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Mizo people in Myanmar

Kawlrama Mizote
Mizo or Lushai Chin attire shown in the National Races Village, Yangon, Myanmar.
Total population
250,000-400,000
Regions with significant populations
Kalay Khampat Mandalay Pyin Oo Lwin Rihkhawthar Tamu Taunggyi Yangon
Languages
Burmese Standard Mizo Hmar (Northern Mizo)
Religion
Christianity Judaism
Related ethnic groups
Chin people Mizo diaspora

The Mizo people in Myanmar, historically Burma National Lushais (Burmese: လူရှိုင်း) are Myanmar citizens with full or partial Mizo ancestry. Although various Mizo tribes have lived in Myanmar for past centuries, the first wave of Mizos migrated back to Myanmar in the mid-19th to the 20th centuries.

The Mizo people do not influence the rest of Myanmar culturally, but Mizoram, the native land of the Mizos, has helped refugees from Myanmar since 1962, after Myanmar's first coup. It was more noticiable after the 8888 Uprising in 1988 and the coup and civil war in 2021. They have also raised funds, and the Chinlung Chuak Artists, a band of Mizo and Burmese singers, fundraise for the displaced in Myanmar.

The number of Mizos is estimated to be 250,000-400,000 in Myanmar. Over 200,000 of tehem reside in the town of Kalay. They are part of the Mizo diaspora and the larger Zo community.

History

The early Burmese Mizo people, historically referred to as Lu Shaing (Burmese: လူရှိုင်း), Lu Shay (Burmese: လူရှေ), and Kalinkaw (Burmese: ကလင်ကော့), were known to have resided in the Kabaw Valley, along the Indo–Burmese border. Historical records suggest that during their time in the Kabaw Valley, they recognized the Burman's sovereignty over the region and allied with local forces. Notably, a 1972 Burmese encyclopedia mentions that in the year 1823, 800 Mizos joined Maha Bandula's cavalry, contributing to the defense of the Khampat area from foreign incursions, including by constructing and safeguarding defensive walls.

The first census taken in the Chin Hills occurred in 1896 and showed 20 Mizo villages with 608 houses. In 1914, another wave of Mizos migrated, led by Kapmawia from Champhai district. Most Burmese Mizos have a military background. Around the 1940s in the British Lushai Hills (present-day Mizoram), it was considered popular to join the Burmese Army. Hence, there were 500 Mizos in the Burmese Army in 1947, and that number grew to 3,000 in 1960.

C. Khuma (Challiankhuma), an Army Officer serving in Burma, wrote a tragic love story called Memiau Sanapui (Maymyo Clocktower) in 1946. It was published by the Burma Lushai Association in 1950. This tragedy was perhaps the first Mizo fiction ever printed and published outside Mizoram. Irrawaddy Luikamah (At the Bank of the Irrawaddy) by James Dokhuma was also written.

The first Mizo town in Myanmar founded by Mizo migrants is Letpankone, in Sagaing Region; in Mizo, it is known as Sainguauva khua.

In a government-led estimation in 1972, there were 83 Mizo villages with 5,736 homes, with 33,554 people, in Myanmar.

Culture

Most Burmese Mizos are Christians and speak Mizo and Burmese. Chapchar Kut, a famous Mizo festival, is one of those that are celebrated publicly in Kalay.

It has introduced some Mizo dishes to Myanmar such as these:

• Sabutui
• Bài
• Samțawk kàn

Citizenship

Most Mizos in Myanmar officially identify with the Chin ethnic group. However, the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League once encouraged Mizos to come from Mizoram and to settle in Myanmar. The same was true for the Manipuris as well. Some thought that those were tactics to let the party gain votes.

Notable Burmese Mizos

• Vanlal Dawla, boxer
• Zoramthanga, boxer
• Aye Nyein Thu, doctor
• Aye Aye Mu, politician
• Chaw Su Khin, singer
• Lar Dint Htar Yi, musician
• Mary Dawngi, musician
• Nway Oo
• Omomi Khiangte, musician
• SaiWanah, musician
• Sasa, politician

References

1. It may include people that only have partial Mizo ancestry.

Sources

1. "Myanmar Mizo". Kabaw Tlangval. 20 November 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
2. "History of Mizo In Burma" (PDF). Indian Culture. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
3. "In Mizoram, a refugee crisis highlights Mizo tribal affinities and hostility". Himal Southasian. 2 June 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
4. "မြန်မာ့စွယ်စုံကျမ်း၊ အတွဲ (၁၂)" (in Burmese). p. 34.
5. Lalmalsawmi, C. V. (11 March 2021). "Why Mizos have come out to support protesters against Myanmar coup". Scroll.in. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
6. https://namami.gov.in/sites/default/files/book_pdf/Writing%20in%20Mizo%20Manuscripts.pdf
7. "Kawl Rama Mizo Lut Hmasate Chanchin Part. 1" (PDF). Indian Culture. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
8. "လူရှိုင်း (မီဇိုး) တိုင်းရင်းသားတို့၏ ကြပ်ကြာရ်ကုသ်ပွဲတော်ကို ကလေးမြို့တွင် ကျင်းပ". Eleven Media Group Co., Ltd. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
9. "Saumbur: KAWLRAM MIZO CHANCHIN TLEM". 3 April 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
10. "Manipuris and Lushais settled in Burma of the Jan 1948-Questin of eligibility for Burmese Nationality". INDIAN CULTURE. Retrieved 15 October 2023.

• Immigration to Myanmar