important information
The Chin People The Name Chin The Chins used many different names in their diverse dialects (Asho, Sho / Cho, Masho, Lai, Yo / Zo, Mizo, Kuki). The agreed upon has come from "Achin" meaning friend or ally in Burma: They are all usually known by the Burmese the most powerful Tibetan Burmese group known as Chin. Thus the British took the name CHIN to describe the convenience for people inhabiting the unknown and measured tract of mountains stretching from the western mountains of Burma to the north-eastern borders of India. After the British pacified the Chins clan through clans, they named the newly conquered piece of land "The Chin HILLS". The people are automatically popularized internationally by the British government as Chin. The people The Chin people in Burma (today: Union of Myanmar), which in India and Bangladesh are known as `` Kuki '' or `` Mizo '', are a single Mongolian people with over 70 tribes. The total population of this is an estimated 2.5 to 3 million people. The origins of the Chin people of a Mongolian tribe can be traced back to China and Tibet. Before the 9th century, the Chin migrated south and settled between the Chindwin and Irrawady rivers in what is now Burma. From time immemorial they lived independently under their traditional leaders. Chinland has never been under foreign rule in its entire history until it was annexed by the British in the late 19th century. The Chin people have their own culture and language that are related to Tibeto Chinese. The language The Chins speak clan to clan different dialects. Learning their own dialects in Burma was only allowed up to grade 4, and since 1988 only up to grade 2, the Chin cannot communicate with each other in their own dialect. You don't have a main language. Burmese has become their main language. All chins want to have their own main language. We believe that in the future we will be able to communicate with a common language from our dialects. The religion The Chins originally practiced a traditional, ancient religion. But even back then, when Christianity was still unknown, some tribes believed in an almighty supreme being. Christian missionaries have been coming from the west since 1889. Since then, more and more Chins believe in Christianity. Today the Chins are over 90% Christian. The Political System of the Early Chin Society The village was an independent entity with its own government in the early Chin Society. The chief acted as the administrator of the village. In the northern part of the country it was common to inherit the title of chief, with the exception of the Tlaisun area in today's Falam Province. Some of these chiefs in Chinland ruled several villages that stretched out over large areas. The political system practiced in the Tlaisun area was comparable to democratic forms of government in the west. The rulers in these areas were democratically elected councils of elders. They did not necessarily have to be of noble origin, but could even be slaves or belong to a conquered tribe. The council of elders was elected every 3 years or, depending on the duration of the harvest, also after longer periods. HNC Stevenson, an anthropologist and British government official who had worked in Chinland for many years, called these councils the "Democratic Councils of Tlaisun". In the southern part of the country the status of chief was to be acquired through merit. The people elected their representatives once every three years or for longer periods, depending on the duration of the crop change that is common in the area. The candidate should either be wealthy (through above-average harvest success), a victorious fighter or a highly gifted hunter. In this sense, the chief sheep in southern Chinland can be called a democratic leadership system. The Encounter with the Outside World With the arrival of the British, the Chin had their first encounter with the outside world. The first armed clash between the British and the Chin occurred in 1826 in the Paletwa area of southern Chinland. The English started their wars of aggression in three phases: the first in 1872, the second in 1888 and the last ended in 1895. Chinland became part of the British Empire. Field Marshal Sir George White, commander of the Upper Burma Field Force and a veteran of the Anglo-Afghan wars, made the following comment about the war against the Chin: “Enemies in significant numbers using rifles and ammunition. The toughest opponent I have ever fought ”. During the invasion of Chinland, a British soldier was awarded the highest British medal of valor, the Victoria Cross. The Chin were eventually defeated, but only after decades of armed resistance against the invaders. Even when Chinland became part of British India, traditional rulers retained considerable autonomous powers under the Chin Hill Statutes, which were enacted in 1896. The British preferred the hereditary chief system, all democratic systems in the south and in the Tlaisun area were abolished, the elected elders became hereditary chiefs during the time of the British annexation of the Chindlandes. The division of Chinland As a result of the division of Burma, according to the Burma Law of 1937, Chinland was divided into two parts against the will of the Chin. The western part remained under British-India and the eastern part (now known as Chin State) came under British-Burma. With the independence of British India and the separation of Pakistan from India, western Chinland was again divided into two parts, one part came to East Pakistan (today's Chittagong Hill areas in Bangladesh) and the other part (currently known as Mizoram- State) remained in the Indian Union. There are currently Chin colonies in Burma in the Arakan state, in Sagaing, Magwe, Pegu Divisions and in districts of Yangon (Rangoon), as well as in Tripura, Assam, Manipur and in the Nagaland states in India. The geography Today's Chin State is about 36,000 square kilometers of a mountainous landscape that extends to the Indian-Burmese border and is only slightly smaller than Switzerland. The Chin population living in Chin State is around 400,000, the total Chin population in Mizoram and the surrounding area, Bangladesh, Chin State and in the lowlands of Burma is estimated at around 2.5 to 3 million. Chinland is rich in flora and fauna, and alpine mountain plants are very common. Precious trees such as teak, pine, oak, Güven, willow, picador and banyan trees are abundant. The land is filled with fragrant flowers, among them a great variety of orchids. Some of the animals of Chinland are elephants, tigers, black bears. Leopards, wild boars, monkeys, roaring deer, mountain goats, porcupines, methane (Bos gaurus frontalis) and a wide variety of birds. The Independence Treaty Speaking in favor of independence from the British colony, today's Chin State has joined the Union of Burma, with full political equality with the other national states, including the country of the Burmese. The independence treaty that was established for this union is known as “The Panglong Agreement”, signed on February 12th, 1947 by the founding fathers of the union, namely the representatives of Burma, Chinland, Kachinland and Shanland. Among them was General Aung San, the Burmese patriot and father of Daw Aung San Sun Kyi, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1991 - and was greatly revered and loved by all patriotically minded people for his foresight and sincerity. The military takeover of power by the Burmese army in 1962 and the consequent repeal of the independence treaty led to the de facto end of the union. The National Landmarks of the Hornbill and the Rhododendron are national landmarks of the Chin people. Consequently, Chinland is poetically referred to as Rhododendronland. Chin National Day The Chin celebrate February 20th every year as `` Chin National Day ''. On that day in 1948, the vast majority of the over 5,000 representatives from all parts of the country (including Mizo from Mizoram State, India) gathered in Falam, the capital of China at the time, to abolish ancient feudalism and replace it with democracy . Interestingly, the Mizo in Mizoram State, India decided to celebrate the same day as `` Mizoram State Day ''. The board of Chin Community (Germany) eV