chou, Shou, Yo, Jo, Yaw, Shu, etc. in their speech and poetic language as Zo-Vontawi, Zo-lei, Zogam or Zoram, Zo-tui, Zo-fa, etc.; in naming geographical names such as Zotlang, Zopui, Zobawks; and in some of the clan names like Zophei, Zotung, Zokhua, Laizo, Bawmzo, Zote, etc. All these have a common derivation from the generic name, "ZO". It is also because of this fact that scholars like Dr. Vum Kho Hau, Prof. Laldena, Dr. Vum Son, Dr. Tualchin Neihsial, Dr. H. Kamkhenthang, Dr. Mangkhosat Kipgen, Cap. Sing Khaw Khai, Dr. J. M. Paupu, Pu K. Zawla, Pu R. Vanlawma, B. Langthanliana, Dr. V. Lunghnema, Dr. Hawlngam Haokip, Pu L. S. Gangte, Pu T. Gougin, Pu Thang Khan Gin Ngaihte, Rev. S. Prim Vaiphei, Rev. Khup Za Go, Pu L. Keivom, Rev. S. T. Hau Go, Dr. Khen Za Sian, Prof. Thang Za Tuan, Rev. Sing Ling etc. concluded that ZO is the ancestor of the Zo people (Zomi). However, there are several contestations that the 'Zo' people be recognised as 'Mizo' in Mizoram state of India, 'Zomi'/'Chins' in Chin Hills province of Myanmar and 'Kuki' in Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Sagiang Division of Myanmar.

THE ORIGIN OF THE NAME

There are two views about the origin of the word, 'ZOMI'. The first and most acceptable view is that Zo is a person whose descendants are called Zo-fate or Zo-suante. Some scholars like Pu Thawng Khaw Hau and Pu Captain K. A. Khup Za Thang presented the genealogical table of various Zomi clans in which they strongly claim that they are the descendants of Zo. Zo Khang Simna Laibu and Zo Suan Khang Simna Laibu (Genealogy of the Zo Race of Burma)cover extensively the genealogy of Zo people in Chin State as well as those living in Mizoram and Manipur. Dr. Vum Kho Hau and Dr. Vum Son trace all the Zomi lineal to Zo. Pu Dr. V. Lunghnema wrote the Genealogy of the Hmar tribes, a branch of the Zo family, and he identified Zo as the ancestor of the Hmar clan . This interpretation of the term 'ZO' is substantiated by the fact that Zomi have a tradition of naming their clans after the head of each clan, thereby, Hualngo, Zahao, Guite, Singsit, Sailo, etc. clans carry each of their fore-father's name. Likewise, it is logically true with Zo, Dzo or a very similar sounding one for the name of Zo as the founder of Zo people or Zomi. So, the word Zo is a generic name and Zomi is derived from the name of the ancestor with reference to his descendants.

The second view suggests that the term Zo might have been derived from the Zo King of the Zhou Dynasty (B.C. 1027-225) of China. The main argument in this regard is that in ancient times the names of the ruling dynasty became the identity for the subjects.

MEANING OF THE NAME

On the meaning of the term Zo, there are intellectuals who translate Zo as Highland. This translation of Zo as highland or cold region and subsequently Mizo or Zomi as highlanders or people of the hills is too simplistic and misleading, because the people called themselves Zomi when they lived in the plains of the Chindwin Valley and elsewhere. The word 'ZO' or 'Zo LO' might mean highland or highland farms but not highlanders nor highland farmers. Pu R. Vanlawma, a veteran politician and a prolific writer of Mizoram has correctly advocated that,

It was not the people who derived their name Zo from the high altitude of their abode, but on the contrary it was the high lands and especially the farm lands there, called 'Zo Lo' which derived their name from the Zo people who cultivated the farms.

The generic name 'ZO' has no relation with the geographical-climatic term 'Zo' . As a matter of fact, Zo is a generic name whose word is of local origin and needs no further explanation, whereas 'mi' means man or people and there is no ambiguity about it. In this way of historical process, Zo people identified themselves with Zo and emerged as a race to be called ZOMI among mankind.

The Zomi are, therefore, those ethnic or linguistic, or cultural groupings of people who had commonly inherited the history, tradition and culture of Zo as their legacies, irrespective of the names given to them by outsiders.

Zo is the Name derived from "Pu Zo" or "Grand Father Zo". The Legends said that "Pu Zo" was the Father of all Zomi Tribes and from him came out Zo, Sim, Mal, Thei zang, Shi zang, Thado, Paite, Vaiphei, in the which Zo is the first born among others and even in other Tribes who are called Chins in Burma and Mizo India. Even some of the Naga Tribes in India have Resemblance in Language with Zo and even in Cultural Origins

GENERIC NAME / IMPOSED NAMES

It is unfortunate and quite confusing for insiders as well as outsiders that the Zomi, who belong to the same racial stock, shared history, culture and traditions are recognised by different names : while the Burmese called them 'Chin' or 'Khyan', the Bengalis and others in India called them 'Kuki', with a variety of spellings. The British added a third name, Lushai, in the early 1870s to compound the confusion. However, key British Military Officers and Civil Administrators soon realized that the people whom they called by various names were the same people and that they should be dealt with as a single group. Thus, they began to refer to them by various hyphenated names, e.g. Chin-Lushai (A.S. Reid), Lusei-Kuki (J. Shakespear), Kuki-Chin (G.A. Grierson), and even a triple hyphenated form was used, e.g. Kuki-Lushai-Chin (S. Fuchs).
What did they call themselves before terms like Kuki, Chin or Lushai were imposed upon them have been much discussed. For better understanding of our racial and national nomenclature, the origin and meaning of the imposed names may be discussed. Please click below links for further study:

1. ChinAs already mentioned, in Burma the Zomi are known as Chin. Their culture and traditions are all very similar.

Implied thus is that the basket carrying inhabitants of the Chin Hills bordering the plain Burmans are Chin. But according to Prof. G. H. Luce, an eminent scholar of the early Burmese history, the term "Chin" (khyan in old Burmese) was derived from the Burmese word meaning "ally" or "comrade" in describing the peaceful relationship which existed between the Chins and the Pagan Burman in their historical past. His interpretation was based on the thirteenth century Pagan inscription. However, the same inscription also revealed the controversial slave trade along the Chindwin River. However, in the year 1950 the Burmese Encyclopaedia defined Chin as "ally". Whatever the case may be, from the above evidence it can be concluded that the word was coined by the Burmese and it was adopted by the British officials. Investigation and research, however, proves that such a word as "Chin" does not exist in the vocabulary of the Zomi. The people themselves do not use in their folksongs, poetry or language. Even today the name remains strange to the illiterate people of the countryside in the very region called Chin Hills in Burma.

2. KukiProbably the first recorded used of the name "Kuki" appeared in the History of Tripura as early as 1512 AD. During the reign of Tripura Raja Dhanya Manikya (around 1490 AD), it was pointed out that, wild race called Kukees live Thannangchi Forest of Tripura. Yet the origin of the word itself is most obscure. The colonial historians divided the Zomi under two names, i.e. the "Kuki" and the "Lushai". This was clearly demonstrated in the writing of Rawlins. In his paper published in the Asiatic Research Vol. II, p.12 he called the people "Cucis" or "Mountaineers from Tipra" by adopting the name used by the Bengali and Assamese when referring to the Zomi of Chittagong Hill Trace and Tripura Hills. Colonel John Shakespear clubbed them together and called them "the Lushai-Kuki Clans". He even included most of the hill tribes of the Lushai Hills, parts of Manipur, North Cachar Hills, and Tripura, who have the same cultural affinity, customs and mode of living. In this he was supported by the British statesmen, ethnographers and linguists. On the other hand, he was also fully aware that the words "Kuki" and "Lushai" were not accepted by the people to whom the name applied. In fact, there never was such a word as "Kuki" in the vocabulary of any of the Zomi dialects. It is neither a clan name nor family name. The Lushai too were averse to the name Kuki. In the meantime William Shaw wrote a book on the Thadou Kuki and he tried to put all the people of the group under the racial nomenclature of Thadou Kukis. All the other tribes, except the Thadou speaking and those willing to call themselves Kuki, do not accept it at all. It has instead now become a bone of contention among the two- the Thadou and the Kuki, which is exemplified by the existence of Association/ Organisations like KSO, TSA, TKSU, TTC, etc. It is known that they even submitted a memorandum to the Government of Manipur to ban the book.

The anti-Kuki stand of the various Tribes of Manipur was further strengthened by the resolution of a meeting held on 26 June 1942 in which they expressed their desire not to identify themselves as Kuki.

3. Lushai or MizoThe term Lushai, native 'Lusei,' is commonly used to refer to the Zomi of the Lushai Hills. It was Mr. Edger, the Deputy Commissioner of Cachar who first officially used the term "Lushai" instead of "Zomi" around the year 1897. It may be mentioned that the term may have been derived from the custom of certain tribes keeping their hair long and fastening it in a knot at the back of the head (Lu-head, shei-long i.e. keeping the head long or long head) .It could also have originated from the custom of head hunting (Lu=head, Shai=cut i.e. head cutting) . Such interpretations or fanciful explanations were not accepted by John Shakespear, the Superintendent of the Lushai Hills and an authority on the Lushai. He made it clear that "Lushai is our way of spelling the word, the proper way to spell the word, so as to represent the actual sound, as spoken by the people, is Lushei (Lusei). From this writer it is apparent that the word "Lushai" is derived from "Lusei", the name of the most powerful dominating tribe of the Lushai Hills who rule under the title "Sailo". However, the British later adopted "Lushai" as the official designation of all Zo people of the Lushai Hills. Then in the year 1946 the tribes of the Lushai Hills changed their nomenclature into Mizo. It was on 9 April 1946 that the Mizo Union was founded at the Muallungthu (Lushai Hills) Conference. The primary object of the Mizo Union was to bring the Zo people under one nomenclature and when the British left their country to set up an independent state of the Zomi living in the Indo-Burma borderland.

Adoption of Zomi NomenclatureThere is a clear consciousness among different sections of the people like students, cultural organisations, social units, church groups, political segments and various organisations about the absence of a popularly accepted nomenclature for the Chin-Kuki-Lushai people. One name after another was propounded but failed to get popular acceptance. This, in spite of the fact that they belong to the same ethnic group. So the terms, Kuki, Chin, or Lushai, or their combinations like Lusei-Kuki, Kuki-Chin, Kuki-Lusei-Chin or even acronyms like CHIKUMI( for Chin-Kuki-Mizo) or CHIKIM (for Chin-Kuki-Mizo) could not be firmly in the minds of the people, who intrinsically know that they are foreign terms having no meaning in any local dialects. Two wrongs or three wrongs can not make right. They cannot but help resist because they were imposed upon them by rulers and outsiders to be their identity, without their knowledge and readiness to accept them.

It is a fact of modern history that in the past Zo people identified themselves willy-nilly either as Chin or Kuki or Lushai in order to be accepted in Military services. Today things have changed. The search for an acceptable name that is not only popular, appropriate and meaningful but is the original name for a common identity of the Zo racial group ends with Zomi, after the progenitor, Zo.

The arguments for Zomi nomenclature have been dealt with extensively in the section on the generic name, and needs no further explanation. However, the manner in which Zomi gets maximum organisations pleading for its acceptance at various levels may be highlighted as under:

In Burma, a Committee was formed in 1953 to remove the existing confusion over names for a common racial nomenclature. After thorough research, the Committee realised that they were indeed descendants of Zo, and realised they had always called themselves - Zo, Yo, Yaw, Shou, Jo and the like from time immemorial. Thus, they unanimously recommended the term 'Zomi' for their racial nomenclature .This was subsequently adopted in a general meeting at Saikah village at Thantlang, Chin State (see documents). In 1983, after a gap of thirty years, the name Zomi was reviewed in a Convention held at Thantlang, where out of 434 delegates from different areas of the region, 424 voted in favour of the earlier 1953 recommendation . Today the term Zomi is widely used by various organisations like Zomi Baptist Conventions, Zomi Christian Literature Society, Zomi Baptist Press, Zomi Theological College, Rangoon University Zomi Students' Association, Zomi Literature Upliftment Society, etc.

On the Indian administered areas, the Zo people rejected the name Lushai and changed it to Mizo (People + Zo) in the 1940s on realising the fact that their progenitor was Zo. All sections of Zomi were actively involved in Mizo Union movement at its initial stage. However, some sections gradually disassociated from the movement on the ground of linguistic imposition, and their suspicion was vindicated by the Peace Accord signed in 1988 which covered only Lushai speaking areas. Today Mizoram stands as one Zomi state within Zoland, the Zomi inhabited areas of the region.

In Manipur, the question of Zomi nomenclature was not an issue until the recent factional clash between ZRA and KNF(P), which is also called Zomi-Kuki conflict of 1997 in local parlace due to the innumerable loss of maximum life from both side. In 1971, a political organisation called Zomi National Congress (ZNC) was formed at Daizang, Manipur. It was at the initiative of the party that the First World Zomi Convention was held at Champhai, Mizoram from May 19–21, 1988. Thousands of delegates of all Zo clans from around the world attended the Convention and declared that. It issued a historic declaration on the question of ethnic identify as follows:

We, the people of Zo ethnic group, inhabitants of the highlands in the Chin Hills and Arakans of Burma, the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, the Mizoram state and adjoining hills areas of India are descendants of one ancestor. Our language, our culture and tradition, and no less our social and customary practices are clear evidences of the ethnological facts. Further, our historical records, and footprints both written and unwritten in the sands of time testify to the truth of our common ancestry.

The same year a significant proclamation released by the Zomi National Congress in Burma concluded on a strong note: "We proclaim that the racial name Chin should be done away with and Zo must be reinstated to its proper place and status of racial identity."

In early 1980s an awakening for common identity was aroused among Zomi intellectuals of Manipur. A wide ranging consultation was organised by Kuki-Chin Baptists Leaders during 1981-83 .They published a book called, "In search of Identity" in which all the writers stressed on the homogeneous characteristics of the so-called Kuki-Chin-Lushai people, and recommended Zomi nomenclature. Dr H Kamkhenthang, the Editor of the booklet wrote thus:

To me Zomi is an indigenous term having its own meaning to the people. This term remained buried in the stratum of socio-cultural layers of the people that is taking its own germination though retarded by the imposition of foreign terms to which the people respond externally.

Today a large number of organisations have started in different parts of the world under the name Zomi viz. Zomi Christian Fellowship, Zomi Christian International, All Zomi Students' Association, Zomi Welfare Society, Zomi Democratic Front, Zomi Christian Church, Zomi Innkuan, Zomi Nam Ni Magazine, Zomi Students' Federation, Zomi Youth Association, Zomi Mothers' Association, etc. Further more and more Zomi tribes realised the impropriety of calling themselves 'Nation' and while accepting Zomi as their national name effected a change in the naming of their tribe's apex organisation, viz, Simte National Council was changed into Simte Tribe Council, Paite National Council to Paite Tribe Council, Gangte Tribes Union, and more and more of such progressive changes are on the offerings among the tribes.

Thus, Zomi as the racial common nomenclature of all Zo descendants is an undeniable historical and anthropological fact. There is not an iota of bigotry when Zomi champion that 'Zomi' is the genuine national name of those who have been called Kuki-Chin-Lushai people by imposition. The remedy to having confusing names lies in calling ourselves Zomi, as Pu Dr. Vum Kho Hau, had pointed out:

Had the word Kuki or Chin or Lushai been changed to ZOMI at that time, the right word for calling the various tribes and clans of the Zo race inhabiting the areas joining Burma, East Pakistan (Bangladesh) and Assam (India) would have been answered a long time ago.

The era of truth and nationalism began to dawn upon the Zomi. The name, Zomi, which remained inactive in the social, cultural layers and folksongs of the past, is now surfacing in the social, cultural, religious and political folds.

Hakha

2012-12-02T14:00:00.000-08:00

Hakha (ha: hka, formerly called Haka) is the capital of Chin State in Burma.

It is located in the northeast in Chin State. The vernacular name of the city was Halkha. The total area of Hakha is about 12.50 square miles (32.4 km²). The town of Hakha is more than 6,000 feet above the sea level, founded on a small highland plateau, and although it is relatively small in land area, it is the largest town and capital city of the whole state and its plateau is significantly larger than that of other towns in Chin State. It is estimated that Hakha has enough land and full capacity to extend as much as ten times than its current township area.

As Chin State is quite hilly, Hakha is built on the slope of a large mountain, in a U shape. There is only one main road running along the middle of the city, in a curve U, and the whole city is built along this road. Another road runs from the middle of the city, for a short while, forming the foot of U. Hakha is in the center of Chin State and it is connected with Thantlang, Falam, Gangaw and Matupi by truck roads.

History
Hakha was founded around A.D. 1400 by the Lai ethnic group. The area was ruled by local chiefs for many generations and it consisted of more than 600 houses when the British troops arrived in Hakha in 1889.

The British occupied Hakha on January 19, 1890, as part of their operation to "subdue the wild tribes" in the Arakan Hills Division, as the area was then called. The British government later established a sub-divisional office and Hakha became a town a few years later.

The first American Baptist missionary couple, Arthur Carson (1860-1908) and his wife Laura (1858-1942) who arrived in Hakha on March 15, 1899 and opened a mission station. Later other missionaries joined them and did extensive mission works throughout the Chin Hills and converted most of the Northern Chin State to Christianity within a century. This missionary work brought education, development, social and economic changes, and health improvement to the Chin people. The main contribution to language education was by Chester Strait of Wisconsin (1893-1985) who opened the Chin Hills Bible School in 1928 with thirteen students - four from the Tiddim area of the Zomi people, four from Falam and five from the Haka areas of the Laimi, another branch of the Chin people. Although the teaching was in the Lai language after six months all students were able to write their final exam in the language.

During the Second World War, Hakha was captured by Japanese troops on November 11, 1943; it was later recaptured by British troops.

When Burma gained independence from British control in 1948, Hakha became an important city as the center for one of the subdivisions in the Chin Special Division, of which Falam was the capital at that time. The Chin Special Division was abolished reformed as the Chin State in 1974, at which time Hakha became the capital of the Chin State. That brought an influx of government workers, and housing development and extension of the city. Hakha eventually became the largest city in the Chin State with about 20,000 people.

Geography and climate

The city is 6,120 feet (1,870 m) above sea level and it lies at the foot of Rung Tlang (Mt. Rung), which is about 7,543 feet (2,299 m) high, and is one of the most famous and beautiful mountain peaks in the Chin State.

January is the coldest month of the year with a mean temperature of around 27 degrees Celsius. April is the hottest month at a mean of 36 degrees Celsius.

The total rainfall is about 86.22 inches every year.

It is quite cold during the winter months. Sometimes, the temperature drops to as low as minus two degree Celsius. It is also very windy in winter. The whole city is foggy in the morning and in the evening. The weather is excruciatingly cold. During the month of January, 2009 there was a cold wave that hit Burma. The government's mouth-piece newspaper, Myanma Ahlin, however, did not carry any story on the possible 'Cold Wave' passing through the country, though it mentioned that temperatures have dropped up to 0 degree in Hakha Town, capital city of Chin state in north-west Burma. According to medical experts, the 'Cold Wave' could cause severe health problems especially to children and elderly people and there are chances of some being paralyzed. Besides, cardiac and kidney problems could also grow worse.

Burmese officials downplayed the warning issued by Indian officials. Tun Lwin, director of Burma's Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, said the cold spell was not unusual for this time of year."It is likely to be cold up until the end of the month but it is a regular cold season. It is not really anything new. There is no record breaking temperature," Tun Lwin said. The Burmese meteorology department has issued issued daily weather reports since 1988, but it has never issued warnings of predicted heat waves or cold snaps.

Dai

2012-12-02T13:46:00.000-08:00

The Dai or Daai (Yindu) are an ethnic tribe of Chin, Myanmar. The Burmese used to call the Dai "Yindu Chin" because of their clothing styles. In particular, Dai women used to wear their clothes from the breast to knee. They live in the mountain ranges of Chin, Myanmar, and are known for their face tattoos. The Dai are one of 53 tribes of Chin and 135 tribes of Myanmar.

The Dai people are from Myanmar located in southern Chin. The Dai are one of the 32 Chin tribes, which have been registered by the Government of Burma since 1890. The recent Military Regime’s census mentions the Dai tribe as the 62nd of 135 tribes of Burma. Researchers sometimes refer to them as Dai or Yindu in the ethnic survey book of Burma. The word Yindu, meaning "from chest to knee", derives from the Dai dress code, which stretches from chest to knee. The Dai-Chin appear to be of Mongolian, Indo-Chinese, and Tibeto-Burman descent as the other Chin tribes do. The Dai people live in the Mindat, Paletwa, Matupi and Kanpetlet townships of the Southern Chin State, Burma. There are more than 180 Dai villages with a total population of somewhere between 60,000 and 90,000. Their population makes the Dai-Chin the majority tribe in the Southern Chin Hills.

History
The Dai land was an independent country until the British expedition in 1890, and later annexation in 1897 by the United Kingdom. The Dai language varies slightly between subtribes. Their ethnic tribes symbol is khuum (rocket tail drongo). The ling leih (Bulbophyllum refractum, one of orchid species) is their royal flower. Traditionally Dai women wear face tattoos. Guuk Booi is the main dish of Daai people. 99% of Dai people are Christians. They live in the mountain ranges of their own Dai land, Chin state, Myanmar. The alternative names are Daai, Dai, Yindu Chin (by Burmese language).

Location

The Dai inhabit a part of the Southern Chin State of Myanmar, located on the mainland of Southeast Asia. It is surrounded by China to the north and northeast, Laos to the east, Thailand to the east and southeast, India to the northwest, Bangladesh to the west and the Andaman Sea to the south. The country is divided into four topographical zones. The Eastern Shan Plateau is a highland region that merges with the Dawna and Tenasserim Yoma mountain ranges. The central belt zone covers the valleys of the Irrawaddy, Chindwin and Sittang rivers as well as a mountainous region to the north and a low lying delta to the south. The third region is the western mountain zone, also known as the Arakan Mountains, a series of ridges that start in the northern mountain area and extend to the southwestern corner. The Arakan coastal zone is a narrow alluvial strip lying between the Arakan Mountains and the Bay of Bengal.

The Dai land is situated in the southern part of the Chinland (Chin state) located on the western mountain zone of Myanmar. It is also located between north latitude 20˚ 30' and 21˚ 30', and between east longitude 93˚ 10' and 94˚ 10'. Dai land covers the west of Mindat Township, the northwest of Kanpetlet township, the northeast of Paletwa township and to the southeast of the Matupi township. The longest part of their land is about 120 miles (193 km) and the narrowest part is roughly 60 miles (96 km). The Dai land is mountainous and situated between 800 m–3200 m above sea level. The highest mountain in Dai land is Khawnusuum (Mt Victoria). Dai Land has thousands of slope ranges of mountains, brooks, streams and two small rivers: the Laymyo river and Moun river. Many natural water courses flow through the mountain ranges running from north to south, forming valleys and gorges.

Population

The overall Dai population is estimated somewhere between 60,000 and 90,000. 15% of the total population (500,000) of the Chin State are Dai people. Some of the Dai people live in and around Myanmar and all over the world. Dai people are descended from Sino - Tibetan, Tibeto - Burma, Kuki - Chin -Naga, Kuki - Chin, Chin - Dai.

Politics

Dai land is divided into four parts within the southern Chin state: Kanpetlet, Mindat, Matupi and Paletwa townships. Today Dai land encompasses Chin state, Myanmar. The local government separated Dai land into Kanpetlet Dai, Mindat Dai, Matu Dai and Paletwa Dai.

Education

There are only basic educational institutions, such as middle schools (students from 5 to 14 years of age) in Dai lands. Basic primary school is available in almost all villages. Higher education is available only in a few villages. Today, Dai people are receiving further education in various Christian colleges such as in the capital cities of Yangon, Falam, Mandalay, Kalay, Maymyo.

Health

There are government clinics and dispensaries in some villages, but there is no medicine in those dispensaries. People go to the nearest Burmese villages and the cities to buy medicine. There are no doctors in Dai land. Sometimes medical staff and nurses visit Dai lands. They occasionally administer government-provided vaccination to the Dai people.

Culture

Language
All Dai tribes speak the Dai language. These are slightly different styles between the subtribes of Kanpetlet township and Matupi township. Despite this, the different dialects are usually mutually intelligible. Dai writing was developed in the 1990s with the help of German people, with an alphabet based on the German alphabet.

Villages
There are more than 180 villages in Dai land. Dai villages make up 13% of the 1,355 total villages in the Chin State. Villages range from 10 to 140 houses, the largest and most populated village in Dai land is Makui Innu Village in the Mindat township, west of the central part of Dai land.

Religion
Approximately thirty years ago, Dai people practised animism. Since then, most Dai people have converted to Christianity within the last two decades. Currently about 99% of the Dai people are Christian.

Shifting cultivation
Dai people practise shifting cultivation, known as ''Taungya" in Burmese and "Lou" in the Dai language. Cultivators cut and burn forests and raise agricultural crops for one to two years before moving on to another site, only returning to the original after 10 to 11 years.

The Dai people living in western part of Myanmar and southern part of Chin State have rich customs and traditions. Their traditions and rituals are associated with their shifting cultivation in the hills. The practice of shifting cultivation is deeply rooted in Dai culture. Shifting cultivation for the Dais is more than sustenance, it is a way of life, the foundation from which emerged their economic and social traditions.

In its early period, shifting cultivation provided food for the Dai. However, these days it serves as the economic mainstay for the Dai, providing money to buy clothes, attend school, and trade with their neighbours.

Economy
The Dai people cultivate rice, corn, millet, beans, peas, cucumber, pumpkin, gourd, egg plant, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, ginger, sesame and celery in their gardens or farms. Dai farmers cultivate at the beginning of monsoon season (the mid-April to June) and harvest crops in October and November. The cultivation method is dependent on monsoon rains.

Generally, Dai land is mostly used for slash-and-burn or shifting cultivation, with the least-developed regions inhabited by the indigenous hill tribes of Myanmar. Dai people earn their livelihood by shifting between cultivation (Taung Ya) and subsistence farming. Farming and gardening are only for their subsistence and personal consumption, transportation systems and markets are not developed in Dai land.

References

The study of Dai (Daai)people (Southern Chin State, Myanmar)by Dai Thet Saw
U Min Naing (B.A), National Ethnic Groups of Myanmar. Yangon: Swiftwinds Books, 2000.
Committee of History and Customs Research, Kanpetlet Township: Chin Nationalities and Sub-tribes’ Customs Record. Kanpetlet: Limited Issue, 1984.
Rosang, Ancient Chin History. Yangon: Limited Issue, 2005
Myo Thant (Edit) et al. Myanmar Facts and Figures 2002. Yangon: Ministry of Information, 2002.
The Dai people: The Apple of God's Eye by Shwekey Hoipang
The Chin Hills: A History of the People, our dealing with them, Their Customs and Manners, and a Gazetteer of their Country Vol/ 1&2 by Bertram S. Carey and H. N. Tuck
Burma Gazetteer:Northern Arakan District (or Arakan Hill Tracts ), Volume A, Brown, Grant*# Captain G. C. Rigby, History of Operations: Northern Arakan and Yawdwin Chin Hills 1896-97 with A Description of the Country and Its Resources, Notes on the Tribes, And Dairy. Yangon: Government Printing Press, 1897.
F. K. Lehman, The Structure of Chin Society: A Tribal People of Burma adapted to a Non-Western civilisation. Urbana: Illinois Studies of Anthropology, 1963.
Lt. Col. Hla Min, Political Situation of Myanmar and Its Role in the Region. Yangon: Strategic Research Office-Defence Ministry, 2000.
Lian H. Sakhong, In Search of Chin Society: A Study in Religion, Politics and Ethnic Identity in Burma. Copenhagen: NIAS, 2003.
Senior Research Officer, Foreign Department Report on Chin Lushai Hills September. Aizawl: Tribal Research Institute, 1980.
U Min Naing (B.A), National Ethnic Groups of Myanmar. Yangon: Swiftwinds Books, 2000.
Mana Thang, A Short History of the Methodist Mission among the Dai people. Yangon: Unpublished (MDiv. Dissertation, MIT) 2000
Dominique Thet Saw, Tree cultivated in Dai Land,http://daifamilylive.blogspot.com/2010/06/tree-cultivated-in-dai-land.html, (http://www.scribd.com/doc/32452982/)

Htantlang Township

2012-12-02T13:24:00.001-08:00

Thantlang Township ( also Htantlang Township) is one of nine townships in Chin State. Thantlang is the administrative town of inclusive eight circles (also called mountain ranges) attributed to the geographical and dialectical arrangements of the area. They are Vanzang Tlang (Vanzang circle), Zahnak Tlang (Zahnak circle), Bual Tlang (Bual circle), Lautu Tlang (Lautu circle), Mara Tlang (Mara circle), Vailam Tlang (Vailam circle), Zophei Tlang (Zophei circle)and Bawipa Tlang (Bawipa circle). The name Bawipa is attributed to famous mount Bawipa although villages in the circle majorly speak Zophei dialect .

A variety of languages are spoken in Thantlang township, including Lautu, Zophei, Senthang, Lai and Mara. The western border of the township that separates it from India is formed by the Tyao River from the north, and the Kaladan River (known locally as the Boinu River) from the south which flow together at 22°47′10″N 93°05′45″E.

History of Htantlang

"Thlantlang" means cemetery mountain. Prior to 1995, there were many old cemeteries on the south side of the mountain above the main town, where subsequently the Burmese military build a camp and a pagoda. Briefly, in the early 2000s, a small piece of northeastern Thantlang Township, namely the village tracts of: Lungding, Tikhuangtum, Tlangkhua, Tlangpi, Tlangte, northern Vanzang (Farrawn), and Zangtlang, was transferred to Falam Township. However, in 2008, in the reorganization of Chin State townships, these village tracts were restored.

Mindat Township

2012-12-02T13:17:00.004-08:00

Mindat Township (Burmese: မင်းတပ်မြို့နယ်) is a township located in Mindat District in the Chin State of Myanmar. The township has 46 village tracts and 497 villages. It is located between latitude 21.19 and 21.47, longitude 93.23 and 94.29. The third highest peak in Myanmar, Nat Ma Taung (Mt. Victoria) at 3053 meters, is located here.

The "Kcho" or "Cho" people are the main ethnic group in the township. The Kcho people speak the Kcho language, distinct from surrounding Chin dialects. Other ethnic groups in the township are the Mun, the M'Kang and the Dai.

Christianity is the main religion. Animism and Theravada Buddhism are also present.

Kanpetlet

2012-12-02T13:12:00.003-08:00

Kan Pet Let is the home town of southern Chin tribes of Dai, Upu, and Ya clans. It's the famous town of the Chin state for its own beautiful scenery of Myanmar. Around its own border there are Saw, Mindat, Paletwa, Setottayar and Minpyar township.

Life in Thantlang

2012-12-02T13:08:00.005-08:00

Many of the town inhabitants are surviving upon the slash-burn farming. There is a central market in the heart of the town where we can hardly buy fresh vegetables except expensive Burmese clothes. There is a small meat market where hundred of people swarmed to buy scarcely-sell meat mostly beef, mythun meat, buffalo meat and pork. Home grown chicken are usually hawking by owners from villagers in the street and some are kept in local shop. Even though the military regime restricted the people from freedom of movement and work, there are no beggars in Than Tlang and Chin State. No Mang orphans & captives mission have been in function since 1990s to give education and shelter to some children who are unable to go to school because of losing parents in their early life. Than Tlang people have been facing Burmese military forced portering, forced labour and arbitrary arrest since 1962. As Than Tlang is one the Chin state towns located closest to Indian border, Myanmar military often wrongfully accused locals as having connection with underground movements and imprisoned several people and tortured them. Due to the harsh and torturous mistreatment by Burmese army, many of Than Tlang locals left the town to evade military continual persecution and some ended up wandering to survive in India, some internally displaced to other towns within Burma notably in Rangoon areas and even to south east Asian countries.

Almost the entire population in the town support Aung San Suu Kyi and democracy. In 2010 military led election, no pro-military nominated representatives won seats from Than Tlang constituency.

The meaning of Thantlang

2012-12-02T13:06:00.003-08:00

Thantlang also Thlantlang, Htantlang in Burmese transliteration) is a town and the administrative center of Thantlang Township in Chin State, western known as (Myanmar).

The Name: Than Tlang was formerly known as Thlan Tlang which means " Cemetery Hill" as there were many cemeteries at the west part of the town. However, since many educated people lost their lives in the early years, the people of Thlan Tlang ascribed the early demise of many educated people on the name being called Thlan Tlang as a jinx. Therefore Township People Council in 1983 changed Thlan Tlang into Than Tlang which means " Famous Hill" which remains as it is until today. There are roughly 7000 populations in Than Tlang town by 2010. Than Tlang is located just 20 miles from Chin State capital, Hakha.

Than Tlang township is made up of over 80 villages. The township is also surrounded by 9 small regions knowns as Khualhring region, Vanzang region, Zahnak region, Bual region, Vailam region, Zophei region, Bawipa Hill region, Lautu region and Mara region. Than Tlang town is one of the most developed township within Chin State. Even though there are many different dialects from the 9 regional groups of people, all of them understands each other well like one family. Not only from within Chin State but in the entire Myanmar, famous singers like Sung Tin Par and Dawt Hlei Hniang who are well known are from Zophei and Vanzang region respectively.

Than Tlang town is sanwiched between Vuichip and Marau mountains and fed by two beautiful river; Buhva from east and Lahva from west. There are some paddfields at the river bank of Lahva ploughed by local farmers in June and harvested in end of October every year.

Interesting Places in Thantlang

2012-12-02T13:02:00.002-08:00

There are many interesting places to visit within Than Tlang township. There are many rocky mountains such as Lung Ding rock in Vanzang region, Ma E Pi mountain in Zophei region. Many historical places are still maintained by local villagers, notably a legendary well called Siapanglai in Bawipa region. Than Tlang is governmental administrative location from where all villages of the 9 regions are officially administered. Famous river called Kaladan in Burma is originally built up from a river called Timit which flows between Hakha town and Than Tlang and swerved through the north of Than Tlang into Mizoram State of India and re-emerged in Paletwah town of Chin State and merged into the sea called bay of Bengal. Than Tlang township borders with India from Mizoram State demarcation line.

The people of Than Tlang are known notably also as the most joking people within Chin State as most of the people from Than Tlang are fun-loving people. There are couple of churches in Than Tlang town but most of them are Protestant Christians although there are handful of Catholic Christian in the town but no Buddhists. The cunning Burmese rulers tried many way to bring Buddhism into Chin State by persuading the poorer Chin villagers to get education and shelter but in fact cheated them just to become Buddhist including some people in Than Tlang area.

Falam

2012-12-02T13:00:00.000-08:00

Dialects related to Chin, Falam: Zanniat

There are 17 similar spoken languages or dialects which share the same ISO language code as Chin, Falam: Zanniat.

Chin, Falam
Chin, Falam: Bondcher
Chin, Falam: Chari Chong
Chin, Falam: Chorai
Chin, Falam: Halam
Chin, Falam: Kalai
Chin, Falam: Khualshim
Chin, Falam: Laizo
Chin, Falam: Langkai
Chin, Falam: Lente
Chin, Falam: Molsom
Chin, Falam: Rupini
Chin, Falam: Tapong
Chin, Falam: Tashon
Chin, Falam: Zahao
Kaipeng
Laizo-Chin

History Background of Matupi

2012-12-02T12:45:00.002-08:00

Have a glance of the historical background of our society. There is anti-social term such as “Slavery” in the mouths of people of Matupi as well as of other areas of Chin state.

Of course this has been abolished long ago in all over the world especially Abraham Lincoln former U.S President is famous for that. But so many long years after professing Christianity why are these still the idea of “I am Beoi phun and he/she is a salphun or khodaengca? From where did this idea originated? What are the causes of this and how far does it affect human development in our society? People are more than ready to share similar concern though they seem to be reluctant and not opening up at first. As the result three factors to be the main reasons are found:-

Unsettling in search of better pasture
Debt case and
Crime.

Initially most of this tribal group moved from place to place in searchof better land, water, climate etc. In doing so they confrontation with people more powerful than they themselves being subjugated them or they for care and protection. In return this people had to pay land tax as well as portion of the game they get because everything belongs to them especially the head of the village. Automatically this developed to thedistinction of “Boei phun” and the other is “Salphun” or “Khodaengca”.

Secondly debt case is one of the most common which we can still event today. Heavy interest is demanded of the debtor and when he can not repay he is taken and sold to another person who buys him to be his slave and not only him but also his children and grand children. When a person is in debt he is looked down upon are only a material and not as a human being. This is true only in these day but even today in our present society. We have today in our present society. We have not been freed from this kind of mentality. While moneyed person is given great and too high regard a non moneyed person is regarded only as possession, which be used at will.

Third one is when someone committed a crime he had to run for his life along with his family and relatives and take refuge somewhere in another village. Accordingly they become strangers’ people, with were mercy of the villagers. They had to depend on the people for everything. They had to listen and obey for they have no other choices. They are refugees therefore people take advantage over them.On account of the above three main reasons people started to classify themselves as Boeiphun and Salphun. Due to this if at all a so-called salphun attain high position he is not given due respect by the so- called Boeiphun but rather being despised.

Moreover a salphun can never marry a bride from the Boeiphun. In order to prevent this Boeiphun raised the price of their daughters so that the Salphun can not afford to buy or meet the demand of the Boeiphun. In a very are case a Boeiphun marries in a girl from the Salphun and in this case she is treated only as servant. Even if is not expressed explicitly the idea of and mentality is there existed implicitly. These three main factors contribute much to the obstruction of human development.

As the people of Chin scattered in different places, areas, local, village and town they are separated not only geographically but also dialectically (i.e. each village has a distinct dialect), culturally, religiously and even mentally. People are divided on the basis of the above mention and this disintegrates people instead of uniting into one.

There is feeling of bias and prejudices. When coming to selecting nation religious leader the able and promising ones are out side and everyone votes a person of his own base on the above said. This is the unfortunate fact of the drawback of our societal up bringing. In this situation the person who is in the position can not do or handle the work properly or effectively. The other people who can very well to many good and profitable work to the society are not given chance. Finally we are only the loser and not them. This deprives us of development in our community.

We must thank our father for their efforts to establish the town. To day we can see to there goodness and faithfulness to our town. Whenever they might be our father were very co-operative in doing every thing, that shows us the nobleness of theirs social relationship. Wrought retain their noble way, but today there is no unity and amicability among us. Kindness, patience, justice and righteousness are dismissing in us. When we can see what is happening around us with our own eyes. So we see really the need to reform, lift up and build up our moral and social life. This is our urgent duty.

Tribe of Lautu

2012-12-02T12:44:00.002-08:00

This is the tribe of Lautu.

Lautu

They migrated from Than Tlang township that is the Northern part of Matupi. Nowadays, they live in Le Kan, Sa Te, Hrin Pi. They speak in Lau Tu.

Tribes of Dai

2012-12-02T12:43:00.003-08:00

In Dai tribes contain; Nung - Thai - Buisaa, Thangyawng - Ringca, Maadu-Welu

Nung, Thai and Bui Saa Tribes

They migrated from Thi Lin township that is the Eastern part of Matupi. They live in Am Sue, Kui Caa, Kheng Ca, Thung Naa, Tui Sip, Pa La Ro, Bel Khoeng, Pan Tui, Ling Lui, Si Hleh, Boi Sip, Mii Tu. They speak in Dai language.

Thang Yawng and Ring Sa Tribes

They migrated from Thi Lin township that is the Eastern part of Matupi. Now they live in Shan, Yauh Thang, Nga Phan, Taw Tui. They speak in lower Dai language.

Maa Du and We Lu Tribes

They migrated from Thi Lin township that is the Eastern part of Matupi. They live in Maa Du, Thung Na, Vui Lu. They speak in Maa Du language.

Tribes of Mara

2012-12-02T12:42:00.001-08:00

In Mara tribes contain; Ngai Fai, Lai Lin.

Ngai Fai Tribes

They migrated from Thang Tlang township that is the Northern part of Matupi. And now they live in the (10) villages; Ta Bawng Pi, Ma La, Dar Lin, Sa Too, Sung Sen, Pa Mai, Cawng tu, Sa Khai, Ti Num, Ti Si. They speak in Nge Phe language.

Lai Lin Tribes

They migrated from Than Tlang township that is the Northern part of Matupi. Now they livein Sa Bawng Pi, Sa Bawng Te, and Hlung Mang.They speak in Sa Bawng language.

Tribes of Zotung

2012-12-02T12:39:00.003-08:00

In Zo Tung tribes contain; Sal Thawng, Tin Paw, In Mai.

Sal Thawng Tribes

Sal Thawng tribes are migrated from Hakha township that is the northern part of Matupi. Now they live in the (14) villages; Sal Thawng (1), Sal Thawng(2), Sha Shit, Shal Tlai, Law Taw, Ro Paa (1), Ro Paa (2), Re Zua, Saw Thi, Hong lee. Aye Tan, Thang Dia, Tinia, Ti Ting. They use Sal Thawng Language.

Tin Paw Tribes

They migrated from Lung Tang through HaKha township that is the Northern part of Matupi. They live in the (10) villages; Lung Ngo, Ting Si, Ra Sa, Le Si, Ti Lap, Lung Ring, Sem Pi, Sa Le, Ke lung. They use Tin Paw language.

In Mai Tribes

They migrated from HaKha township that is the Northern part of Matupi. They live in the (18) villages; Aih Kaa, Shian Ngo, Lung Phia Lea, Hrin Thang, Thawng Lang, Waw Thi, Sem Pi, Lung Daw, Lawng Wa, Khaw Boi, San Set, Dai Din, Tu Phe, Na Bung, Jue Tawng, Dal Cung, Khua Thua, An Taa. They speak in In Mai language.

Tribes of Matu

2012-12-02T12:36:00.001-08:00

In Matu tribes contain; Batuu, Thai Phum, Nga Leng, Leng le, Oei Thang, Kui Hon, Nga Tuu, Lengtin, Piltun, Hnamhon, Wethoo, Hlatan Tribes.

Batuu Tribes

Batu tribes are the descendants of Batu who built and settled at Batu village. The tribe was migrated from Hakha township, the northern part of Matupi. Nowadays, in the four wards of Matupi, there live the clans of Zung Poeih, Lai Thang, Tui Muk, Rhing Uet, Tak Luem, Than Tuep, Man Rhing, Tak Nan, Thang Hul, Ra Loek, Sam Pok, Tlung Maa, Thang Kheing and Oei Toe. They speak the same Language, Batu (Ngala).

Thai Phum Tribes

Thai Phong tribes are related to Batu. They are living in the seven villages called Tang Ku, Reng Kheng, Am Lai, Pa Kheng, Lui Van, Boi Ring, Dai Hnaan. They speak in Thai Phong language.

Nga Leng Tribes

Nga Leng tribes are migrated through HaKha township, that is the northern part of Matupi. They are living around the five villages called Nga Leng, Boi Thia, Khua Ngang, Sai Lo, Thi Oel. They speak in Nga Leng Language.

Lang Le Tribes

Lang Le tribes also are migrated through HaKha township that is the northern part of Matupi. They are spreading around the six villages called Ka Ce, Ti Baw, Ki Hlueng, Ra Dwi, An Law, Lung Hlaw. They speak in Lang Le Language.

Oei Thang Tribes

Oei Thang tribes are migrated from Kan Gaw township that is the eastern part of Matupi. They are spreading around the 8-villages; namely Pha Naing, Thi Coeng, Ba Naing, Sawng Thia, Lung Tum, Khua Bel, Thang Pueng, Bung Hung. They speak in Pha Naing.

Kui Hon Tribes

Kui Hon tribes are migrated from Thi Lin township that is the eastern part of Matupi. Nowadays, they are spreading around the 14 villages called Va Lang Pi, Va Pung, Va Lang Te, La Lui, Vang Kai, Lei Sin, Thi Boi, Cang Tak, Lung Pang, Ca Ki, Law, E Makung, Va Thling, Ka Laa. They speak in Va Lang.

Nga Tuu Tribes

Nga Tuu are migrated from Thi Lin township that is the eastern part of Matupi. Nowadays, they are spreading around the 4-villages;Ting Lawng, Le Ring, Awk La, Ba Naing. They speak in Nga Tu language.

Lengtin, Piltun, Hnamhon, Wethoo, Hlatan Tribes

They are migrated from Thi Lin township that is the eastern part of Matupi. And now they live in Hlang Pang/Hlui Pan, Hal Tu, Ram Tuem, Hmun Tung, VuiTu, Hnaw Te(1), Hnaw te(2). They speak in their particular languages.

Payae (Payel) Facial Tattoo

2012-11-29T23:16:00.003-08:00

People in Chin Hills used to have the custom of tattooing (Payae) the face of the women. Nobody is really sure how the custom became established, but a legend was that hundreds of years ago, Burmese kings and nobles used to come to Chin Hills and hunt for the beautiful Chin girls, as the fame of their beauty reached the court of Burma. To avoid their women being captured by the Burmese, they had no way but to destroy this beauty. This they done by tattooing the face of young girls. Although nobody could authenticate the validity of this story, many Chin girls, especially those from the North are indeed very beautiful.

As soon as a girl enters the age of puberty, tattoo is applied onto her face – the pattern of the tattoo being the one according to the race she belongs. Thus the facial tattoo of Mun is different from that of Dai. The process of facial tattooing is quite painful and dangerous. Some even died of infection. The practice has been outlawed since 1960s, but some still practiced until around 1980s. The youngest woman I had seen with a facial tattoo was 26 years old. The facial tattooing is no longer practiced anymore, even in the remotest areas of Chin Hills.

A K'Cho oral history

2012-11-29T23:08:00.001-08:00

By Salai Kee Shein Mang

Legend says that K'cho people had a wirtten and recorded history in time in memorable. Unfortunately since it was recorded on a dried animal skin, it was stolen and eaten by a dog, so says the legend. Since then the poor K'cho lost their precious written and recorded history. Since it sounds like a myth, it is hard for anyone to believe. But it is still what is said and narrated in a K'cho Oral History.

Luckily, the K'cho still have oral histories or narrated histories handed down orally from generations to generations. These oral histories are passed down in the forms of poems by the elders in the villages to the younger ones. According to these Oral Histories, it is said that the K'cho were originally inhabitants of the ocean side. According to the "Pa nawh a ci"(tran; So says Daddy) poem, the K'cho migrated from the ocean side to the high hills passing the low land.

According to a K'cho oral history, it is said that K'cho people came from the "Pai Hta Li" (tran: Sister Lake). It is confirmed in the "Pa nawh a ci" poem or K'cho Oral History that the K'cho were originally from the ocean side.

"Pa Nawh a ci" ( So says Daddy)

Pui Suk Hngi ging-ah. Litui hnguum ci, pa nawh a ci.
(tran: the sound of the wave and the roar of the ocean can be heard, so says daddy.)

Hngi Cawi-ah ng'lei kiem-ah, ng, lei phia ng, kiah ci, pa nawh a ci.
(tran: big waves can be seen from the beach, so says daddy.)

Litui hnguum ghitah kiei tui phiu Hlui, pa nawh a ci.
(tran: similar to second line.)

Ng'lei phia ng, kiah ghitak. Kiei Ngan Hoi Bawk man, pa nawh a ci.
(tran: amidst such big wave, consumated with I, white dragoness, so says daddy.)

M'tui-ah ng'um hleih Daw Khaw Le man, pa nawh a ci.
(tran: an egg was concieved in the womb of the white dragoness after consumation, so says daddy.)

Hma-ah chei ci. Ngan Hoi Bawk man. Pa nawh a ci.
(tran: five eggs were pruduced by the white dragoness, so says daddy.)

Daw khaw le man Daw khaw ka pa"ng na"ng, pa naw a ci.
(tran: fields in the low land and the whole low land were owned, so says daddy.)

Ngan Hoi Bawk man. Pan Chaung ka nu pa, pa nawh a ci.
(tran: with mom,dragoness, and with dad, dragon, we settled in the "Pan Chang", so says daddy.)

Daw Khaw ka pa"ng na"ng, kiei Pa"ang Gei Nang, pa nawh a ci.
(tran: I, Pa"ng Gei Nang, owned and cultivated the whole low land, so says daddy.)

Pan Chaung ka nu pa, kiei ng, lei ne ta"m-am, pa nawh a ci.
(tran: we settled in the families' owned territories, Pan Chaung, and be multiplied, so says daddy.)

Remark: This poem illustrates the K'cho's origin and historical inhabitant.
Note: This article is translated from the " Phyu Chin Origin", p 32-34, by M. Bu Ning's Chin History and Culture.

Dowry and Marriage System in the K'cho Society
In the K'cho society ,each clan has a distinct set of clans from which it may take husbands and from which it may take wives. "Pu" refers to the set of clans from which a wife is taken, and "tu" refers to that of clans from which a husband is taken. Pu can be defined as daughter-giving clan, where as tu - son-giving clan.

The dowry system is still widely practiced in K'cho society. There may be some occasions in which a Pu clan declines to request dowry. Traditionally, the "Tu" clan must give a dowry (maan) to the "Pu" clan in the amount asked. But the "Pu" clan has a responsibility to return a gift-in-kind (maan ng'toi) worth about half the value of the dowry that is given by the "Tu" clan.

Usually, the "maan" is given after marriage and the "maan ng'toi" is returned after the "maan" is received. Sometimes the "maan ng'toi" may not be returned within the life time of the parents who made the agreement, and the sons of the "Pu" clan must take this responsibility over as a kind of debt. The "maan" is divided among the family members, including the cousins.

The cost of the dowry usually depends on the negotiations between clans, or on the family household's circumstance. Only in the Ng'gah area is the dowry fixed.

In Ng'gah area (1), the minimum fixed price/value for a dowry is:
one big male mython,
one big female mython,
one small mython,
six male golden earrings,
and five pots of Yu.

The maximum is:
one big male mython,
one big female mython,
one small mython,
Two medium sized mython
Ten gold earrings for men in three sizes, and pots of Yu enough to hold the wedding.

There are times that one usually cannot pay a dowry within his lifetime, and the children have to pay the debt of the parents. In this way, clans are in constant debt to each other. The average value of the dowry in the Ng'gah area is higer than the dowry in other K'cho areas. In some areas, the dowry may be only one or two mythons, and two or three men's gold earrings, called "k'hngai". It depends partly on the numbers of brothers that a bride has.

In some areas marriage decisions are made freely by the lovers. They then convince their parents to allow them to get married. If it is allowed, the parents will begin the formal negotiation usually through a "ng'sa": see the mediator section. If the parents of the girl do not agree, the clan members of the potential groom may arrange to steal the potential bribe by sending some women to go at night and bring the girl to the boy's house before dawn.

A very different situation may be observed in the "Uppa"(2) area of K'cho territories, where a baby girl is born, a contract is made called "M'hlai cing": binding of the navel cords. This is a contract by oath that the girl will be married to whomever the oath is made with when she comes of age. Should the contract be broken in the future, compensation is required to be paid to release them from their oath.
( Note: Translated from "Chin Htamine by Cho elders". )