Lai People - Ethnic Origin

Ethnic Origin

Lai (Pawi) who are living in the Lai Autonomous District of Mizoram are but a segment community of the much larger Lai (Hakha) population of Burma 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 Burma 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 Burma, 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.

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 Hakha called themselves Lai," À. In fact, the word Chin is a generic term and is used to denote the Lai and their kin. 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 tells 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(Mara) 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:

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. It is also said that the word Shendoo or Shendu which was frequently used to denote the Lakher (Mara) in the Britisher's record were said to be the offspring of Lai. Mr. F. Chhawnmanga, a retired District Adult Education Officer, under the State Government of Mizoram, who has conducted an extensive personal interview with some chiefs of Lakher, tells.

The Lakher chief Mr. Kilkhara of Saiha and Tawngliana of Serkawr Villages were the descendants of Lianchi and Alkheng respectively of Hlawnchhing family of Haha. They spoke Lai language. However, after coming down to Mizoram, their names were translated into Lakher dialect and Themselves Kikhaw and Thylai.

The above arguments seems to be supported by the statement of Vumson, thus:

The Lakher (Mara) are the branch of Lai tribe and speak a language closely related to Lai. They are the same people as Shendoo to whom Col. Lewin made constant reference in his various works and are still called Shendoo by the Arakanis.

There are many common clan names like Hlawnchhing, Chinzah, Khenglawt, Thianhlun, etc.which are found between the Lai and Maras. This is an incation of the fact that Lai and Mara are one and the same people.

Apart from the above mentioned groups, there are other linguistic groups that were found to have the same culture and customs, speak similar language with the Lai. As a matter of fact, these groups do qualify for Lai in terms of Social, Cultural and linguistic. Those groups are Bom and Tlanglau living in the western part of Mizoram and Bangladesh.