Lutuv


The Lutuv are an indigenous people living in southern Chin State, Myanmar. The Lutuv are widely known by other tribes as the "Lautu of the Southern independent villages", a name derived from the central dominant Hakha Lai pronunciation of their endonym. The Lutuv speak the Lutuv language, and they are predominantly Christian.

Ethnonyms

The terms used to refer to the group differ between outsiders and the community itself:
  • Exonym: Lautu – a name used by The Lautu and others.
  • Endonym: Lutuv – the name used by the community.

    Geographic distribution

As of January 2017, the Lautu population was approximately 50,000. It is believed that the first Lutuv village, Tyise, was founded around AD 1450. Lutuv is spoken in the following villages in Chin State:
  1. Hnaring
  2. Khyhraw (Khuahrang)
  3. Tho-O
  4. Aasaw
  5. Chuonge
  6. Tise
  7. Seto
  8. Hrepuv
  9. Saata
  10. Lungkyi
  11. Lawthuotluo
  12. Zingmaa
  13. Capaw
  14. Pangtie
  15. La-uu
  16. Lyipuv
Many Lautu have emigrated to Australia and the United States.