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| Who are LAI People - History, Origin and land |
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| Written by Laifa | |
| Tuesday, 21 October 2008 | |
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Lai (Pawi) who are living in the Lai Autonomous District of Mizoram are but a segment community of the much larger Lai (Chin) population of Myanmar and elsewhere to whom whatever name may be given. Regarding their origin, they share common ancestry with those of any mongoloid race in the NEI. Further back, a historic tradition has it that Lai were a people who had once lived in China . They migrated through the Tibetan mountains moving further towards the East to become a major tribal group in the Chin Hills of Myanmar from where same few came the to present habitat (Mizoram) in the beginning of the 18th century or earlier.
Historians and Anthropologists are of the opinion that the Lai Community belongs to Tibeto-Burman of the Mongoloid stock. Their language is related to Tibeto-Chinese. A Philologist G.A. Grierson who has made an extensive and comprehensive linguistic survey in India and Burma did classify the Tibeto-Burman Families into four groups namely, Northern China , Central Chins, Old Kukis and Southern Chins.¹ So far there is no rival opinion against the argument that the Lai are non other than the Mongoloid stock. However, the Lai people have been given various names in different places, Chin or Halkha in Myanmar, Zo or Laizo in different places in India, Bangladesh and elsewhere, Pawi or Mizo in Mizoram. The term Chin or Zo or Laizo or Mizo are genetic names that are used to denote a group Communities who claimed themselves Kuki-Chin-Mizo Group or Zo (Mizo) Hnahthlak, in a modern saying. To support this argument I invite the British’s records, The Word Chin is generally used by the Burmese to denote the various tribes inhabiting the country of the Lushai Hills. They do not recognized themselves the name Chin, but call themselves Zo or Yo in the North and Lai in the Centre.² A.S. Reid, a Medical Officer-in-charge in the British Military Service in India had made a similar remark relating to this issue as, “ Chin is a Burmese term .…. . The Chin called themselves Lai,” À. In fact the word Chin is a generic term and is used to denote the Lai and their Kins. The Lai also called Zo or Yo in some places as Vumson, an outstanding researcher from Zo community says, “ The Pawi ( Lai) themselves do not call themselves Pawi but Lai, which and for all the Zo people.” The above quoted statement tell the fact that the Lai can never be the Sub-tribe of Zo, rather the main tree of the kin. The Lai people call themselves ‘Lai’ or ‘Laimi’ (people of Lai) or ‘Laifa’ (children of Lai) since time immemorial. Maj.J.Shakespeare (1887-1905), the first superintendent of the then Lushai Hills is cited to have said that the people whom he knew as Shendhu, Chin, Kuki, Naga etc did not know themselves by such names. Similarly, the people of Chin Hills did not know that they were “Pawi”, a name probably given by the Luseis. Little wonder is that James Herbert Lorrain, a pioneer English missionary made no mention of the collective noun ‘Lai’ in his Lushai-English Dictionary. Instead, he renders ‘Pawi’ to demote all tribes such as Chins, Lakhers and Fanai etc. “ who do not wear their hair knot at the back of the head as the Lushai do”. For more than a Century the Lai were known as Pawi in Mizoram and elsewhere. It is difficult to trace the exact date when the Lai were called Pawi, what happened and why they were called so. One thing is clear that the Lai were never called Pawi in their History till they entered Mizoram. It is probable that the Lai might have been named Pawi soon after they entered Mizoram. However, Census report of India 1901 shows that the term Pawi already existed in Mizoram with a population of 15 Population of the Lushai Hills in 1901 Name of Clan Population Hmar 10,411. Lushai 36,332. Pawi 15,038. Ralte 13,829. Paihte 2,870. Total 78,480 According to oral tradition of the Lai, the term Pawi was given to the Lai people, since the Lai youngman claimed himself pawite during the war between the North and the South Mizoram (most probably in 1800 – 1900 ). It is said that the Lushai believed that the Lai claimed themselves to be pawi because of their hair knot on their forehead. Therefore, whoever keeps the same hair style was called Pawi. Even the Punjabi, who knots their hair on their forehead, was also called Vai Pawi at one time in Mizoram.Œ In this case, the pawi seemed to be named after their hair style, but the term Pawite literally means Leopard in Lai language. It is therefore, probable that the term Pawi was not given to the Lai after their hair style; rather they were recognized from their hairstyle. The Lai are also believed to be the main tree of the Chin dynasty. The fact is that the Bible which is commonly used in Chin Hills is called the Lai-Hoka Bible. 1.2. Historical Origin: The Lai Historical Researchers proposed three main sources, such as, Biblical theory, deluge theory and Chhinlung theory. The first two theories are found un-analytical and needed much more sufficient Research, therefore seem to be less convincing. Despite the fact that the third theory is considered more reliable to trace on origin of Lai. As a result this work is based upon it. Chhinlung Theory: Peoples of every group of Mizo linguistic families have the same tradition that all are originated from Chhinlung. Tradition ascribe that the Lai’s originally came out of ‘Chhinlung’, not a mythical rock as said by some, but a hole in the ground covered with a stone, in the east of the Shan State, in the Falam Sub-Division of the Chin Hills District in Burma (Myanmar). It was believed that Lai tribes originate from somewhere in China . Chindwin Valley and the Chin Hills and finally came to the present Lairam. The areas inhabited by the Lai are contiguous to one another although they are at present in different administrative units. Their concept of Chhinlung is something like a cave from which all of the Mizo linguistic family came out. The Tradition goes that the progenitors of the Lai came out of the cave that was believed to be some-where in Northern China , or between China and Tibet . The limitation of this theory is that human came out of the cave is biologically impossible. Therefore, the modern historians are of the opinion that the Chhinlung from where the Lai people came out could be the Great Wall of China , which was built during the reign of the Prince Chung called Chin shih Hwangti. He started to reign in China in B.C. 221, and the construction of the Great Wall of China was started in B.C. 214. Therefore, the Lai and all other Mizo linguistic family were believed to have come out of the Great Wall of China due to heavy workload that was beyond their ability to bear. Hence, they made their way towards Myanmar and North East India where they settled down till today. Basing on the History of China, written by Wan Shu Tang in 1955, Mr. Hniarkio, a research scholar from the Chin Hills , or Myanmar say, “ The Lai, with other group of peoples like Mioo, Yoa, Tung, Chouli, Kualo, Leng, etc. lived in China ” Hniarkio furthermore tells that the archeological evident which had been unearthened in 1974 proved that the Lai people served the King Shis Hwangti as the guards and as a defence service. The statues of the guards found in the King’s compound who have knotted hair over their foreheads have shown this. For Hniakio except the Lai people were believes to have kept their hair style in china. This argument is in fact related to the above mentioned Chhinlung theory. Therefore, the Lai Original home could be somewhere in China . Among the Lai, there is also a belief that some of the Lai people still remain in China and nearby. Sangkkunga, a Medical Officer of the Lai community, who had been to Singapore in 1981 tells, “I have visited the Lai pharmacy in people’s Park in Singapore.The owner of the pharmacy and his wife, both physicians are Lai and came from China .” ¹° He further tells that there are some Lai among the Chinese. This eye witness is more convincing to lead us to believe that the Lai people came from China . This claim required much deeper study basing on cultural and linguistic dimensions. Chhuanawm Lahnim, a Lai by tribe and a learned man has written a convincing article basing on G.A.Grierson, a linguist and F.K.Lehman, an anthropologist. Grierson who had done a linguistic survey in India and Myanmar resolved that ‘Lai’ means ‘middle’ signifying that the Lais lived in the middle of Chin Hills . University of Illinois proposed that ‘Lai’ implies “Centre” or more appropriately ‘intermediate’. From these explanations Lahnim infers that ‘Lai’ in its conceptual meaning, is “civilized” or “Superior” or “unprecedented”. He further associates this meaning with the middle kingdom complex that had already been existed among the Chinese thousands of years ago. However, this will require deeper study for its affirmation Contrary to this opinion, B.Lalthangliana argues that it is impossible to link the history of the people in Mizoram with the Great Wall of China , as the age distance is too long. Any way, whether the tradition of Chhinlung is convincing or not the existence of Chhinlung seems to be true, that one of the Chinese has established a Restaurant continues to exist till today. So, the Chhinlung theory as well as an existence of Chhinlung in China in any form proved that the origin of the Lai, which is traced back to China, is possible. History of Sojourn Relying on the work of M.G. Tetpyo, Customary Law of the Chin Tribes, 1884, Mr. Hengmanga, the then Historical Research Officer, under Lai Autonomous District Council, Lawngtlai, asserted that, “The Lai people made their way from Northern China via Tibet to Myanmar through the Hukawng valley. The approximate date when they crossed the Hukawng valley could be around 400 A.D.” The Lai people might have spent some time at Kabaw and Khampat, where most of the Zo group were said to have once lived together for several years as Mangkhasat Kipgen, a research scholar from Manipur State has mentioned in his work, Christianity and Zo Culture, as, “The time spent in Khampat is regarded as one of the most glorious periods in Zo History. Most of the major clans, who now inhabit the Chin State of Burma , Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura, are believed to have lived together there”¹² According to the legend handed down from generation to generation among the Lai, they traced back their origin to Lailum. This is situated in Chin Hills near Falam. Around this people, there were some Lai historical places like Chin Mual, Lai VA , and Lai Kulh. Chumawi argues that “These historical places proved that the Lai people have been living for some generation.” ¹ It is a fact that the Lai language becomes the Lingua Franca in Chin Hills . Nishipada Deva Choudhury, an Archeologist rightly says, “Lai bids fair to become the general means of communication in the Chin Hills ”¹ In tracing out the origin of Lai, most of the Indian and British Researcher’s could established the fact that the Lai people moved towards the North west along the Chindwin River, then settled down in the Chin Hills. The possible date of their settlement in this place, as suggested by F.K. Lehman is 750 A.D. Haka, the present capital of the Chin Hills (Laitlang) State, was said to have founded by the young prince of Lai, Hluansang by name. Subsequently many important places such as Thlantlang, Lungzarh, Khuafo,Sunthla,Thlanrawn etc. were founded in which the clans, Chinzah, Zathang, Hlawnchhing, Khenglawt, Hlawncheu, Zahau, Fanai etc. were found living there. After some generations, in an effort to stretch them out, they moved towards the North and West crossing the River Boinu (Kaladan), and settled in Manipur , Bangladesh and Mizoram, where they live till today. The first group who left the Chin Hills in 1770 under the leadership of Vanhnuaitlira, the prince of Sunthla moved towards the south west and settled down at Rengtlang, Chittagong Hill Tract, and Bangladesh . Bangladesh. The migratory way to the next group is read in the Book of Pawi Chanchin, published by the Tribal Research Institution, Mizoram, thus, They crossed the River Tiau near Champhai and made their way in the Forest towards Bungzung. Then, moved to North Vanlaiphai , Sangau, Lungtian from where they had spreaded in all different places in south Mizoram. After coming down o the present Mizoram, they occupied the whole eastern belt of Mizoram. Mr. L. Chinzah, a veteran political leader of Lai, has mentioned in his memorandum submitted to the Government of Assam, in 1970. The Memorandum reads. The entire eastern belt of the Mizo District, as far as the Tuichang River on the West and Champhai on the North, and the entire areas South of Lunglei are Pawi (Lai) territories.¹ By examining available sources, oral or written, there is no rival opinion that the Lai came down from China through Myanmar as many people still live in Chin Hills . Then they came and settled down in South and Eastern belt of Mizoram, where they enjoy self administration in the name of Lai Autonomous District Council, Lawngtlai, as its Headquaters. Source: Lawngtlai CIC, Copyrighted by Sena and Walden |
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