Hmar people

Hmar is the name of an ethnic group in the North Eastern States of India. Early writers and so called historian often clubbed Hmar under Chin-Kuki-Mizo due to their insufficient resources and lack of knowledge. People often referred the Hmars as Chin in Myanmar, Kuki by the Bengali, Old Kuki by the British and Mizo during the Mizo Union Movement in Mizoram. But the Hmar people do not consider themselves to fall under such umbrella terms. Even though some Historian, Scholars, Anthropologist might have clubbed the Hmar amongst the Chin Kuki and Mizo in their books for their convenience, the Hmar in its original stages is much older than Chin-Kuki-Mizo. Studies from Linguistics confirms that the Hmar language is the oldest amongst the said group, and from this perspective incline to the conclusion that the different tribes belonging to the Chin-Kuki-Mizo were once Hmar before they became independent Clan and later tribe. They are now currently under the administration of Pherzawl District in Manipur and Sinlung Hills Council in Mizoram.

The Hmar spread over a large area in the northeast and are recognised as Scheduled Tribe under the 6th Schedule of the Constitution of India in 1956 under the initiative of Rev Dr. Rochung Pudaite. The Hmars in olden days were known as war people and head hunters.^[1] Literally, Hmar means North or Northern people, as they are living north to the Lusei people. But this is hotly debated among the community itself. This theory was believed to be brought up by the Mizos to belittle the Hmar tribes. The early Dictionary made by the missionaries in Aizawl clearly mention that the word Hmar is the name of tribe, the word Hmâr is the name of cardinal points meaning North and also the same word Hmâr means people living North of the Lushais. People living on the northern side of the Lushai include Kuki, Sukte, Gangte, Vaiphei, Zou, Hmar etc. Some scholars are of the opinion that the cardinal point North in local name Hmâr comes from the name of the tribe, the Hmar, who were living on the Northern side of the Lushais, not the other way around. Some scholars are of the opinion that the word originated from the style of tying the hair knot on the head. The Hmar traces their origin from Sinlung dating back to the first century AD. The glorious civilization of the Hmar was at Shan (present day Myanmar). Scholars believed that it was during this prosperous civilization that the Hmar stated dividing themselves as Clan and make settlement according to their clan. It is believed that it was during this time that the Lushais, Kuki, Sukte, Ralte and various clan emerge from the Hmar and later move away from the main family. This theory gave meaning by studing the pattern of their later migration. The Hmar migrated from Shan to present day Mizoram. The migration did not happened suddenly and ended, it took more than 600 years for the majority of the clan to settle in the present state of Mizoram. Scholars believed that the migration happen from the early 12th century and ended in the early part of the 18th century.

Area

Hmars live mostly in the hills of south Manipur, Mizoram, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Myanmar and Chittagong Hill Tracts. Although these areas are within different administrative divisions, they are geographically connected. In Manipur, the Hmars reside in the south, especially in the Pherzawl District, Churachandpur district, Jiribam district and its adjoining areas. These areas, except Tuithaphai, are hilly. Tuiruong (Barak), Tuivai and Tuithapui are some of the important rivers flowing through this area. In Mizoram, the Hmars live mostly in the north, especially around the Sinlung Hills Council ^[2] Area. In Assam, the Hmars live in the Barak Valley, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao. In Meghalaya, the Hmars live in the East Jaintia Hills District and Shillong in East Khasi Hills District. In Tripura, the Hmars mostly live in and around Darchawi, a village on the Mizoram – Tripura border.

Population

Religion

Place of Origin

The Hmars trace their origin to Sinlung, the location of which is hotly debated. The term “Hmar” is believed to have originated from the term “Hmerh” meaning “tying of one’s hair in a knot on the nape of one’s head”. According to Hmar tradition, there were once two brothers, namely, Hrumsawm and Tukbemsawm. Hrumsawm, the elder one, used to tie his hair in a knot on his forehead because of a sore on the nape of his neck. After his death, all his descendents followed the same hair style and the Pawis, who live in South Mizoram, are believed to be the progeny of Hrumsawm. The younger brother, Tukbemsawm, however, tied his hair in a knot on the back of his head. The Hmars, who continued Tukbemsawm’s hairstyle, are believed to be the descendants of Tukbemsawm (Songate, 1967).

Several theories have been put forward regarding the origin of the Hmars, but it appears historically evident that the Hmars originally came from Central China. A Hmar historian, H. Songate (1956), proposes that the original home of the Hmars might be the present Tailing or Silung in South East China bordering the Shan state of Myanmar. According to Songate (1956), “The Hmars left Sinlung because of the waves of Chinese immigrants and political pressure drove them away to the south. The exact time of departure from Sinlung and the original route they followed is not known to this day. However, traces have been found in poems and legends that they came to the Himalayas, and the great mountains made it impossible for them to continue their southward journey. So, they turned eastward of India from there.”

The Hmars are part of the Chin-Kuki-Mizo groups of people found in North East India, Burma and Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. The Hmars still treasure and garner their traditional arts, including folk dance, folk songs, handicrafts, etc., representing scenes of adventure, battle, love, victory, and other experiences throughout history.

The majority of the Hmars are cultivators. The Hmars in South Manipur were introduced to Christianity in the year 1910 by Watkin Roberts, a Welsh missionary ^[6]

Genealogy

According to the Hmar people, their earliest known ancestor is Manmasi. The genealogy of Hmars starting from Manmasi is as follows:

• Manmasi
  • Miachal
    • (unknown descendants)
  • Niachal
    • (unknown descendants)
  • Nelachal
    • Hrumsawm (progenitor of Lai-Pawi)
    • Tukbemsawm (progenitor of Hmar)
      • Nelvan
      • Nelsun
      • Nelpuising
      • Nelsung
      • Nelkhup
      • Nelphiel
      • Nelkim

These seven sons of Nelachal from which all the tribes of Hmar are descended are known as "Paruol-sari hai"

Sub-tribes of Hmar

The Hmar tribe comprises numerous sub-tribes or clans (Pahnam in Hmar language). In the past these clans had their own villages and their own dialects. But, today only a small fraction of the Hmar population use pahnam (or clan) dialects, such as Ṭhiek, Saihriem etc., while majority of the Hmar population use Hmar language. However majority of the Hmars in Mizoram use Mizo/Lusei/Dulien dialect and have no working knowledge of the Hmar language. The Hmar sub-tribes are:^[7][8][9]

Food

Rice is the staple food and wheat, maize, millet are the substantial cereals, which can be prepared for consumption in various ways. Large quantities of cooked rice, meat, and vegetables are consumed with various kinds of chutney, ginger, garlic, chilies, and spices. Two heavy meals of almost identical preparation a day is consumed and all else are comestibles of little significance. Since jhum cannot supply all the vegetables and meat, they constantly go to the forest seeking for vegetables, and hunting for deer, fowl, trap small game like squirrels, birds, etc. In preparation, nothing is discarded; chitterlings, such as the brain, hide and innards are all included. The Hmars eat lots of hot chilli (pepper) but with very little spice. Some of the famous dishes are chartang (mixture of meat, vegetable and hot pepper, hmepawk (stew), and changalhme (vegetable or meat cooked with hot pepper and soda made from the ashes)(Pudaite, 1963). Also, the Hmars enjoy sathu (a kind of fermented fats mostly of pork) and prepared in various dishes. The preparation for fermentation is that fat of pork is cut into pieces and cooked well. It is then put into an airtight container (preferably a traditional gourd) for some days until it is fermented. Sathu forms one of the main traditional seasoning agents for curries. Some other seasoning items like "sithu" (made from fermented sesame seeds), "bekanthu" (made from fermented soyabeans), etc. are also commonly eaten. The diet of the Hmar people is very simple. It is a typical tradition of Hmars to make a kind of porridge prepared by mixing boiled rice with almost any kind of meat (however, mostly pork, chicken, beef, some meats of wild animals) and leaves of "sizo" a wild tree with hard and a slightly bitter tasting leaves. Lye(soda) is added to dissolve the leaves thereby producing yellowish green colour. In most of the community feast, the preparation of such porridge (changal hmepawk) is a regular feature. Chutney made of very hot chillies also is very popular among the Hmars. A typical "Hmehro" prepared in such a way that any species of vegetables are dried and preserved for eating during off season also is commonly practiced by the Hmars.

Dances

The Hmars have various kinds and forms of dances for various occasions and ceremonies befitting the occasions. Some of these dances have almost been forgotten. The following are some of the prominent dances forms.

Political movements

Flag of the Hmar Students Association.

In July 1986, after the signing of the Mizo Accord, some Hmar leaders in Mizoram formed Mizoram Hmar Association, later renamed the Hmar People's Convention (HPC). The HPC spearheaded a political movement for self-governance of the Hmars in Mizoram demanding Autonomous District Council (ADC) comprising Hmar-dominated areas in north and northwest of Mizoram for the protection of their identity, culture, tradition, language and natural resources. To quell and suppress the political movement, the Mizoram government deployed the Mizoram Armed Police (MAP) against the HPC activists which forced the HPC to take up an armed struggle by forming an armed wing, the Hmar Volunteer Cell (HVC). The armed confrontation continued until 1992, when HPC representatives and the Government of Mizoram mutually agreed to hold ministerial level talks. After multiple rounds of talks, a Memorandum of Settlement (MoS)^[10] was signed in Aizawl on July 27, 1994 between the Government of Mizoram and the HPC. Armed cadres of the HPC surrendered along with their weapons in October 1994 and later the Sinlung Hills Development Council (SHDC) was established. Some of the HPC leaders and cadres however rejected Memorandum of Settlement and broke away from the main HPC, and formed the Hmar People's Convention - Democratic (HPC-D), which continued an armed movement for autonomy in the form of Autonomous District Council under the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India within Mizoram.^[11] Over one hundred militants of HPC-D surrendered with their weapons in April, 2018 following a peace pact signed with the Mizoram state government and led to the formation of the Sinlung Hills Council ^{[12] [13]}

Literature

• Dena, Lal; In search of identity: Hmars of North-East India; New Delhi 2008; ISBN 978-81-8370-134-1
• Allen BC, Gait EA, Allen CGH and Howard HF. Gazetteer of Bengal and North East India. Mittal Publications.New Delhi 1979.
• Pudaite, Rochunga. 1963. The Education of the Hmar People. Sielmat, Churachandpur. Indo-Burma Pioneer Mission, 1963.
• Songate, H. 1956. Hmar History-Hmar Chanchin. Imphal: Mao Press.
• Songate, H. 1967. Hmar Chanchin (Hmar History).Churachandpur: L & R Press.
• Pakhuongte, Ruolneikhum. 1983. The Power of the Gospel Among the Hmar Tribe. Shillong, Meghalaya: EFCI. Ri Khasi Press, Shillong.
• Bapui, VLT & Buruah, PN Dutta. 1996. Hmar Grammar. Mysore: Central Institute of Indian Languages. CIIL Press, Mysore.
• Bapui, Vanlal Tluonga. 2012. Hmar Ṭawng Inchukna (A Lexical Study of the Hmar Language & Usages). Guwahati, Assam: The Assam Institute of Research for Tribals and Scheduled Castes. Hi-Tech Printing & Binding Industries, Guwahati
• Cassar, T. 2013. Only 36,000.
• Cassar, T. 2017. Oh God - Now it's 75K (and it's only getting worse)!.
• Dena, Lal. 1995. Hmar Folk Tales. New Delhi: Scholar Publishing House. Bengal Printing Press, New Delhi ISBN 81-7172-281-4
• Fimate, L. Thina Râpthlak.
• Hmar, RH Hminglien. 1997. Hmangaitu Hmel.
• Hminga, FT. 1991. Hmar Pipu Thilhming Lo Phuokhai. Churachandpur, Manipur: Dr. FT Hminga.
• Hminga, FT. 1993. Hmar Ṭawng Indiklem. Churachandpur, Manipur: Dr. FT Hminga.
• Hminga, FT. 1994. Hming Umzie Neihai. Churachandpur, Manipur: Dr. FT Hminga.
• Hrangate, HC. 1996. Pathien Kut.
• Lalhmuoklien, 2009. Gospel Through Darkness. Churachandpur, Manipur: Rev. Dr. Lalmuoklien. SMART tech Offset Printers, Churachandpur
• Ngurte, SN. 1991. Damlai Thlaler.
• Ngurte, SN. 1994. Rengchawnghawi.
• Ngurte, SN. 1995. Kanaan Phaizawl. HL Lawma & Sons Publication.
• Pudaite, Jonathan. 2011. The Legacy of Watkin R. Roberts.
• Pudaite, Mawii. 1982. Beyond The Next Mountain: The Story of Rochunga Pudaite. Tyndale House Publishers.
• Pudaite, Rochunga. 1985, The Dime That Lasted Forever. Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers.
• Pudaite, Rochunga. 2008. English-Hmar Dictionary. Partnership Publishing House.
• Pudaite, Rochunga. 2011. Ka Hring Nun Vol-1. Thomson Press, Harayana.
• Pudaite, Rosiem. 2002. Indian National Struggle for Freedom and its Impact on the Mizo Movement (1935-1953 AD).
• Pulamte, John H. 2011. Hmar Bûngpui. Imphal, Manipur: Dr. John H. Pulamte. BCPW, Imphal.
• Ruolngul, Darsanglien. 2009. The Advance of the Gospel (Part One). Churachandpur, Manipur: Rev. Darsanglien Ruolngul. SMART * tech Offset Printers, Churachandpur.
• Ruolngul. Darsanglien. 2013. Kohran. Churachandpur, Manipur: ICI. Diamond Offset, Churachandpur.
• Sanate, Ngurthangkhum. 1984. Ngurte Pahnam Chanchin. Churachandpur, Manipur/
• Sawngate, Thangsawihmang. 2012. Hmangaina Parbâwr. Churachandpur, Manipur.
• Sinate, Lalthankhum. 2001. Kohran Hring.
• Thangsiem, JC. Zilsi Varzan. Rengkai, Churachandpur.
• Ṭhiek, Hrilrokhum. 2013. History of the Hmars in North East India, Guwahati, Assam: Rev. Hrilrokhum Ṭhiek, Bhabani Offset Private Ltd., Guwahati.
• Ṭhiek, Hrilrokhum. 1996. Maichâma Mei Chu Sukchawk Zing Ding A Nih.
• Thuomte, H. 2001. Joute Pahnam Inthladan (Joute Genealogy). Churachandpur, Manipur
• Various. 2008. Lal Remruot - Saidan Chanchin. Delhi. Hmanglien & Sons. Rai's Ad-venture, Delhi.
• Zaneisang, H. 2003. Sinlung. Churachandpur, Manipur: H. Zaneisang. Diamond Offset, Churachandpur.
• Zote, Timothy Z. 2007. Manmasi Year Book (Vol-II), Churachandpur, Manipur: Manmasi Year Book Editorial Board. BCPW, Imphal.

Notable people

• Rochunga Pudaite (The man who included the Hmar as well as Paite, Zou, Vaiphei, Gangte and other clan as one of the Schedule Tribe of India, 1956)
• Samuel Lalrozâma Hmar
• HT Sangliana
• C.H. Khawtlang (The first CEM of North Cachar Hills Autonomous District Council 'Dima Hasao district') ^[14]
• Lalnghinglova Hmar (The man who revolutionised football in Mizoram) ^[15]
• Cyndy Khojol (Bollywood actress)^[16]
• Mami Varte
• Lalthlamuong Keivom (The first Indian Foreign Service Officer from Manipur) ^[17]
• Lalremsiami (India women's national field hockey team player)
• Lalram Luaha

See also

• Bnei Menashe

References

External links

• TheHmarTimes - Hmarnauhai Ta Din
• VIRTHLI- Ushering Change (News & Info House of the Hmars)
• INPUI.COM – News & Information 'House' of the Hmar Tribe
• Hmarram.com: Hmar Online Museum
• ruonglevaisuo.com: Hmar community blog
• Hmasawnna Thar- A Hmar Daily
• Hmar Arasi – Official website of the Hmar Students' Association, Bangalore Branch
• Sinlung
• Hmar Resources Online: The Hmar Repository
• Mumbai Tuisunsuo Weekly News
• Hmar Clans
• Hmar Dances
• Hmar Books & Authors
• Indian Catholic, Christian leaders gather warring ethnic groups for peace
• The case for a Hmar Autonomous District Council in Mizoram
• Hmar: Struggle for autonomy