5/16/2019 Zo people - Wikipedia

Zo people
The Zo people or Zomi (meaning highlanders), also known as the Mizo, the
Zo/Zomi
Kuki, the Chin and a number of other names, are a large group of related
Tibeto-Burman peoples spread throughout the northeastern states of India, Total population
northwestern Myanmar (Burma) and the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. ~2.5 million in 2001 Census
In northeastern India, they are present in: Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur and http://www.zogam.org/zomi-
Assam. This dispersal across international borders resulted from a British population
colonial policy that drew borders on political grounds rather than ethnic Regions with significant
ones.[1] populations

The Zomi people have typical Tibeto-Burman features and are generally of United States; Australia, Chin State,
short stature with straight black hair and dark brown eyes. Natively, the Zo Myanmar; Northeastern India;
speak one of the fifty or so languages that linguists call the Kuki-Chin language Eastern Bangladesh; Thailand
group, which is also known as Kuki-Chin (Kuki/Chin), Mizo/Kuki/Chin, or Languages
Kuki Naga.
Various Chin, Kuki, Mara, Mizo &
Zomi languages
Religion
Contents Predominantly Christianity, minority
Names Animism and Buddhism
Geography Related ethnic groups
See also Naga, Meitei, Kachin, Karen
References

Names
Various names have been used for the Zomi peoples, but the individual groups generally acknowledge descent from
ancestral Zomi. Among the more prominent names given to this group are "Chin" and "Lushai", generally in Myanmar,
and "Mizo" and "Kuki", generally in India.

In the literature, the term Kuki first appeared in the writings of Rawlins when he wrote about the tribes of the Chittagong
Hill Tracts. It referred to a "wild tribe" comprising numerous clans. These clans shared a common past, culture, customs
and tradition. They spoke in dialects that had a common root language belonging to the Tibeto-Burman group.[2]

The origin of the name "Chin" is uncertain. Later the British used the compound term "Chin-Kuki-Mizo" to group the
Kukish language speaking people, and the Government of India inherited this.[3] Missionaries chose to employ the term
Chin to christen those on the Burmese side and the term Kuki on the Indian side of the border.[4][5] Chin nationalist
leaders in Burma's Chin State popularized the term "Chin" following Burma's independence from Britain.[6]

Beginning in the 1990s, the generic names Chin and Kuki have been rejected by some for "Zomi", a name used by several
small groups speaking Northern Kukish languages, including the Zomi.[7] The speakers of the Northern Kukish languages
are sometimes lumped together as the Gangte people. Some Zomi nationalists have stated that the use of the label Chin
would mean subtle domination by Burmese groups.[8][9]
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The term "Mizo", incorporated in the name of the Indian state Mizoram, was also rejected by the Zomi National
Congress.[10][11]

Geography
They are spread out in the contiguous regions of Northeast India, Northwest
Burma (Myanmar), and the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh. In India,
they are most prominent in Manipur, Nagaland, Assam and Mizoram. Some
fifty Zo peoples are recognised as scheduled tribes.[12]

See also
Kuki–Paite ethnic clash of 1997–1998
Leen Nupa
Zomi Nationalism

Zomi inhabited areas

References
1. T. Haokip, 'The Kuki Tribes of Meghalaya: A Study of their Socio-Political Problems', in S.R. Padhi (Ed.). Current
Tribal Situation: Strategies for Planning, Welfare and Sustainable Development (https://www.academia.edu/4392866/
The_Kuki_Tribes_of_Meghalaya_A_Study_of_their_Socio-Political_Problems). Delhi: Mangalam Publications, 2013,
p. 85.
2. Grierson (1909), Linguistic Survey of India, Vol. III, Tibeto-Burman Family, General Introduction, Specimens of the
Tibetan Dialects, The Himalayan Dialects and The North Assam Group, Pt. II, with Grierson (1903), Specimens of the
Bodo, Naga and Kachin Groups, Pt. III, Grierson (1904) Specimens of the Kuki, Chin and Burma Groups.
3. Violence and identity in North-east India: Naga-Kuki conflict - Page 201 S. R. Tohring - 2010 "... for these tribes
including • the Kuki/ speaking tribe such as: 'Chin', 'Mizo', 'Chin-Kuki-Mizo', 'CHIKIM', 'Zomi', 'Zou', 'Zo'. ... During the
British era, the British rulers used the term 'Chin-Kuki-Mizo' and the Government of India seemed to follow ..."
4. Sachchidananda, R. R. Prasad -Encyclopaedic profile of Indian tribes- Page 530 1996
5. Pradip Chandra Sarma, Traditional Customs and Rituals of Northeast India: Arunachal ... Page 288 Vivekananda
Kendra Institute of Culture "chose to employ the term Chin to christen those on the Burmese side and the term Kuki
on the Indian side of the ... The Mizo of today's Mizoram are the descendants of Luseia, and the Zomi of Manipur are
from the Songthu line, and thus all ..."
6. Amy Alexander Burma: "we are Like Forgotten People" : the Chin People of Burma Page 16 2009 "... within Chin
State, Chin nationalist leaders popularized the term “Chin” following Burma's independence from Britain."
7. History of Zomi T. Gougin - 1984 "In Burma the people like to renounce the term Chin in favour of Zomi. Zomi is
becoming more and more popular in Churachandpur district of Manipur adjoining the Chin State of Burma as group
identity in repudiating Chin and Kuki. The term ..."
8. B. Datta-Ray Tribal identity and tension in north-east India Page 34 1989 "Now to accept the term Chin would mean
subtle Paite domination in the matter, which the other groups like the Hmars, Zous, Anals and Koms may not coopt. A
Zomi leader categorically stated that 'Chin' is a Burmese word which literally ..."

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9. Keat Gin Ooi - Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East ... - Volume 1 - Page 353 2004
"Until recently, there appeared to be a consensus that the term Chin was not an identity that any of these peoples
would choose to describe themselves, ... Some promote the terms Zomi and Zo, stating that they are derived from the
name of the mythic common ancestor of all ..."
10. Ramamoorthy Gopalakrishnan - Socio-political framework in North-East India Page 149 1996 "Later, the term 'Mizo'
created a lot of confusion particularly when the Zomi(Newly formed) National Congress emerged. ... But the problem
arose with the use of the term 'Chin' (it is not given due recognition in the List of Scheduled Tribes in Manipur)."
11. Chin Kho Lian Guite - Politico-economic development of the tribals of Manipur: a study ... Page 8 1999 "Conceptual
Meaning and Various Interpretations of the Terms— Chin, Kuki and Mizo (a) Chin The term Chin is the name given to
this Zomi/Zomi tribes (formerly known as Chin-Kuki-Mizo) group of people in Myanmar (Burma). They are mostly
found in the ..."
12. "Alphabetical List of India's Scheduled Tribes" (https://web.archive.org/web/20090210171227/http://tribal.nic.in/alphab
etical_list.html). Archived from the original (http://www.tribal.nic.in/alphabetical_list.html) on 10 February 2009.

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