HISTORY OF THE ZO Ml (CHIN) RACE

"The Chi n is of interest, because he reveals the materi al out of which Buddhism
and ci vi l i sati on have between them evol ved the Burmese peopl e; the Chi n, in
short, is the rough wood out of which the Burman has been car ved" .
"The Silken East ", by V. C. Scot t O' Connor
THE Chi n Hi l l s Gazet t eer recorded the facts that Zo (Chins) and the so cal l ed Kukis were one
and the same race and that Soktes, Yos and Kamhaus were one peopl e. It further summarized the
f act that al l bel ong to one and the same Kuki race. H ad the word Kuki been changed to Z o
at that time, the right word f or cal l i ng the various tribes and clans of the Zo race i nhabi ti ng
the areas joining Burma, East Pakistan and Assam woul d have been answered a long time ago.
This publ i cat i on was rare f or a long time and was not avai l abl e to later authors on the vari ous
races of Burma.
"There can be no doubt that the Chi ns and the Kukis are one and the same race, for thei r
appearance, manners, customs, and language all poi nt to this concl usi on". The Chi n Hi l l s Gazet t eer
1896 chap xii pp 135.
"Sect i ons of the Chi ns who have mi grated into Burma f rom the Ti betan pl ateau almost in
a straight line down south are to be found f rom the Somra Hi l l Tracts down Cape Negrai s. The
Chi ns, the peopl e living in the northern Chi n Hi l l s bel i eved then mostly that their foremost
fathers settled in Ci mnuai , Sai zi ng from where they spread to other pl aces in the Chi n Hi l l s.
The peopl e cal l themselves Z O Ml . Mi meaning Man. From Ci mnuai some went south and cal l ed
themselves Sukte, some moved east to the al kal i val l ey Si Zang and later known as Sizang (Si yi n).
The Thado branch moved north, and some more branches moved west and still cal l themselves
Ml Z O but known by the British as Lushai (Lusei).
"Sect i ons of the Chi ns who have mi grated into Burma f rom the Ti betan pl ateau almost in
a straight line down south are to be found from the Somra Hi l l Tracts down to Cape Negrai s.
The Chi ns, then mostly in Nort h-West ern Burma, are known to have had soci al intercourse wi th
the Burmese at the time of the Ki ngdom of Pagan (1044-1287). There were Chi n levies in the
armies of Ki ng Bayinnaung of Toungoo (1551-81) and of Ki ng Al aungpaya of Av a (1752-60).
" Local tradi ti on has it that the ancestors of some of the peopl e formi ng the pri nci pal
tribes ascended the Chi n lands from the Kal e- Kabaw and the Myi t t ha Ri ver val l eys. One group
went there by the f oot hi l l Burmese vi l l age, Yazagyo, and are the clans now i nhabi ti ng the north-
east region of Ti ddi m. Anot her group went up Mount Kennedy f rom the Kal e Val l ey. They then
descended the western slope of Kennedy Peak and settled in Zangpi t am above Thuklai Vi l l age,
Si yi n Val l ey. Later they conti nued their move to Ci mnuai near Sai zang Vi l l age, Sokte area.
Their descendants spread al ong various routes from Ci mnuai and are bel i eved to be the
ancestors of the present tribes of Si yi n, Sokte, Kamhau, Zo and Thado. The remainder moved
from the Myi t t ha Ri ver val l ey into the Cent r al Chi n country and were the ancestors of the
Zanni ats, Zahaus, Tashons of Fal am and various tribes of Haka.
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It is not within t r i bal memory that any ful l -scal e organi zed war was ever waged between the
Burmese Kings and the Chi ns, but mi nor hostilities used to occur at times in the f oot hi l l val l eys,
resulting in raids and skirmishes on the border.
British troops were in act i on agai nst the Nort hern Chi ns af t er the annexation of Upper
Burma f or a conti nued peri od of seven months or thereabouts among the foothi l l s now passed
by the Kal emyo-Fort Whi t e- Ti ddi m Road, at a pl ace cal l ed Leisan (now known as the Basha
Hi l l ) . The Chi ns resisted the advance of British troops fearl essl y ti l l they were subdued. It was
not until 1892 that the northern peopl e now i nhabi ti ng the Ti ddi m Subdi vi si on were t ot al l y
di sarmed. The Cent r al Chi ns di d not of f er any ful l -scal e resistance. Further down in the south,
the various tri bes of the Haka Subdi vi si on, resisted sternly the advance of the forces from the
Gangaw Val l ey.
There is a great deal of soci al intercourse between the Chi ns and the Burmese and a con-
si derabl e number of Chi ns speak Burmese. Many Chi ns l i vi ng in the Pakokku, Thayetmyo, Prome
end Henzada Di stri cts have become Burmanized, bei ng mostly Buddhists. Even in respect of the
Chi ns in the Chi n Hi l l s Di stri ct, those who i nhabi t the southern porti on and those areas adj acent
to the Kal e- Kabaw Val l ey are in cl ose touch with the Burmese. The Chi ns have frequentl y
expressed a desire to have Burmese as the medium of instruction in thei r schools. Report of
Frontier Ar eas Commi t t ee of Enquiry 1947.
' Amongst the Khongjais (Khuangsai) themselves, the cream of the Thados, the Thados par
excel l ence are mal e descendants of Thado in di rect l i neal descent. To these much respect is
pai d by the younger branches, who in token thereof present t o the Chi ef of their parti cul ar
branches one tusk of each el ephant they may capture, these Chi ef s agai n making a present t o thei r -
superior, the head of al l .
" Or i gi nal l y they were not mi gratory, but have assumed this character l at el y. Si nce their
expulsion f rom their own hills, the di f f erent tri bes have become mixed up together in the villages
si tuated in positions sel ected with reference to conveni ence of cul t i vat i on, but with l i ttl e regard
to healthiness.
"The Yo t ri be three generati ons back occupi ed the t ract of country now i nhabi ted by the
Kanhow cl an of Soktes, and many of the Kanhow vi l l ages are i nhabi ted still by Yos, whose t ri bal
name has given way t o t hat of " Kanhow" . Soktes, Yos, and Kanhows are pr act i cal l y one peopl e;
f or many years past, as is shown in the Mani pur records, numbers of emigrants crossed the Nor-
thern Chi n border and settl ed down al ong the south of Mani pur pl ai n, west of the l ongi tude
of Howbi Peak.
"The Chin Hills are peopled by many clans and communities, calling themselves by various
names and believing themselves to be of distinct and superior origin. It is evident, however that
all belong to one and the same, the Kuki race, which, owing firstly to the want of a written
language and secondly to the interminable inter-village warfare, has split up and resulted in a
babel of tongues, a variety of customs, and a diversity of modes of living.
"Physi cal l y the Chi n is a fi ne man, t al l er and stouter than his neighbours in the plains on
both the north and east, and although he fal l s short of the bui l d of the Pathan, his measurements
compare more than f avourabl y with those of the Gur kha. It is no uncommon occurence to fi nd
men 5 f eet 10 inches and 5 f eet M inches in height with chest measurement of 39 inches and
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with a cal f measurement of the abnormal size of 16 inches. Individual f al l men are found in the
Kuki vi l l ages i mmedi atel y south of Mani pur and among the Soktes, but the finest bui l t men in the
hills are the Siyins, Hakas, and i ndependent southerners.
"The Siyins, though small in stature, are spl endi dl y l i mbed and are the most evenl y built
tri be in the hills, though the Hakas and i ndependent southerners are as a whol e t al l er and produce
the finest i ndi vi dual men. The Chi ns and the southern Kukis of Mani pur bei ng the same race, living
in the same class of country and under the same condi ti ons, are, as is to be expect ed, equal l y good
carri ers". Chi n Hi l l s Gazet t eer .
Chi n Levies beside i nvadi ng countries adj acent t o the Chi n Hi l l s such as the East India
company occupi ed areas of East Bengal i ncl udi ng the Chi t t agong areas, they vol unteered f or
service under Ki ng Al aungpaya.
" Al aungpaya himself returned with a large f orce, contai ni ng Shan and Chi n levies, to Syri am
which his men had started to besiege soon after the capture of Rangoon" Har vey.
"The approxi mate cause in 1757 was, fi rstl y, the fai l ure of the Tal ai ng government to
subjugate the north i mmedi atel y after enteri ng Av a and bef ore wi thdrawi ng the bulk of the army;
secondl y, they were di vi ded in their counci l s, while the Burmese were united under a great
l eader; thi rdl y, they had onl y their own corner of Burma t o draw on f or men, whereas Al aung-
paya' s numbers were f ed by Shan, Kachi n, Chi n and Kadu l evi es". Har vey 1925.
The popul at i on of the Khyeng (Chi n) in the di stri cts of Ar akan as it stood at the census
of 1872 was as f ol l ows: ( J ASB f or 1875 Vol . XLI V Pt I).
I. Akyab 3,917
' 2. Ramree 10,324
3. Sandoway 4,715
18,956
"The Khyengs cal l themselves H I OU or S H OU (zo, yo) and state that the Shi ndoos, Khumis,
and Lungkhes, are members of the same race as themselves. They have a tradi ti on that they
came down from the Kyendweng (Chi ndwi n) river, but they possess no wri tten record of their
descent; they are f ond, however, of singing rude bal l ads, which port ray the delights of their
anci ent count ry".
In his "Mi ssi on to the Cour t of A v a " , Henry Yul e recorded the surveys made about the
occupi ed and unoccupi ed parts of Burma :
" Of l arge tracts we have still no accurate descri pt i on. Such are the eastern parts of Burma
Proper from the Irawadi to the Shan states, though on this Maj or Al l an has col l ect ed a good
deal of native i nf ormat i on; the Yau (Zo) country, west of the mouth of the Kyen-dwen; the
i nteri or of the Doab, between the Irawadi and Kyen-dwen, from Mout -shobo (Muksobu) up-
wards; and the whole of the hill country east and north-east of the capi t al , towards the Ruby-
mines, the upper course of the Myi t nge, and the Chi nese fronti er.
' Seven races are recogni sed by the Burmese as of the Myamma stock; vi z. the Rakai n, or
peopl e of Ar acan; the proper Burma; the Tal ai n; the Kyen of the Ar acan mountains; the
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Karen of the forests of lower Burma, Pegu, and Tennasserim; the Yau; and the Tavoyer. There
are traces, however, in the Burmese history, of even the proper Burma havi ng been amal gamat ed
f rom vari ous races. Yul e' s Mi ssi on to A v a .
"St i l l further westward in the Naga country, between l ongi tude 93 and 95, and a great
mul ti pl e mass of mountains starts southwards f rom the Assam chai n. Enclosing first the level
al l uvi al val l ey of Munni poor, at a hei ght of 2500 f eet above the sea, it then spread out westward
to Ti pura and the coast of Chi t t agong and northern Ar acan a broad succession of unexpl ored
and forest-covered spurs, i nhabi ted by a vast vari ety of wi l d tri bes of Indo-Chi nese kindred, known
as Kooki s, Nagas, Khyens, and by many more speci fi c names. Cont r act i ng to a more def i ned
chai n, or to us more def i ned because we know it better, this meri di an range still passes southward
under the name of the Ar acan Yuma-doung, ti l l 700 miles f rom its ori gi n in the Naga wilds it
sinks in the sea hard by Negrai s, its last bl uf f crowned by the gol den Pagoda of Modai n,
gl eami ng far to seaward, a Burmese Sunium. Fancy might t race the submarine prol ongati on of the
range in the dot t ed line of the Preparis, the Cccos, the Andamans, the Ni cobar s, ti l l it emerges
agai n t o traverse Sumatra and the vast chai n of the J avani c isles.
"Between these two great meri di an ranges that have been i ndi cat ed, the one eastward of
the Irawadi and the Si t ang, the other westward of the Kyen-dwen and the Irawadi, lie what have
been characteri sed above as the first three divisions of the Burman terri tory, and these bef ore
the det achment of Pegu might have been consi dered as formi ng the kingdom of Burma.
" A l i ttl e bel ow the Shwe-l i , each side of the Irawadi, at Myadoung on the east and at
Thi gyai n on the west, there are the remains of ol d stone forts. That at Thi gyai n is said t o have
been in anci ent times the capi t al of the Kados, a tri be now scattered over the i nteri or of the
Monyeen di stri ct and that of Pyenzal a, west of the river.
( " A pri vate note from Col onel Hanny speaks of the Kados as bei ng the most interesting
of the northern tri bes, "l i ke t he Yos, one of the ol d Burmese races, and similar in type to what
we see of the Bhurs and Rauje Bhurs of the present day, a race known by t radi t i on as the oldest
of Indian r aces" ) .
Yule's "Mission to Ava" mentions fhe YAU (ZO) country.
" Wes t of the river, between the paral l el s of 2230' and 2430' , stretches from north to
south the val l ey of Kabo. (Kabo is the name appl i ed to the Shans in the Munni poor i l anguage).
This val l ey, the northern part of which was l ong a bone of contenti on between Av a and Munni -
poor, was in 1833 made over to the former by the authori ty of the British Government , at the
instance of Col onel Burney, compensati on bei ng made t o Munni poor . It is a l ong strip, not more
than ten to f i f t een miles in greatest wi dth, separated f rom the Kyen-dwen by a range of unin-
habi t ed and forest-covered hills, cal l ed Ungochi ng. The northern porti on of the val l ey, cal l ed
by the Burmese Thoungthwot, by the Kathes, or Munni poori es, Samjok; and the southern, cal l ed
Kal e, are still under the rule of the nati ve Shan Tsaubwas tri butary to Av a ; the onl y such who
have ' mai ntai ned thei r posi ti on under the Burmese Gover nment on this side of the Irawadi . The
central port i on, Khumbat, is under a Burmese Gover nor . Kal e is much the most popul ous part
of the val l ey, and it has an exit f or its teak by the Nar enj ar a, or Munni poor river, which 'passes
through it into the Kyen-dwen. It also produces rice and cot t on, with wax and i vory. Kal e is one
of the sites t o which Burman history or l egend attaches the dynasty of anci ent Hi ndoo
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immigrants. And the classic name of the Kabo val l ey is Maur eeya. The hills on the west of
Kal e are occupi ed by the Khyens, a race extendi ng southward throughout the l ong range of the
Yoma-doung to the l ati tude of Prome.
( " Col onel Hanny i denti fi es the Khyens with the Nagas of the Assam mountains. They must
also be cl osel y al l i ed to the Kooki s. In Trant's account of the Khyens, on the Aeng pass, he
mentions their worship of a di vi ni ty cal l ed Passine (Pasi an); and Lieutenant Stewart, in his
noti ce of the "new Kooki s" of northern Kachar, says that they recognise one al l -powerful Go d
as the author of the universe, whom they term " Put hen" (Pathian) Trant' s Two Years in Av a ,
and J our . Asi at i c Soci et y Ben. 1855, p. 628).
" Of the Y O or Yau country, l yi ng al ong the river of that name, between the barren Tangyi
hills that line the Irawadi, opposi t e Pagan and the base of the Ar acan Yoma-doung, nothing more
is known, I am sorry to say, than was recorded long ago by Dr. Buchanan. The peopl e are bel i -
eved to be of the same race with the Burmese, but, f rom their secl uded posi t i on, speak the
language in a pecul i ar di al ect . There are paths from the Yau country into the Kal adan val l ey
in Ar acan, which Ki ng Thawawadi made some talk of rendering passable f or troops, when he
was breathi ng war in 1839. They must traverse the country of some of the wildest tribes of the
Yuma, and nothing of them is known. The Yaus are great traders, and are the chi ef pedlers and
.carriers of northern Burma.
"Sout h of the Yaus comes the di st ri ct of Tsalen, a rich al l uvi al val l ey between the skirts of the
Yuma-doung, and the river, and consi dered one of the most producti ve districts of the empi re.
"Tri bes under a great vari ety of names, and in every stage f rom semi -ci vi l i sati on to deep
barbari sm, inhabit the broadest part of this great western mountain boundary of Burma. The most
extensi vel y-di ffused of these tri bes, extending from l at. 28, perhaps, to the Assam fronti er, is
the race of the Khyens.
From Travels in South East Asi a by the Rev. Howar d Mal com, of Boston 1839 :
"Towards the hills is the Mr oo or Mr oong tri be, about fi ve thousand. Beyond these, on the
lower hills, are the Kyens, amounti ng to f i f t een thousand; and beyond these, on the Yomadong
Mountai ns, are the Arungs or Ari ngs, amounti ng to ten thousand.
"The Yaws (Zo) are on the l ower waters of the Kyendween (Chi ndwi n), not f ar f rom Av a .
The di stri ct is sometimes cal l ed Yo or J o . The language is essentially Burman, but spoken with
a di al ect i ntel l i gi bl e only to themselves. They are an agri cul tural and pastoral peopl e, enj oyi ng
a country of extreme sal ubri ty and fruitfulness. They manufacture sugar, and export it to other
parts of the empi re; and of t en resort to Av a for the purpose of t rade.
"The Kyens are sometimes cal l ed Na-gas, and by the Burmans Chi ns. They occupy part of
the Ar r acan and Muni por e fronti er, chi efl y the mountains of the di st ri ct of Kubo, and amount
to about f i f t y thousand, di vi ded into various tri bes, as the Changsel , the Kongj u, the Chedoo,
the Kuporee, etc. Some of the tribes are tri butary of Burmah, others to the East India Company,
and some are compl et el y i ndependent. One tri be t at t oo their women' s faces in a horri bl e man-
ner; of whom I have seen a number. They general l y cal l themselves Kol oun. Hami l t on regards
them as one of the ori gi nal tribes of farther India, and that, under various names, such as
Kooki es (Kukis), Cossyahs (Khasi ), etc., and in vari ous stages of ci vi l i sat i on, they are spread,
more or less over this whole peninsula. Wi t hi n the limits of Ar r acan are about f i f t een thousand,
301
who might be reached through Akyab and Kyouk Phyoo. A consi derabl e vi l l age of these peopl e
stands at the entrance of the Oo-t ha-l ong Nul l ah, ten days by water from Akyab. Many of
them live in the i ntermedi ate space. The hill tribes are f i erce, and dreaded by al l their neigh-
bours, but the l owl anders cul t i vat e the earth peacef ul l y, and have settl ed habi tati ons. Those
under Burman authori ty pay thei r tri bute chi ef l y in i vory, wax, coarse cottons, ginger, and
turmeric. They are greatl y addi ct ed to arrack extracted f rom ri ce. I have seen cloths and other
articles made by them, which di spl ay excel l ent skill and taste. Their language is pecul i ar and
unwritten, and the di al ect s of the di f f erent tribes vary consi derabl y.
"The Nagas are a very numerous peopl e on the borders of Cachar , Muni por e, and Asam.
Their country belongs partl y to the other of these states. They are cal l ed Nagas (l i teral l y "naked
peopl e") f rom their almost total want of dress. There are many clans or tribes of them, di f f eri ng
greatl y in their measure of ci vi l i sat i on. The better sort dwel l in compact villages of wel l -bui l t
houses on high hills, and are reported to be a very handsome and athl eti c r ace; act i ve, both
in agri cul ture and merchandi se.
"The J O O - M E A reside chi ef l y in Chi t t agong, on a range of hill country, on the head waters
of the Kul l adi ne, between the mountains and the plains. There are some tribes of them in Ti ppera,
and some in Ar r acan. They cul ti vate hill rice and cot t on. Their language is whol l y uni ntel l i gi bl e
both to Mugs and Bengalees, and is unwritten. Their rel i gi on is impure Boodhi sm. They pay
tri bute to the government at Chi t t agong, through a nati ve zemi ndar; who lives in consi derabl e
state at Bazi l eah, eastward of Chi t t agong and cal l s himself raj a.
"The C H A K - M A tri be is al l i ed to the J oo Mea ( ZO Ml ) , and practi se the same rel i gi on
They are whol l y confi ned to the hilly interior of Chi t t agong, and are supposed to amount to
about seventeen thousand. They are consi derabl y ci vi l i zed, and some can read Bengal ee; but
general l y wri te it in Burman character. These and the Joo-meas are a hardly and industrious
peopl e, and cut all the ship and furniture ti mber which is brought down Chi t t agong River. They
are remarked also f or i ntrepi di ty as hunters, and f or general gentleness and probi t y of manners"
Al t hough there were tri bal wars and migrations f or other causes for generations many clans
had stuck to their f ami l y trees accordi ng to custom As a result very f ai rl y accurate geneal ogi cal
trees of the Zo f ami l y coul d be compi l ed.
Accor di ng to the Si yi n priests and Si yi n cl an fami l i es Ngengu, Vangl ok and Dai t ong had
one more brother Nei l ut . Their father was Thuantak who had two other brothers Tohin and
Seaktak. Thuantak was the youngest and heir. Tohin and Seaktak mi grated to the north and
their descendants are now known as Yo, Thado or Khuangsai Some cl an of the Zo fami l y are
now in the Mani pur State, Assam and the Naqa Hi l l s. Thado and Thalun were the two sons of
Seaktak. Seaktak had four sons, Thado, Thalun, Tongluai and Hangsi ng. Most of the vocabul ari es
are still the same and even the custom of abst.nence from meat by wives of absentee husbands
is still the same The common geneal ogi cal tree tal l i es up to the time of separati on between the
three brothers of Tohin, Seakrak and Thuantak (Suantak).
The compi l ers of the Chi n Hi l l s Gazet t eer records under the ti tl e " Hi st or y of the Thados,
Yos and Nwi t es" ,,The h'llmen, known as the Kukis or Khongjais, live for the greater part north
of the Chi n Hi l l s boundary line and in hill territory bel ongi ng to Mani pur . The Mani puri s cal l
i he Kukis, Khongj ai The, Chi ns, however, know thern only by the name of their ori gi nal progeni tor,
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Thado, though they di vi de them i nto various fami l i es, the chi ef of which is the Mang Vum fami l y,
which is at the present day f ound i nhabi ti ng the vi l l ages of Lormpi ( Mombee) , Twel bung, Ewan-
kwa, Sinnum, Sai vum, and Shi mwel l , al l under Mani pur . Ot her and less ari st ocrat i c fami l i es are
i he Vumlu and Vuntam, which are f ound in Kai nzoi and Kwun Kam (Savum Kwa) in Mani pur
terri tory, and in Hi anzan (Hi angzang), Bal bi l , Hai t si , Hanken, and Hol kom in the Chi n Hi l l s.
Col onel Mc Cul l oc h who was Pol i t i cal Agent in Mani pur for many years records :
"There can be no doubt that the Chi ns and the Kukis are one and the same race, f or their
appearance, manners; customs, and language all poi nt to this concl usi on.
"They pay much attenti on t o their geneal ogy, and profess t o know the names of thei r Chi ef s
in succession from thei r l eader up to the present ti me. About the names of those previous
t o Thado there may be doubt , but f rom this great Chi ef f r om whom the whole race takes the
appel l at i on of Thado I do not think there is any.
"Amongst the Khongjais themselves, the cream of the Thados, the Thados por excel l ence are
male descendants of Thado in di rect lineal descent. The present Chi ef of all the Thados is a
young man named Koodi ng Mang. The Thlungums are di sti nct from the Chansel s, and the Thados
themselves are di vi ded into the greater clans of Thado, Shi ngsol , Chongl oi , Hangseen (Hang-
sing), Keepgen (Ki pngen), Hankeep, from whom again have sprung many other clans inferior in
rank but numerous as themselves, such as Chongf oot , Telnok, Hol t ung, Mangvoong (Mang Vum),
Voongtung (Vum Tarn) et c" Co l . McCul l och.
"The Yo tri be three generations back occupi ed the t ract of country now i nhabi ted by the
Kanhow cl an of Soktes, and many of the Kanhow vi l l ages are i nhabi ted still by Yos. Soktes, Yos
and Kanhows are pract i cal l y one peopl e, though no Sokte Chi ef woul d admi t that he is not of
superior bi rth to a Yo. Yos as well as the Thados and Nwi t es are cal l ed by the Mani puri s Kukis
or Khongjais, but the peopl e cal l themselves by the name of Yo, and those who bel ong to the
" Man Lun" fami l y consi der that they have a right to be proud of their bi r t h" .
"The Tashon tri besmen, unlike the Siyins and the Soktes, do not cl ai m one common pro-
geni tor. They are a communi ty composed of aliens, who have been col l ect ed under one f ami l y
by conquest, or more correct l y by strategy. The espri f de corps in the tri be therefore fal l s far
short of that di spl ayed in the Si yi n, Sokte, and Thado tri bes. The members of the Fal am counci l
are not l ooked up to as every man' s heredi tary and l awful l ord, as in the case with Chi ef s in
the north. They are parvenus and aliens who cannot expect to be t reat ed with the respect which
high bi rth demands and secures in al l Kuki tri bes.
various
"The Chi n Hi l l s are peopl ed by many clans and communities cal l i ng themselves by
names and bel i evi ng themselves to be of di sti nct and superior ori gi n. It is evi dent, however, that
all bel ong to one and the same, rhe Kuki race, whi ch, owing fi rstl y t o the want of a written
language and secondl y to the i ntermi nabl e i nter-vi l l age warfare, has spl i t up and resulted in a
babel of tongues, a vari ety of customs, and a di versi ty of modes of l i vi ng" .
"Indi vi dual tal l men are found in the Kuki villages i mmedi atel y south of Mani pur and among
the Soktes, but the f i nest bui l t men in the hills are Si yi ns, Hakas and i ndependent southerners
"The Siyins, though small in stature, are spl endi dl y l i mbed and are the most evenly built
tri be in the Hi l l s, though the Hakas and i ndependent southerners are a whol e t al l er and produce
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the finest i ndi vi dual men. The worst bui l t and puniest men in the hills are f ound among the '
Tashons, who are as a whole di st i nct l y i nferi or to the other tribes in physique and in carryi ng
capabi l i t y. There is a saying in the north "one Si yi n is equal to three Tashons, but then there
are over 15 Tashons to every Si yi n" .
If the high devel opment of l i terary and artistic tastes is t o be taken as a cri teri on of ci vi l i -
sation it is not likely that even in this respect Europe 'has much cause t o throw contemptuous
glances at Chi na.
I think the t endency in ol den days was to cal l the other race " bar bar i an" .
Johnstone says " A t Tachi enl u we come in cont act with representatives of all the various
tribes of western Chi na and eastern Ti bet, but they are nearly al l l abel l ed either Man-ch' ia or
Man-t zu. The former term means " bar bar i an fami l i es, and in pract i ce is appl i ed t o the peopl e
whom the Chi nese choose to regard as true Tibetans as di sti nct from the wi l der denizens of the
hills and forests. The Ti betan language is Man-hua (the language of the barbari ans), and the
Chi nese language is Han-hua (the language of the men of Han) . "
The term Man-t zu may now f or pract i cal purpose be restri cted to certai n of the western
hill-tribes to whom both Ti betan and Chi nese are forei gn languages, and who preserve di sti nct
customs of thei r own in the matters of dress, rel i gi on and soci al intercourse. A consi derabl e pro-
porti on of the peopl e who i nhabi t the scattered vi l l ages of the kingdom of Chal a, through which
lay my route to the Yal ung, are the Man-t zu, not Man- chi a. M. Bonin, who has t ravel l ed wi del y
in western Ssuchu' an, i denti fi es the Man-t zu (using the term in the narrower sense) with the Lol os.
In common with many other Europeans he has observed that the word Lol o, whatever it may
mean, is an opprobri ous epi thet, which is not used by the Lol os themselves and should never
be used in their presence. He considers that the word Lol o should be dr opped al together, and
that we should substitute Man-t zu as the desi gnal i on of both peopl es. This word, he says, has the
advant age of comprehendi ng Mo- so, Hsi Fan, Ku-tsung, Meni a and Li so, who are, he considers,
all of the same ori gi n.
Probabl y no one has a better acquai ntance with the Lolos than the Cat hol i c missionary,
M. Paul Vi al . He has l i ved f or many years among the Nyi (or Ngi ) Lol os of Yunnan, and has
come t o the concl usi on that " Man- t zu et Lol os ne sont qu' une seule et meme r ace" .
In the study of languages and di al ecf s I found that there are many words which are very
much the same between the Ti bet an l anguage and the languages spoken by the Z O Ml (Chi n)
and Burmans.
English
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Ni ne
Ten
Tibetan
Zo Mi (Chin)
Burmese
chig
khat
tit
nyi
ni
hnit
sum
thum thone
zhi
li
li
nga
nga nga
dirug
luk (rug)
chauk
dun
salih
khuhnit
gye
liat (giat; riat)
shit
gu
kua
ku
chu
sawm (hra) seh
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In the lower plains of Burma the Zo Chi ns have assi mi l ated with fhe Burmans gradual l y,
but in the sub-montane regions like Nat chaung, Si dok-t aya, Yaw-Ti l i n and Gangaw and Pauk and
other areas al ong the main Ar akan Yomah down t o Prome, the peopl es al though Burmanised
themselves admi t their bei ng Zo, Yaw, Yo, Sho which is the same name gi ven by the earl i er
pmakers to all the peopl e i nhabi ti ng the whole West er n ranges up t o Assam i dent i f yi ng them-
ves with the nomecl ature gi ven themselves by the maj ori ty of the Chi ns within a.id without the
ma
selves with
Chin Hills.
Not only are the Chi ns scattered outside Burma but their al l i ed languages are f ound in
several parts of Assam : "Sout h of the Naga Hi l l s lies the State of Mani pur , and here we first
meet the group of languages known as Kuki - Chi n. Mei t hei , the of f i ci al language of the State, is
the one of them which possesses an al phabet and a l i terature. Owi ng to the existence of the
l atter its devel opment has been retarded, so that it is in an ol der stage t hat the rest. The others
are scattered in col oni es over Mani pur and Cachar , and extend south, through the hill country,
as f ar as the Sandoway Di st ri ct of Burma. Si nce they occupi ed this l atter area, there has been a
constant tendency to expand northwards. On the West they were barred by the sea, and on the
south and east by the stable government of Burma. Thus wave af t er wave has been dri ven t o
the north by those who were behi nd. The Kuki -Chi ns of Mani pur and Cachar once occupi ed the
hills i mmedi atel y to the south, and these are now hel d by the Lushais, who were ori gi nal l y
pushed f orward f rom the south-east and drove them on. This progress has been arrested by
our conversion of Cachar into settl ed terri tory. There are more than thi rty Kuki -Chi n languages,
our conversion
some with several di al ects
The Khyengs cal l themselves Hi ou or Shou and state that the Shi ndoos, Khumis, and Lungkhes
are members of the same race as themselves. They have a t radi t i on that they came down from
the Kyendweng river, but they possess no wri tten record of their descent ; they are f ond, however,
of singing rude bal l ads, which port ray the del i ghts of their anci ent country, specimen of which
is here gi ven :
1. Ani a la chan don a kho a, e e e e
2. htoan za na bal eng a hpuan a, e e e e
3. apok a poi chi a oat mlu a, e e e e
4. htoan za na bal eng a hpuan a,
5. ane ye ol o ve di mo e, e e e e
6. si sho e l o po e hnaung e, e e e e
7. son sho e a toan e sy e, e e e e
8. kanau o suam ei o htui yo.
Transl ati on
1. To the upper (country of the) Kyendweng (river)
2. To the level (plains of the) bal eng and dry htoan (grasses)
3. To the brick (walled) ci t y of our forefathers
4. To the level (plains of the) bal eng and dry htoan (grasses)
5. Whi ch are so charming (lit. not a l i ttl e charming)
6. Let us hie, come al ong ! "
7. Let us haste with every speed
8 Oh my f ai ry like young brother !"
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The above is quoted from " On the Khyeng People of the Sandoway District, Arakan" by
Major G. E. Fryer, Deputy Commissioner, Sandoway.
The words "Hi ou or Shou" has little difference phonetically from "Zo, Yo, Yaw". Taking
into account the distance of the hundred miles or so which separates the Zo Chins from the
plains Hiou/Shou or Yaw Chins, the similarity existing among the different words is still most
striking. Thus we might conclude that the races found in between or around must have once
belonged to the same stock.
One historical account of the Siyin Zos is that once all the Zo (Yaw Chins) inhabited the
Kalemyo valley. The Governor of Kale who was a son of the King of Ava was, however, most
oppressive and forced the people to construct a palatial four walled fort with a moat running
all around it like the one at Ava. Wi th the incessant raids from Manipur the people could devote
little time to ploughing their fields and all the time was spent in building the fort. It is related
that the fingers accidentally cut during the course of this forced labour filled a whole basket. The
people tired of this oppression decided to migrate west and south. Those who went up the west
came into the hill region by way of Thuam Vum (Kennedy Peak) and by Natchaung-Webula road,
and several went down south to Tilin, Gangaw, Sidoktaya, Minbu and down to Arakan. The Hiou
or Shou (Khyengs) living in Sandoway district, whose ballads are recorded by Fryer mention a
brick walled city :
"To the brick (walled) city of our forefathers" in the third stanza and they claimed also
to have descended from the Kyendweng river. The Frontier Areas Enquiry Commission of 1947
recorded the same history.
FACTUAL DISTRIBUTION OF ZO Ml ( YAW CHI N) POPULATI ON
IN PLAINS BURMA.
According to the 1931 census the following towns in Burma proper have the most Zo Chins :
Thayetmyo : 22,803; Minbu : 20,961; Magwe 2,348; Pakokku : 22,149 Prome : 13,951; Akyab :
29,516; Kyaukpyu : 17,935; Sandoway: 8,425.
The population of the Khyeng (Hiou, Shou) in the districts of Arakan as it stood at the
census of 1872 was according to Major G. E. Fryer as fol l ows:
1. Akyab ' 3,917
2. Ramree 10,324
3. Sandoway 4,715
18,956
Another provincial census of Zo Chins found in British Burma (Lower Burma) pri or' to the
annexation of the Chin Hills proper, taken in 1881 according to Dr Forchhammer was:
1. Thayetmyo district 16,416
2. Kyaukpyu I 1.617
3., Prome 10,000
4. Henzada 3,652
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