A Critical-8

1.1.Migration of Maras and their settlement in Chin Hills

The Maras are not the indigenous inhabitants of the areas-places in where they are now occupy, but emigrated from the Chin Hills of Upper Myanmar in comparative recent times.[1] When and by what routes they made their migration from the Chindwin valley to the Chin Hills are not known. But according to the statement made by Lian Sakhong, it is clear that the Maras had, however, shared the common–collective name of Chin to designate the hills tribes of the Chin Hills, the myth of common descent of the Chins and also their migration patterns.[2]

It is, however, difficult to note down clear chronological date of the Maras settlement in the Chin Hills. It is known that the Pyu, a Tibeto-Burma tribes were the earlier inhabitants of Myanmar who had clear records.[3] They were followed by the Karens.[4] Much later, the Shans also entered the country in the Christian era from North.[5] And still later, the Chins, Kachins and others entered Myanmar.[6] According to F.K. Lehma the Chins settled together as one group in the Chindwin Valley in the middle of the first millennium A.D.[7] the drift of migration had taken place in the north and the majority of the hill tribes left the Chindwin-Kale-Kabaw-Myittha Valley. In moving towards the present Myanmar, the hill tribes moved separately following different routes. One group moved southwards between the Chindwin and the Irrawaddy whereas the others moved south to the west of the Chindwin, and reached the Chin Hills and Arakan Hill tracts before 1000 A.D.[8]  according to Lian Sakhong, the migration of the hill tribes, the Chins from Chindwin Valley to the Chin Hills may take place after 1395 A.D.[9] Hence, the Maras probably entered the Chin Hills in the middle of 13^th Century A.D.

---

[1] J. Shakespear: ibid, p.213.

[2] Lian Sakhong: Religion and Politics among the Chin people in Burma, (1896-1949), Sweden, 2000, p. 69-70.

[3] Reginald Le May: The Culture of South-East Asia, London, Reprint, 1956, p. 34.

[4] G.E. Harvey: History of Burma, London, 1925, p. 3.

[5] Athur P. Phayre: History of Burma, London, 1883, p.12.

[6] W.E. Desai: A Pageant of Burmese History, Calcutta, 1961, p.2.

[7] F.K. Lehman: The Structure of Chin Society, Reprint, 1980, p.13.

[8] Vumson: Zo History, Aizawl, 1986, p.29.

[9] Lian Sakhong: ibid, p.77.