Mizo people
The Mizo people are a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group primarily from the Indian state of Mizoram. Further communities beyond Mizoram live in neighboring northeast Indian states like Manipur, Assam, Meghalaya, and Tripura, with minority populations also found in Myanmar and North America, including the United States and Canada. Mizoram is the most literate state in India, and the first to become fully literate.
Oral history of the Mizos states Chhînlung as the original homeland of the people. The nature of Chhînlung as a location or an eponym is inconclusive in answering what or where it is. This origin story is shared among various other Zohnahtlâk tribes.
The Chin people of Myanmar and the Kuki people of India and Bangladesh are the kindred tribes of Mizos and many of the Mizo migrants in Myanmar have accepted the Chin identity. The Chin, Kuki, Mizo, and southern Naga peoples are collectively known as Zo people which all speak the Mizo language.
The Mizo language, also known as Duhlián ṭawng, is part of the Tibeto-Burman language family. Regionally the language is classed within the Zohnathlâk languages among the Zo people.
Before British rule in the Lushai Hills, the Mizo people organized themselves under a system of Mizo chieftainship. A notable chiefdom was the Confederacy of Selesih. Other notable chiefdoms were Tualte under Vanhnuailiana and Aizawl under Lalsavunga. Following British annexation of the Lushai Hills, the Mizos adopted Christianity via the influence of missionaries. In the decolonisation period, the Mizo people asserted political representation with the founding of the Mizo Union.
The Lushai Hills was constituted as an autonomous district of Assam before being renamed to the Mizo district. Following the mautam famine of 1959, the Mizo National Front declared independence in the Mizo National Front uprising in 1966. The Indian government responded with the Bombing of Aizawl and Operation Accomplishment,an extensive village regrouping policy, to curb the insurgency. The unrest continued until 1986, when Mizoram was inaugurated as a state.
Classification
The Indian Constitution contains provisions related to communities classified as Scheduled Tribes under Article 342. The term, however, is not defined and is subject to the discretion of the President and the Governor of the relevant state. The criterion for assessing categorisation informally considers indications of primitive traits, distinct culture, geographical isolation, shyness of community contact, and economic backwardness.The Constitution Order, dated 6 September 1950, designated the hill people of Assam and the Mizos as a Scheduled Tribe. Government policy follows Jawaharlal Nehru's five principles to improve the quality of lives without disturbing their way of life. This focuses on encouragement of traditional talents, culture and knowledge; Tribal rights in land and forests; Tribal recruitment into administration and development; Harmonisation of policies without rivalry and judgment of civic growth.
Definition and subgroups
The term "Mizo" is a collective name for the people inhabiting the State of Mizoram who have close affinity in dialect, origins and customs. Pachuau states that the Mizo identity was a result of increased self-consciousness of a distinct ethnic group which has had no formal basis of inclusion and exclusion but rather moulded by pre-colonial and post-colonial history granting it legitimacy. The most popular discourse on defining Mizo identity is that tribes are identified as being chhînlung chhuak. Mizos see themselves as a tribe and a nation but do not deny subclassifications of clans and tribes.The words Mizo liberally refers to the hill people living in Mizoram but certain groups such as Chakmas, Reangs and Nepalis are not considered Mizo due to their lack of affinity. Mizo is thus used to include the people who share a common origin of migrating into present-day Mizoram. The main clans under the Mizo term are Hmâr, Lusei, Râlte, Chawngthu, Khawlhring, Vangchhe, Chawhte, Ngênte, Rawite, Khiangte, Paihtê, Renthlei, Tlau, Fânai, Lai, and other minor clans in certain cases of Thado, Suktê etc.
There are as many as 17 clans of the Mizos and numerous subclans within them. These clans have their own dialects and customs, however the dialects differ little and it interchangeably understood. Mizo ṭawng/Duhlián ṭawng functions as the lingua franca of the Mizos.
Subgroups
There are five major clans or tribes of the Mizo people which are Hmâr, Lusei, Râlte, Lai, and Mara which are known as the awzia. Some Lai and Mara tribes do not identify as Mizo despite being considered proper tribes of the Mizo group.Hmâr
Hmâr in the Lusei dialect of Mizo means "north," indicating that the Hmârs lived at the north of the Luseis. They are descendants of Manmasi and term themselves Manmasi-nau, who came out of the Chhînlung cave, known as Sinlung in the Hmâr dialect. Historical settlements of Mizoram such as Biate, Champhai and Vangchhia were historically inhabited by the Hmârs.The Hmâr population decreased since the 1901 census as many began to consider themselves Mizo. The tribe currently claim a population of 150,000 under the Mizo classification. The Hmârs traditionally participated in artisan works such as blacksmithing, carpentry, brass workings and pottery.
The Hmâr were politically active within the Mizo community with the influence of educated elites from the Indian plains. Prominent Hmâr statesmen were H.K Bawichhuaka and Pachhunga, who played significant roles in the early period of the Mizo Union. However, following the formation of the Union Territory of Mizoram, the Hmârs became discontent with the deprivation of representation, where political power was vested within the Lusei and the Pawi-Lakher autonomous council. The discontent was intensified following the Mizo Accord and the ascension of Mizoram to statehood. The Hmâr People's Convention and Hmâr Volunteer Cell formed a separatist movement. The organisations demanded for the formation of an autonomous region for the Hmâr inhabited regions in Mizoram, Manipur and Cachar. The Hmârs settled an accord in 1994 before various factors led to a splinter with a demand for a separate Hmâr state instead.
Lusei
The former Mizo term Lushai descends from the Lusei tribe and was popularised following the Lushai Expedition. Originally, it referred to the tribes occupying south of Cachar, and began to be used as a term for all tribes west of the Kaladan river. The origin of the Lusei clan is relatively unknown compared to other Mizo subgroups. However, the Lusei claim to be distinct as early as settlement in the Chin Hills. Lusei is argued to be a linguistic classification for individuals who speak the Duhlián dialect. However, there is no genealogy for the Lusei as Lusei historiography has been dominated by chieftain dynasties such as the Sailo. The Paihtês claim that the Lusei descend from Boklua, an illegitimate son of the Paihtê chief Ngehguka.The Lusei are also known as Duhlian. Traditionally, they were identified by how they tied their hair on the back of their head. The existing Lusei Chiefs all claim to descendants of a certain Ṭhangura, who is sometimes to Shakespear said to have sprung from the union of a Burman with a Paihtê woman. In Mizo historiography, Ṭhangur is the son of Zahmuaka, the first Lusei chief.
Râlte
The word Râlte is made up of two words: Râl and te being a plural marker. Due to the Chhînlung origin story, the Râlte people are regarded to be the noisiest members of the Mizo.The Râlte claim to be the last group to leave Chhînlung with the mythical ancestors known as Hehua and Leplupi. Their two sons, Kheltea and Siakenga, conflicted over the distribution of their father's inheritance. This led to the younger Kheltea inheriting the assets and the two brothers setting up separate villages thus establishing the two main branches of the Râlte clan. Famous Râlte chiefs include Mangkhaia, who was captured and ransomed but killed by Vanpuia, who did not receive a share of the ransom. Mangkhaia Lung was erected by his father Mangthawnga for this. The Râlte were distinguished from the larger Lusei clan for maintaining their dialect and being known for not building zawlbûk originally until being influenced by Lusei chiefs. The Khelte and Siakeng themselves differ in traditional sacrificial customs. Historically, the Râlte resisted absorption into the Lusei chiefs and maintained their language in their villages.
Lai (Pawi)
Pawi is a name given by Lusei to those who tie their hair on the top of their foreheads. The Pawi refer to themselves as Lai. Hakha, is the capital city of Chin State, which is the main settlement of Pawis in Myanmar, where they are known as the Hakha Chin people.The Hakha Chin people do not identify themself as Mizo and prefer the name Lai or Chin. This is due to the political decision under Section 2 of the Chin Special Division Act, amended in 1957. Mizos in Burma adopted the Chin identity to become Burmese citizens. As a result, half of the Mizo population was effectively discouraged from calling themselves Mizos.
File:Plate 25 Folk-Lore, vol. 20.jpg|150x250px|thumb|Fânai chief Zakapa from 1909.|alt=Fânai chief Zakapa
In 1953, India adopted a constitution defining itself as a sovereign democratic republic. At that time, the Lai people of the southern part of Mizoram, a segment of the much larger population of Lai/Chin, were granted an Autonomous District Council under the Sixth Schedule of the constitution in support of their identity. Lawngtlai was created as the headquarters of Lai Autonomous District Council.