Mara people
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mara |
|---|
| Alternative names: Shendu, Lakher, etc |
| Total population |
|
100,000 (India & Myanmar) |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Saiha District, Mizoram: 55,000, Chin State Myanmar: 33,000, Rakhine]] {Myanmar]]: 9,000. US, Australia, Japan, EU countries, etc: 3,000. |
| Languages |
| Mara, English and others. |
| Religions |
| 100%Christianity (Evangelical/others) |
| Related ethnic groups |
| Chin (Burma), Mizo (India) |
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 Burma, 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.
Contents |
[edit] Sub-group
The Maras are divided into five main groups, 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.
However, this definition has been disputed since it does not cover all the Mara people, especially Mara people in Myanmar.
[edit] Language
Mara people speaks Mara language, it is a Chin-Kuki-Mizo language, classified as Kuki-Chin-Naga sub-group under the great Tibeto-Burman language family.
[edit] Government
Mara people in India are have an autonous body i.e Mara Autonomous District Council, the local governing body for the region, it 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.
In Myanmar, Mara people do not have any self-government body. Though their land is purely inhabited by them, they are governed by three townships - Thlantlang township for people in the North, Matupi township for people in central part and Rakhine township for people in the southern part.
[edit] Religion
All ethnic Maras are 100% 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 Burma; these branches were separated after the Partition of India.
Evangelical Church of Maraland (India), Congregational Church of India (Maraland), and Mara Evangelical Church (Myanmar) are the three dominant Churches, a direct fruit of the pioneer missionaries who are buried at Saikao town in Saiha district of Mizoram.
