Chin
The Chin are a Tibeto-Burmese people who predominate in the great range of hills that run up western Myanmar (Burma) from the Arakan Yoma into Mizoram in northeast India. More than forty different subgroups have been categorized among the Chin inhabitants of Myanmar, including the Kuki, Chinbok, Tashon, and Asho. There are also related subgroups in neighboring India, but, in general, the Chin of Myanmar are known by the collective name of Zomi, whereas their ethnic cousins in India are known as Mizo.
There are few records of early Chin history. Chin settlers are believed to have lived in the lowlands of central Myanmar from around the middle of the first millennium CE, but Chin communities were gradually forced westward into the mountains by ethnic Burmans and other migrants during the next thousand years. Several Chin subgroups maintain the traditional custom of wearing facial tattoos, which is believed to date back to these times since, according to folklore, it prevented slave-raiding by Burman men or other incomers who found Chin women attractive.
In modern times, the socioeconomic development of the Chin peoples has been held back by the rugged terrain, which has made communications difficult. Of all the ethnic minority regions in Myanmar, the Chin hills have always been the most dependent on lowland areas for food and supplies.
The development of modern Chin political movements has also lagged behind, partly due to the diversity of subgroups. Like the Karens and Kachins, many Chins converted to Christianity under British rule and also served in the British colonial army. But under the colonial system of administration there was little advancement of Chin peoples in national representation or government.
After Burmese independence in 1948, although a special division was created from the former Chin hills territory under the British, the Chin region continued to be characterized by its isolation, with many villagers continuing to pursue traditional methods of swidden (slash-and-burn) cultivation in the hills. Many young Chin men also joined the Burmese armed forces as a way to escape the continuing poverty.
Eventually, a Chin state was refashioned in 1974 from the special division. However, many Chin people also live in the adjoining Rakhine State, as well as Sagaing, Magwe (Magway), and Pegu (Bago) divisions. As a result, during the twentieth century Chin nationalists advocated creating a "pan-Chin" state to combine all these populations (estimated at more than 1 million), with some leaders even wanting to include their Mizo cousins in India. This was an idea that the British also briefly considered before their departure from the two countries in 1947–1948, but any substantial restructuring of boundaries is likely to remain a pipe dream.
Nevertheless, during the 1990s Chin nationalism appeared to be on the rise, with an insurgent Chin National Front movement active in the Indian borderlands and Chin representatives winning seats in the 1990 election. Christian evangelism was also resurgent, leading to restrictions by local Burmese army commanders who, it was alleged, gave preference to the Buddhist faith.
Further Reading
Lebar, Frank, Gerald Hickey, and John Musgrave. (1964) Ethnic Groups of Mainland Southeast Asia. New Haven, CT: Human Relations Area Files.
Lehman, Frederick K. (1963) The Structure of Chin Society. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.
Smith, Martin. (1999) Burma: Insurgency and the Politics of Ethnicity. 2d ed. London: Zed Books.
Vum Ko Hau. (1963) Profile of a Burma Frontier Man. Bandung, Indonesia: Kilatmadju.
Vumson. (1986) Zo History. Aizawl, India: N. T. Thawnga.
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