Mara people
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Maras (formerly known as the Lakher) are indigenous peoples located in northeastern India, primarily in the Mara Autonomous District Council of the state of Mizoram, where they form the majority of the population. Significant numbers of Maras are also found living south-eastern part of Myanmar, in Chin State and Rakhine State which border the district. They were earlier known as the Lakher by outsiders, and the new name Mara was inserted in List of Scheduled Tribes in Mizoram state in 1988 replacing the older name.
The Maras are divided into five main tribes, which includes the Tlosai, the Hawthai, the Zyhno, the Chapi and the Vyty. Their languages (of which the largest is Mara) belong to the Tibeto-Burman family.
The Maraland Autonomous District Council, the local governing body for the region, is centred at Siaha, main town of the Saiha District in Mizoram.
The Maraland Democratic Front is one of the most active political parties on the council.
[edit] Religion
All ethnic Maras are Christian, mostly Evangelical. With the arrival of Rev. & Mrs. Reginald Arthur Lorrain in 1907 who had had earlier founded Lakher Pioneer Mission in London in the year 1905, within a decade Maras have all accepted Christianity. Although the missionaries were of baptist origins, the newly-found Church in Maraland was not affiliated with any outside Church. The current Evangelical Church has two branches, one in Maraland, India and the other in Myanmar; these branches were separated after the Partition of India.
