The Chin-Kuki-Mizo Ethnic Dilemma

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INTRODUCTION

An attempt is made in this paper at studying the early history of the tribal ethnic group—KukiChin-Mizo. An attempt is also made to trace their original ethnic identity, especially in view of differing, and sometimes conflicting interpretations of their past and present made by historians and social scientists. Like other hill tribes of the North East India or elsewhere in the country, they too do not have any recorded history of their ancient past. What we know today and discuss in this paper is part of their memory and oral tradition, handed down to them through words of mouths by their forefathers. Folktales, legends and stories of struggles and movements, etc. constitute one major source of their history. history. e other major source of information about their past are the administrative reports and monographs published by the British officers during the colonial rule. e colonial administrators met the people, fought battles against them and finally brought them under their rule. ey introduced civil and military administration in these areas. erefore, we read the history of the tribal peoples and learn about their ethnic identity from the British records. No doubt, these two major sources provide us with a good deal of information to construct the ancient history of the Chin-Kuki-Mizo people. However, rigid scholars have questioned the validity of these sources of information and have opined that the early part of their history in shrouded mystery. ORIGIN OF THE CHIN-KUKI-MIZO

Scholars from the Chin-Kuki-Mizo group have recorded in their history that during the prehistoric period, they came out of a big stone cave, referred to alternatively as Chinlung, Sinlung and Khul. In one

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T C-K- M E D:

Search Searc h for an Appropriate Identity

By Chawnglienthang Changsan

way, they all claim that Sinlung was their original home. ere are traditional songs composed after the name “Sinlung”. ese songs also narrate the history and civilization of the people, which have passed from generation to generation. Because of limitations of space, we will not go into the details of these narratives. e exact location of Sinlung is still debated. Dr. Lalrinmawia2 indicates that it is located in the province of Szechwan in China, between 10` E and latitude 3` N, on the bank of Yalung river, 5400 ft. above sea level. Mr. Lalbiak anga 3, the ex-Chief Secretary of Manipur, gives an altogether different version. He argues that ‘Chinlung’ referred not to a cave but rather to the name of a Chinese prince in China, and that the correct form of the word was CHINLUNG. Further, Further, he goes on to state that Sinlung was the son of Hwang Ti of Chin Dynasty who built the great wall. Dr. B.N. Mullick 4, former Director, Intelligence Bureau of India, refers to an uninhabited territory, measuring about 16000 sq. miles, situated between north and south of Ladakh. rough this land, one trade route via Kajihangar passes through ‘Shinlung’. If Shinlung is equated with Sinlung or Chinlung then it may be inferred that the location of this legendary cave is somewhere around the Ladakh region. On the whole, it is clear that no final conclusion can be derived at about the location of the legendary cave. Notwithstanding the controversy,, all the tribes and clans within the Chin-Kukiversy Mizo groups believe that it is this legendary cave,

Editted by Za Lian Ceu

which is their original home and birthplace. With regards to their racial origin, most people as well as scholars accept that they belong to the Mongolian race. e migration route the people took to reach their present habitat and their biological properties go on to support this view view.. In their long history, they did come in contact with people of different origins and were put under different systems of administration. erefore, the administrators and scholars have designated the Chin-Kuki-Mizo people with different names and have identified them mainly as Lusei and Kuki in India. Scholars have identified them as ‘Khuongsai’ in Manipur, and as ‘Kuki’ in Assam, Nagaland and Tripura. As is usual, different neighbouring tribes are known by different local ethnic names, which have been used to build up and project their identity. As far as the Chin-Kuki-Mizo Chin-Kuki-Mi zo group is concerned, the people accept that they are one and the same race, having the same culture, tradition, customary practices including marriage and inheritance. Now it is in order to discuss in brief the origin of the three ethnic names—Chin, Kuki and Mizo—separately and try to find out how they came to be coined to identify these people. THE CHIN

Not enough evidence is available to trace the origin of the name ‘Chin’. It is perhaps a Burmese term as people inhabiting the Chin Hills in Burma (Myanmar) are identified as Chin and the British

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2 recorded this ethnic name to refer to these people. During the colonial rule, the Chin Hills Regulation was enacted in 1896, the provisions of which determined the Village and Provincial Administration Administration in the region. us, the ethnic name became popular and widely accepted. Literally Literally,, ‘Chin’ means ‘little’ in one of the dialects spoken by the people. It also connotes an affectionate name given to daughters. THE KUKI

e term ‘Kuki’ is a generic name. Some scholars have proposed that the term ‘Kuki’ was applied by the Bengalis from Kachar, Tripura and Chittagong Hill Tract as well as by the Assamese in Brahmaputra Valley to identify the hills people. But, if we peep into their ancient history and their migration route to India from far east countries like ailand, Burma and Vietnam; in fact, the term ‘Kuki’ was coined to refer to these people long before they came in contact with the Bengalis or Assamese. Equally baseless is the proposition to categorize these people as ‘old’ and ‘new’ Kuki. It is therefore necessary to adopt a holistic approach to truthfully understand the origin of the term and the people referred to.

means ‘man’ or people and ‘zo’ means a cold place at a high altitude. According to such a literal interpretation, all people living in cold, hill regions should be addressed as ‘Mizos’. But, undoubtedly, the term Mizo refers to a particular group of ethnic people. Tuck and Carey 6 mention that the people preferred the terms ‘Kuki’ or ‘Chin’ when addressed in public, but in private discussions they often used the term ‘Mezo’. Given the language barrier between the Britishers and the local people, it is plausible that the terms ‘Mezo’ and ‘Mizo’ meant the same. I hold the opinion that there are some ethnic groups who address themselves as Mizo since long, in their own societies and outside the present state of Mizoram. Today, it is widely accepted as a term with long historical background. Interestingly, in popular perception, the term is not exclusionist in the sense that it does not refer to any particular clan group in a restrictive way. us, it is widely believed that all the people who cook rice on three stone pillars “lungthu” are all Mizos. More recently, some leaders from within the community have tried to replace ‘Mizo’ by ‘Zomi’, on the argument that ‘Zo’ should come first and ‘mi’ later. It does not make any sub-

tory, the people of Mizoram formed a political organization known as “Mizo Union,” which held its first conference on 9 April 1946 to discuss some important agendas. e first item on the agendas was the abolition of the Chief ’s rights and change of the name of Lusei Hills into Mizo Hills. e Lusei Hills District Council, created according to the provisions of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India, took initiative to implement the (Moullungtha) resolutions passed in the Mizo Union Party. On the recommendations of the District Council, the Government of Assam enacted two important legislations in 1954; the first was the Lusei Hill District (Acquisition of Chief Rights) Act, 1954, which came into force on 1 April 1954. e second was the Lusei Hill District (Change of Name) Act, 1954, (Act 18 of 1954), passed under an Act of Parliament. As per provisions of the second Act, the name of the district was changed to ‘Mizo District’ with effect from 29 April 1954. ese two Acts were the result of long public struggle and fulfilled the cherished dream of the people of Mizoram. It may be pointed out that the conferment of official status to the term “Mizo” not only provided an ethnic iden-





3 Vanlawma formed a political party, called the Mizo Union Council, with the main objective of bringing the entire Mizo people, scattered in India, Myanmar and East Pakistan (Bangladesh) to under one administrative umbrella. Mr. Lalmawia formed another political party, the United Mizo Freedom Organisation (UMFO), with the objective of uniting with the Chin brothers in the Chin Hills in Burma. UMFO seems to have ignored the issue of unificating the Mizo people in Manipur, Tripura, Assam and Chittagong Hill tract of Bangladesh. Hence, the Mizo Union Party, the party in power in the then District Council, advocated the reunification of these people within the Indian Union.

chandpur, the headquarters chandpur, h eadquarters of South District of Manipur, under the initiative of the Mizo Union Party. is meeting resolved to work for the creation of a Greater Mizoram/Kuki State, comprising all the Mizo-Kuki Mizo-K uki inhabited areas in the entire North Eastern region on ethnic considerations. About two decades later, the Champhai Conference in Mizoram held on 19-21 May 1988, aimed at the same ob jective of ethnic unification. e Conference was attended by many representatives from Manipur and other neighbouring states. e Zomi National Congress (ZNC) Declarations (No. 7/88), December 6 to 15, 1988, related to the same political movement in search of ethnic unity.

e Khul Union, formed in Manipur in 194748, was another political organisation with the primary agenda of Mizo ethnic unification. e Union contested the first ever Assembly elections in the state and returned 5 candidates out of 7 seats contested. In the 1950s these people launched a political movement in Manipur, demanding the merger of their areas with Mizoram.

Going back to the 40s and 50s again, it is worth pointing out that when all the tribes in Northern India were were silent and the leaders in the Indian sub-continent were divided with regard to the political strategy of the freedom movement, during and after the Second World War, the Chin-KukiMizo people made a great contribution by joining hands with the Indian National Army, under the command of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Netaji came to North East India through Chin Hills and

e Mizo National Famine Front, formed on

and political aspirations for the future set up went in vain. ere was no scope to revive the Treaty of Yandaboo, 1826 and no chance to reverse the course of history as two independent nations of India and Burma had been created by the Government of India Act, 1935. e Kabaw Valley, inhabited by these tribes, was included in Burma. ough throughout their modern history, the Chin-Kuki-Mizo people had valiantly challenged the British authority (Lusei Expedition of 1871-72 in Mizoram and the Kuki Revolt in 1917-19 being the major examples), ultimately their political aspiration for ethnic reunification within one administrative umbrella met with great disappointment. e Independence Act, 1947 simply confirmed the territorial arrangement made by the Act of 1935. By and large, all the political movement launched by this ethnic group had virtually the same objective. However, the movements failed for a member of various reasons. It is difficult to single out any one reason as the main impediment. However, it is my considered opinion that the emergence of the sovereign states of India, Burma and Bangladesh caused both administrative fragmentation fragmentation and





4 the Chin-Kuki-Mizo. Chin-Kuki-Mizo. Had the resolution passed by the Chin-Lusei Conference of Fort Williams in Calcutta, on 29 th January 1892, for bringing the whole tract of country inhabited by them under one administrative umbrella been implemented, the situation would have been quite different today.

different tribes. ere might be some minor hickups among the clans. But, it is unfortunate that the point that these different clans are related to each other by blood and processes of historical evolutions is often missed by scholars not acquainted with the culture and history of the Chin-Kuki-Mizo people.

DISTINCTIVENESS OF THE CHINKUKI-MIZO

e different clans are scattered all over the North Eastern region (Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura and Assam) as well as the bordering states of Bangladesh and Myanmar. In fact, a majority of them have settled in Myanmar and far eastern countries. Pu Lalthanhawla, the Chief Minister of Mizoram, in a discussion with the Sunday Sunday magazine magazine of Gangtok, stated that more Mizos lived outside Mizoram than inside. 9 Scattered all over the NE region and countries, through generations of settlement, they have been identified by neighbouring out-groups by different different ethnic names. is in spite of the fact that the different clans have lived and mixed together in the same areas under the same system of administration throughout the ages. Marriage and divorce, including other social practices are virtually uniform in their respective societies.

Te Clan System e clan system of Chin-Kuki-M Chin-Kuki-Mizo izo people is unique and is markedly different from other tribes in North-Eastern India. In most cases, the names of the different clans were derived from their progenitors forefathers. Inter-clan relationships relationships can be used as the basis for determination of the family lines of the people. In fact, the clan system constitutes one of the most interesting and intriguing aspects of their history and society. ere are a large number of clans within the Chin-Kuki-Mizo and, hence, it has not been possible to prepare an exhaustive list of the clans as yet. Consequently, Consequently, members of the same clan/family can and do exercise their option for being identified as a Chin, Kuki or Mizo. Further, they

In terms of succession and inheritance also, the patriarchal system continues, though there is internal variations. For some clans, the eldest son inherits the property of the family; in others it is the youngest son who has the right to succession and inheritance. In case of death, however, they follow uniform system of burial. After they embraced Christianity, the churches introduced more or less the same system. ough there are no restrictions for people belonging to the Chin-Kuki-M Chin-Kuki-Mizo izo group, they strictly prohibit the sharing of the burial ground with others. is aspect of their culture is deeply rooted in their history, and it goes on to show that they are the same people and their clan relationship is based on ethnic affinity through blood. ey introduced their own traditional institutions for village administration and, interestingly, the advent of the British consolidated and strengthened rather than weakening or disturbing, these institutions. For example, the Chin Hills Regulation of 1896 put the traditional village administration on a firm footing and clearly defined the areas of





5 Society And Culture A large number of other socio-cultural customs and practices may be mentioned. Some of these are common to other Northeastern tribes while some are unique to the group. We will make only passing reference to a few of them. A system of slavery existed among the Chin-KukiMizo since time immemorial, but it is no longer in vogue. Adoption through Saphun (a social system by which a family changes its clan affiliation) has been in practice throughout their history. For ‘Saphun’ it is not necessary to go to a court of law or a registration office; all that is required is to arrange a community feast and announce the adoption. Like many other hill tribes, the Chin-Kuki-Mizo also has common places, which may be broadly equated with community halls and/or dormitories. e Garos call it the bachelor’s house; the Zemes call it Noktorong, while the Chin-Kuki-Mizo calls it ‘Zawlbuk’. e ‘Zawlbuk’ is an institution—it is the centre of most social activities. Further, these people practice intensive cultivation of tobacco in their ‘jhum’ fields. Both males and females smoke tobacco. e men use a pipe called ‘Dumbel’ or

of November every year. ey have developed it into a most enjoyable occasion in which different cultural items such as dances, singing-competitions singing-competitions and beauty contests are organised. Each year year,, a new location is selected for the ‘Kut’ festival and public leaders and government officials from both Manipur and Mizoram grace the occasions. e Chin-Kuki-Mizo people are great lovers of music and songs. In all their villages, one can find a number of musical instruments, both traditional and modern-western. eir sweet music and good voices charm the hills and mountains in the region. ey are fond of dancing, particularly in social gatherings. ey perform different dances or different occasions, or festivals and in honour of visiting dignitaries. ey have hymnbooks containing songs to be sung to a specific tune. ese songs are composed to suit different occasions. ey sing with the accompany of beating traditional drums called ‘Khuong,’ made of wooden material and covered by animal skin. ‘Khuong’ can be found in all the villages inhabited by people of this ethnic group. Among dances, the most popular are the ‘Khal Lam’, ‘Cheraw Lam’, Lam’, ‘Pheiphit Lam’ and the bamboo dance. e differ-

the most popular shawl pattern. ‘Saipikhup’ is the name of another shawl decorated with beautiful designs and very popular among the Kukis, especially those living outside Mizoram. During one of my flights between Delhi and Guwahati, I came across a photo-reproduction of a gentleman from Mizoram wearing a ‘Saipikhup’ shawl on the cover of Swagat of Swagat magazine. e shawl was projected as ‘Mizo Shawl’, reflecting the ignorance of the out-groups. In Manipur, one finds different shawls of different designs among the different tribes and clans such as Aimol, Anal, Chiru, Chothe, Gangtc, Hmar, Kom, Koireng, Lamgang, Mating, Tarao, Paite, Simte, Vaiphei. e moot point is that the different designs of the shawls serve as identity markers and any confusion in this regard can create misunderstanding.

Te Languages Of the Chin-Kuki-Mizo e language/dialect issue relating to ChinKuki-Mizo people has been a matter of controversy. e linguistic diversity of India is well known. Several scholars have said that if we travel on foot from one end of the country of the other, at every five kms, we would find a different language/





6 chose to adopt the Roman script of the English alphabet variety of 24 letters. e Duhlien (Lusei) dialect was the first one to be codified by the British missionaries. ey first translated the Bible into Lusei. is Duhlien/Lusei dialect is now known as Mizo language, perhaps the most popular and commonly used by these people. It serves as the lingua franca among the Chin-Kuki-Mizo people. e maximum numbers of songs, including love songs, have been composed in Mizo and hence it is very popular among the youth. us, Mizo has the potential to develop into a full-fledged, advanced link language. No doubt, there are internal differences with regard to the acceptance of Duhlien dialect as the Mizo language. But, it must be realised that the Mizo language (based on the Duhlien/Lusei dialect) only stands a good chance for inclusion in the Eighth Schedule, which would serve the interests of all the tribes within the Chin-Kuki-M Chin-Kuki-Mizo. izo. ere are many different clans, living in Chandel and South Manipur (Churachandpur) districts of Manipur, who speak dialects most of which belong to the Non-R group. ese dialects are so closely related that in inter-clan, inter-tribe public gatherings they speak

Marriage System e Chin-Kuki-Mizo people have a common marriage system. Boys pay the customary bride price for getting wives and there is no dowry system. In fact, boys having accepted a dowry and decorated their houses with materials brought by their wives are not held in respect in the society. With modernity, however, girls are allowed to bring with them some of their valued dresses, including daily garments. Since in terms of details the different clans have different customary practices we cannot provide an exhaustive account here. Let us simply refer to the most common practice. Customary bride price is paid in both cash and kind. Marriages were normally arranged by relatives and parents by taking ‘Zu’ to the girl’s house. Since the advent of Christianity, this practice has been given up. Rather, the parents and/ or relatives boil tea-leaves in the house of the girl to initiate marital discussion and to finalise the details, including fixation of customary price. e customary price paid for a girl is generally shared by the close relations of her family family.. e traditional marriage system is a great virtue of the system.

circumstances do they adopt a Hindu name. It may be passingly mentioned here that there is no caste system among the different clans of Chin-Kuki-Mizo people. All clans enjoy equal status within the group. e customary price paid for girls varies from clan to clan, but it is in no way indicative of the status of the clan. TIlE JEWISH CONNECTION?

Recently, some historians have tried to connect Recently, the history of the origin of the Chin-Kuki-Mizo people with that of the Jews, claiming that the former are of Jewish origin—descendants origin—descendants of Manasse—one of the 12 children of Jacob. Jyoti Lal Choudhary reported that Mrs. Zaithan Chhungi had brought out books in support of the claim that these people were descendants of the Jews. In fact, people who have advocated this theory or the racial claim belong to the Chin-Kuki-Mizo group living in Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland. In India, these people are mostly known as Kukis or Mizos, regardless of their habitation but in terms of Jewish identity, they are put under one ethnic name, i.e. Israelis/Jews. While some families have already migrated to Israel, many







7 Many of these photographs are captioned as KukiNaga women or Kuki-Naga girls. In fact, Janah identifies photos of Kuki girls and women as Naga women and girls. Given the current ethnic conflicts in Manipur, such misreprese misrepresentations ntations create further confusion and bitterness. CONCLUDING REMARKS

I have attempted in this paper to highlight the ethnic identity and affinity of the Chin- Kuki-Miz Kuki-Mizoo people. ough the discussion is not exhaustive, I hope I have been able to focus some important as-

customary laws and rights and lastly by common biological physical features. ey have a common clan system; the different clans are named after their progenitors and the super ordinate group name, Chin-Kuki-Mizo, covers all the clans within the group. Of course, it is next to impossible to identity members of different clans for independent inclusion under either Chin-Kuki-Mizo tribe. It is for this reason that a group of students and scholars have made a proposal to coin a new ethnic name ‘Chikim’ (Chin, Kuki, Mizo). Distinctions based on clans as well seem to be disappearing, particularly

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Zou, Hososei M., 1998. “Chin-Kuki “Chin-Kuki-Mizo -Mizo Folk Tales,” Aizawl. Aiza wl.

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Lalrinmawia, 1995. “Mizoram History and Cultural Identity,” Aizawl.

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anga, L.B., 1978. “e Mizo: A Study in Social Personality,” Aizawl. ality,” Aizawl.

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Mullick, B.N. “e Chinese Betrayal. Betrayal.””

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Shakespeare, J., 1912. “e Lushai-Kuki Clans,” London: McMillan & Co. (Reprinted by Tribal Research

The Chin-Kuki-Mizo Ethnic Dilemma

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