ZOMI (ZO PEOPLE) AND ZO-LAND

Location:

The Zomi inhabited area occupies the South District of Manipur and Cachar District in the North, Western Bank of the Chindwin River and the west bank in the middle part of Irrawaddy River in the East, to the Bay of Bengal in the South and Chittagong Hill Tracts in the west. The whole areas of Zoland lying between Lat.( ) and ( ) North, and Long. ( ) and ( ) East.

Area:
Zomi inhabited area under their respective present administration units is: -

1. The Chin State 35,601.92 sq.km.
2. In Arakan State 9,000.00 sq.km. (Approximately)
3. In Sagaing Division 65,000.00 sq.km. (Approximately)
4. In Magwe Division 18,000.00 sq.km. (Approximately)
5. The Chittagong Hill Tracts 17,397.75 sq.km.
6. In Manipur State 7,883.00 sq.km.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Zomi Inhabited Areas 152,882.00 sq.km.


Population:



The estimate population of all Zomi in different parts of the Administrative Units are as given below: -



1. The Chin State 559,270 (1990-Election Census)

2. In Arakan State 150,000 (The Least Approximately)

3. The Kalay-Kabaw Valley 279,304 (The 1990 Election Census)

4. Upper Chindwin(Khamti-Homalin) 90,000 (The Least Approximately)

5. In Magwe Division 180,000 (To be Far Less Than The Reality)

6. In Pegu Division 30,000 (The Least Approximately)

7. The Chittagong Hill Tracts 100,000 (The Approximately)

8. In Manipur and Assam 250,000 (1991-Cencus)

9. Overseas Zomi 10,000 (The Least guestimately)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Total Zomi Population 1,648,574











THE CONCEPTS OF DEFINING ORIGINAL GENERIC NAME:



1. Chin:

The word Chin is an imposed name given by outsiders. Even a single sub-tribe of the so call Chin never called themselves CHIN. The Zomi are a proud lot who hate been called by a name other than what they is theirs. Therefore, the name CHIN is unacceptable to them. It is important to know our genuine identity in order to claim our rights. If we cannot prove the reality of our identity, our becoming a free Nation seems to be a remote possibility. We should never substitute our real identity to an imposed name.



SOME SCHOLARS DESCRIBED THE WORD CHIN AS:

• “Chin is a Burmese word meaning “Fellow, companion, friend” (Chin Hills Linguistic Tour; Dec., 1954, University Project” JBRS; June, 1954, 26)



• The terms Chin is imprecise and is a Burmese word Khyang, not a Chin word. It is homologous with the contemporary Burmese word meaning “basket”, but Professor G.H.Luce of Rangoon informs me that it is in fact an old Burmese word (khyang) meaning “ally or comrade”. No single word has explicit reference to all the peoples we customarily call Chin. The word means roughly, “unsophisticated”. A few groups in the Southern Chin Hills have adopted a variant of the term “Chin” for them. (F.K.Lehman, The Structure of Chin Society, 3-5)



• “Even though the people who are called Chin do not necessarily protest their name, their true name, in fact, is Zomi or Mizo” (U Thein Pe Myint; Chin Withitha Tamaing Asa; Burma translation Society, 1967, 127)



• We originated from China. The word Chin is very common in Chinese Language.

It is as old as China. Yin is its original word. It means, “man”. (Dr. Chum Awi)



• The Plain Chin do not recognize the applicability of CHIN to themselves, being

Asho, an obvious cognate of ZO. (F.K Lehman: CHIN, LAI And ZO; Chin

Journal, No.7 March1999, Page-92)



• In 1881 that the word is found first spelt as CHIN by Major Gwynne. Since then the conventional spelling for the name became established and the “Chin Hills Regulation, 1896” officially adopted it to represent ‘the various hill tribes living in the country between Burma and the Province of Assam and Bengal’. (Grierson, Linguistic Survey, 1909,s.v. “Kuki-Chin Group”)



• The Arakans call us Chiang while the Kachins call us Khang.



• During the reign of Chin Dynasty, there was a time when they ruled over several ethnicities. The King then ruling was Shih Huang Ti. He reigned during the period 256-206 BC. Their reigned last until the 20th Century. In the modern China there still exists a tribe called Chin. And they are known to have not move out China in any time of their history. As such, we cannot conclude that Chin is our true name while Zo is our true name. It was only after we reached the middle of the Burmese kingdom that we are called as Chin. The Burmese mistook us to be the tribe who drove them off from China. Since then we happened to be called Chin. (Dr. Khen Za Sian, Tedim B.E.H.S.No.1, 1998, Page-321-323)- liberal translation from the original written in Tedim-Zomi dialect.







2. Mizo:



• Before 1946, the present inhabitants of Mizoram was known as Lusei or Lushai’ and their Land as Lushai Hills. (L.S.Gangte, In Search of Identity, Page-47)



• The Lushais first appeared on the scene about the year1840. (R.G. Woodthorpe, The Lushai Expedition, 1873, Page-10) and the term Lushai was officially changed into Mizo on the 9th April 1946 at the Muallungthu Conference.



• At present the ‘Mizo’ is the official name of the people of Mizoram, since 1954, when the Lushai Hill was changed to Mizo Hills by an act of the parliament.



• The term MIZO is the poetical form of ZOMI according to Pu. K. Zawla. K.Zawla believes that when they came to their hilly settlements in the Thang Range of Burma around the 14th century AD, they have called themselves Zomi. (Lalchungnunga, Mizoram Politics of Regionalism and National Integration, Reliance Publishing House, Page-26)



• A man shot a wild boar and composed a ballad about his adventure giving self-esteem for the act. In the ballad he reversed the term Zomi and said Mizo as poetic style. (B.Lalthangliana, Mizo Identity, Page-3 & L.S.Gangte, In Search of Identity, Page-47)



• The word Mizo (half-truth) is wrong grammatically in their language. Grammatically as well as philologically “Mizo” means “man hill” “a man who looks like a hill”. How deceitful the word “Mizo” is? It is not a poetic language but a fabrication of Zomi to the selfish motives of those who coined “Mizo” for “Hillman”. It is a great blunder to regard certain hill people as a special Hill-man while there are millions of hill people in the world around. Thank God, the new generation who are thirsty after the truth cannot be deceived with a mere fiction and romanticized name like “Mizo” because history is their witness and teacher.

(S. Thangkhangin, M.Phil., In Search of Identity, Page-62,63)



• “I ask Mawii and Singi (Pasadena) whether they say “Mi India” when they want to refer to a citizen of India. They answered that they say “India Mi”. (My Personal Opinion On The Position Of “MI” in “Zomi” and “Mizo”, (by Dr. Pau Cin Thang,Ph.D. Website – http//private.fuller.edu/~pthang/zogeneric.html )



• That in Mizo language itself some words like “Zofa(Zo descendent) “Zokhua(Zo Village), Zotlang(Zo Hills), Zoram( Zoland) is not written as Fazo, Khuazo, Tlangzo and Ramzo respectively.









3. Kuki :



• Kuki was an imposed term given to the Zomi people living on the Northwest of Burma, the North-East of India and Bangladesh by the outsiders.



• The origin of this word (Kuki) is not known, but it first appears in Bengal Rawlins Writing of cucis or mountaineers of Tiprah. (William Shaw, “The Thadou Kuki” page-11)



• The term Kuki is an Assamese or Bengali word applied to such hill tribes as Lushais, Rangkhols, Thadous, etc. who were residing within India. (G.A. Grierson, Linguistic survey of India, Vol. III Part- III)



• “Had the word Kuki been changed to ‘Zo’ at that time, the right word for calling the various tribes and clans of ‘Zo’ race inhabiting the areas joining Burma, East Pakistan and Assam would have been answered a long time ago.” (Dr. Vum Kho Hau, Profile of a Burma Frontier Man: Bangdung, Indonesia, 1963, page.297)



ZOMI:

The absence of writing among most of the Tibeto-Burman suggests that their separation must have begun at a very early date perhaps before the Chou dynasty. During the third century A.D. they had been shifting very often in connection with slash and burn method of cultivation which slowly separate them from the mainstream. The southward movement of the Tibeto-Burman people took many years perhaps several centuries. Recent migration of the Zomi to the Kale-Kabaw valley has taken a century and as they slowly moved through the hilly regions some settled in one location and some moved on. Zomi separated into two groups, one moving southward between the Chindwin and the Irrawaddy at present Burma. The other group moved southward to the west of Chindwin at present India. The result was their separation as different groups.



• The word ‘Zomi’ means the descendents of ‘Zo’ it does not literally means the hill -people. The term ‘Zomi’ is the oldest and the generic name of the so-called Kuki-Chin group The Pong Chronicle (which was translated into Meitei Language by Capt. R.B. Pemberton in 1830) recorded the people as Zomi. The word ‘Zomi’ is said to have been derived from ‘Zo’ the ancestor. (L.S. Gangte, In Search of Identity)



• The Southern Chin State calls their brothers of Northerner of Chin State as ‘Zopa or Yopa.’ (Courtesy- Salai. Kee Le Awm, General Secretary of Chin National Council.)



• “All or nearly all of the peoples of the so-called Kuki-Chin linguistic group had a special term for themselves. The word by which they called themselves was almost always a variant form of a single root word, which appeared as ZO, YO, SHO, CHOU, and the like. (F.K.Lehman, Structure of Chin Society, 1965, IIIinois University, U.S.A)



• Dr. V. Lunghnema writes the genealogy of the Hmar tribe, and he trace all the Hmar clans to Zo as their ancestor. (Hmar Genealogy, Imphal, 1977, Page1-5)



• ‘We have called ourselves Zomi from time immemorial. Long time ago in middle ages, Reverend Father Vincentious Sangerno correctly referred to the Chins and Kukis as the ZO’ race. There can be no doubt that the “Chins-Kukis-Lushai” is one and the same Zo race, for their appearance, manners, customs, and language. (Dr. Vum Kho Hau, Profile of a Burma Frontier Man, Bangdung, Indonesia, 1963,Page.214)



• The Khyangas (Chin) called themselves ‘Jion’ or ‘Shou’…. (G.H. Pryer. Dy. Commissioner, Sandoway District, Arakan)



• The clan called itself Mara, Lakher the name being used by the Lushais. The Chins, I believe, called them ‘Zo’, and the Arracan name for them is Klongshai. (Lt.Col. J. Shakespear, The Lushai-Kuki Clan, London, MacMillan &Co.,Ltd.)



• “I Proposed ‘Zomi’ because I believe it is the correct original Historical name of our people, from the Naga Hills to the Bay of Bengal. To the North of Tedim, the Thados 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 YAW, in Mindat YO or CHO, and in Paletwa KHOMI. In Prome, Thayetmyo, Sandoway and Bassein areas call themselves A-sho. So I am convinced that inspite of slight variations this ZO is our original historical national name.” (Rev. S.T. Hau Go, M.A, M.RE (U.S.A), Adoption of the Name ‘Zomi Baptist Convention’)



• At the Constitution Drafting Committee of ZBC on November 1952, Rev. Sang Fen of Zokhua, Haka briefly said, “I agree. I believe ZO is our national name and I myself am the pastor of ZO-KHUA.” (Rev. Sang Feng……………….



• “In our younger days we were told that we were born at YOTLANG. And ZO is a true original name”. (Rev. Sang Ling, a pastor of Haka, at Constitution Drafting Committee of ZBC, Falam, November1952)



• Zomis dethrone the Shang Dynasty. Zhou Dynasty reigned during the period 1122-256 BC. Their country flourished educationally in their reign. Confucius (Kung Fu Tze) was a reknown philosopher of their time. His teachings are still practiced by the Chinese even to this day. The philosophy teached by Confucius are very much similar to the practices of the Zomis. It is believed that we are still following the practices of our forefathers which they done since this period. (Dr. Khen Za Sian, Tedim B.E.H.S No.1 Golden Jubilee Magazine, 1998, Page-321)



• In the linguistic survey conducted by Wycliff Bible Translators they recorded that the Tribes Lusei, Paite, Thado, Gangte, Vaiphei, Hmar, Lakher and the tribes known as Chin in present Burma are all “Zomi”. (Grimes-364&395pp)



• The Zomi, called Chin by the Burmans, speak a Kuki-Chin language of the Tibeto-Burman language group with forty-four dialects, inhabit the area designated Chin State; the remainder inhabit the mountains east of the state and in Northern Arakan, and a sizable minority lives in the river lowlands, among a large ethnic Burman population. (James Minahan, Nations without States, Greenwood Press, London, Pages-639-641)





POLITICAL BACKGROUNDS AND SITUATIONS:



The Zomi and their land was sub-divided into three parts under the administration of three sovereign countries - India, Burma and Bangladesh respectively without their consent.



Zomi were known to have resided in the eastern Tibet during the eight century. Afterwards pushed southward by invasions of stronger peoples; the Zomi tribes took refuge in the mountainous areas west of the Irrawaddy plains. They organized themselves in autonomous tribes.



The Zomi tribes came under pressure from the expanding Burman kingdom in the seventeenth century. The tribes often involved in the wars between the Burmans and the states to the north of the Zomi homeland in present India. In the 1820s the tribes came under nominal Burman rule, a tributary to the Burman kings, but aside from paying tribute and a nominal allegiance, the tribes remained effectively independent in their isolated hills.



Before the advent of the British, the Zomi never were subjected to dominion under any outside power. It was only when the British came and conquered, the once free Zomi inhabiting Highlands were force to submit to the superior fire-power of the British forces. From 1896, the British gradually annexed the Zomi inhabited areas.



The British made the area occupied by the Zomi a scheduled district, administered through a political officer. To rule the Hill Areas in line with the customs of the Zomi, the Chin Hills Regulation Act, 1896 came into force.



In 1945, the British Cabinet Mission issued a white paper in which the policy on Burma envisaged a special political status for the Zomi, which would be effective by the time of granting independence to Burma. The Burmese politicians opposed such idea of a special status for the Zomi. However, the plan was carried out and the Zomi, the Kachin and the Shan got their states within Burma. In February 1947, after the Burmese politicians and the Hill leaders had their first political talks face to face, the Panglong Agreement was signed.



However, in the constitution draft an important part was added in Chapter X, Article 202-206, which guaranteed the right of secession after ten years by two-third majority of State Council incorporating the ideas discussed in the Panglong Conference and the Frontier Area Inquiry.



Independence was granted and power transferred according to the agreement signed by the then British Prime Minister and U Nu on January 4, 1948. As a result, the integration of the Zomi/Zoland was affected when the international boundary between India and Burma was passing through the Zomi inhibited area.



In 1958, Prime Minister U Nu and General Ne Win successfully launched a coup (military) in order to thwart the right to secession which otherwise could have been exercised around that time according to the provision of the constitution of 1947. Even though civil election was held in 1960, power could not be transferred to the elected body as another coup by General Ne Win took placed in 1962. Under the Burmese brand of Socialism and under the Military regime till date, there has been no freedom, no liberty further to that freedom of expression was denied. The Burmese Government’s never changing policy of one country, one language and one religion is an outright violation of Human Rights. The discriminatory attitude of the Burmese has been a bane especially for the Zomi. No development worth the name in the field of education, health and communication has been undertaken during the last fifty years. The Burmese script and language was imposed on the whole Zomi tribes. The Burmese dictators are trying to assimilate the identities of the Zomi’s culture, literature and religion.



In 1890 the Lushei hills was territorially divided into two districts - the North Lushai Hill District and the South Lushai Hills District. In 1898, the South and North Lushai Hills Districts were amalgamated and were placed under the administration of Assam. In 1952 the Lushai Hills District was uplifted to the Sixth Scheduled of India constitution. Then, in 1972 it became a Union Territory and in Feb. 20, 1987 in become Full-fledged State under the Union of India. In Mizoram state of India, the Mizo/Zomi under the system of democracy since they got the State were the most developed people among the Zomi due to the fair political situation they have reached. .



In Manipur State of India, unlike the Zomi of Mizoram they did not enjoy any status and they remain undeveloped and backward. Due to the lack of self-administration and fair political status, they are gradually losing their identity and genuine rights. Though, the tribal peoples of outer Manipur State were ignorant of their most prized Land since a century ago, the deteriorating conditions from bad to worse, plights and increment sufferings in the poor Administration and total negligence by the State of Manipur have awakened them from their political slumbering they suffered. The Zomi within Manipur state were not included by the merger agreement of Manipur, 1949 in which the then Maharaja of Manipur surrendered his suzerainty to India.



In 1971, one year earlier when Manipur became Statehood, the Zomi inhabited area of South District gained the autonomous district. But, the Manipur State Government has withdrawn the same since 1989 and its autonomous power has been centralized by the State. It means there is no power for the People’s Representatives of these tribal. They cannot fight for their rights and for development. In other word the fate of these tribal people lies with the majority Manipuris.



In Tripura of India and Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, there are also many Zomi inhabitants. They too are undeveloped and losing their rights and identities for being minorities like their brothers in different parts of the world.



Though, they are the same race they look like foreigners. Some patriotic among them are eager for re-unification with the other Zomi. They are very eager to claim their genuine rights, which they have lost in the past time. The new generation have a great desire of self-determination some organizations are struggling for their rights by means of non-violence and violence.



INHABITED AREAS OF THE ZOMI



The Zomi inhabited the Lushai Hills, Manipur hills and Tripura Hill Tracts in India. In Burma, they inhabited the Chin Hills, some parts of Sagaing Division, Magwe Division and Arakan State. In Bangladesh they inhabited the Chittagong Hill Tracts.



There are various tribes, sub-tribes among the Zomi.



In the Lushai Hills of India, there are Duhlian, Pawi, Laimi, Hmar, Paite, Reang, Lakher, Hualngo tribes lived. The different tribes of Mizoram called themselves Mizo.



In the Chin State of Burma the different tribes are: - Laimi, Tedim, Laizo, Zotung, Zophei, Cho, A-sho, Khumi, Anu, Maru, Hualngo, Thahdo and Mira. Sagaing Division was inhabited by the following tribes: Tedim, Lai, Laizo, Mizo, Lushai and Yaw; A-sho tribe Magwe Division and Khumi, Maru and A-sho tribes lived in Arakan State.



The Manipur Hills of India was inhabited by - Paite, Tedim, Simte, Zou, Vaiphei, Kuki, Hmar, Gangte, Kawm.



Tripura Hill Tracts was inhabited by - Molsom, langrong, Chongrai, Bong, Kaipeng and Hrangkhol, Ruankum, Darlong, Lushai or Mizo group tribes.



Bawmzo, A-sho, Khumi, Kuki, Lushai, Masho, Pankhu tribes lived in Chittagong Hill Tracts.





NATIONAL MOVEMENT AMONG THE ZOMI:



• In 1933 the Chin Union led by U Wanthu Maung and Thakhin Aung Min demanded the autonomy of Chin Land to the British Governor of Burma.



• In 1946, Kuki National Assembly, a Manipur based organization was formed and upheld the unity and territorial integrity of the tribe within Manipur. In sixties their new policy was demand for a Kuki State within India. But this demand was toned down for full-fledged revenue within Manipur State.



• In 1948, Captain Mang Tung Nung formed the Chin People’s Freedom League and started the movement for the Rights of the people. It led the end of hereditary and the birth of Chin/Zomi National Day in 1948, February 20.



• In 1957 the Chin People’s Freedom League and the Chin Union were amalgamated and then stood for the rights of the people under the constitution.



• In 1961 Pu Laldenga formed the Mizo National Front.



• In 1964, after the military coup, Col. Son Khaw Pau, Pu. Dam Khaw Hau, Pu. Mang Khan Pau, Pu. Hrang Nawl, Pu. Son Cin Lian and Pu. Thual Zen formed the Anti-communist Freedom Organization and then struggled for the people’s freedom. It however, ended with the arrest of the leaders. But the movement still lingers in the minds of the people.



• In 30-12-1969 John Mang Tling and his comrades formed the Parliament Democracy Party and it later came to be known as Chin Democracy Party since 1st January, 1970.



• In 20-2-1970 Jimmy’s Zomi Chin Liberation Front amalgamates with Chin Democracy Party and then formed the new front called United Zomi Democracy Party.



• In 1976 the Chin Liberation Army, led by Major Salian Zam, was formed. It was organized widely and young men from different parts from the Zomi inhabitants joined it. Major Tunkhopum Baite of Manipur Zomi was also well known for his wholehearted sacrifices.



• In 1969 Pu Tial Khal formed the Zomi Liberation Front. The president was Pu. Tial Khal, the Vice-president being Thawmluai and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs was Thawng Sai.



• In 20-3-1988 the Chin National Front was formed and then struggling for the Chin people of Burma to gain a Federal State in Burma.





RE-UNIFICATION MOVEMENT OF THE ZOMI:



• The United Mizo Freedom Organization preferred the union of the Mizos with Burma, submitting a memorandum to the Constitutional Assembly of India and to His Majesty’s Government in England in 1947 demanding Mizo integration. The creation of Mizo land was actually first voiced by the Mizo Union in 1948. When this movement gained momentum, the Mizo Union leaders satisfied fully in the concession given, the Lushai Hill District under the sixth scheduled of Indian constitution. The Zomi integration into one administrative set up and less than one nomenclature became a fiction to those who were outside Lushai Hill District.



• In Manipur the Mizo movement was supported by the Gangte Tribal Union, the Hmar National Union and Kuki National Assembly had also submitted a memorandum to the Indian PM demanding integration of the contiguous Mizo areas and creation of a single administrative unit.



• In 1970 as many as intelligentsia of the various Mizo groups submitted another memorandum to the then PM of India, at Guwahati for immediate creation of Mizo State and integration of the Mizo inhabited areas in the adjoining states.



• In 1961 the Mizo National Front planned for a Greater Mizoram that would most liberally accommodate the allied tribes not only in Manipur, Tripura and Assam but also those in the trans-Indian frontier in Burma and Bangladesh.



• In a memorandum in 1960, the Paite National Council submitted a memorandum to Indian PM demanding unification of the Chin people in India and Burma.



• Chin unification movement resurrected once again in Manipur under the banner of Chin Union in 1979.



• The Zomi National Congress in the 1970s with an utopian plan for Zoram or Zogam(Land of the Zos) that would include the Chin-Kuki-Lushai groups in the proposed land of Zogam. It started with a changed nomenclature Zomi in the place of Mizo.



• In 1984 the Brachin State has been harbored by the Brachin national Union. It stands for a very wide area from the Brahmaputra Valley to the Chindwin valley in Burma.



• In 1988 all Zo People Conference was held at Champhai, Mizoram State convened by The People’s Conference party of Mizoram and the Zomi National Congress of Manipur State. They submitted a memorandum to the PM of India and the President of USA demanding the re-unification of all Zo inhabited areas and formed a forum called Zo Re-unification Organization (ZORO).



• In 1993 the Paite, Vaiphei, Zou, Simte and the Tedim Chins tirbes of Manipur State and some leaders of Northern Chin State formed the Zomi Re-unification Organization (ZRO) proclaiming the genuine rights of the Zomi and demanding self-determination for all Zomi inhabited areas in India, Burma and Bangladesh.



Topography



Natural Resources