Paite

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The Paites are one of the constituting tribes of the ZOMI/ZOs who inhabit Burma, India and Bangladesh. The word paite means " a group of people marching " (pai-march ;te - "plural maker"). The Paites are a recognised scheduled tribe in Manipur as well as in Mizoram. The Paites are concentrated in Manipur, a northeastern state of India. They are dominant in Lamka Town of Churachandpur of Manipur state with a population of 60 thousands (as per the population consensus 2001). Almost all ethnic Paites follows Christianity, mostly Protestant denominations like Baptists, Lutherans, Penticostal, Church of Christ though there are a good percentage of Roman Catholics as well. They adopted Christianity in the 19th century^{[citation needed]} with the intervention of British missionaries.

The Paites are mainly shy, introvert people who are sincerely devoted in whatsoever they perform. Their main occupation is still cultivation though they have achieved much at the various offices of the Federal India. In spite of their minority status, there are some prominent paites who have achieved in the mainstream governance of the Indian Union, according to a national consensus - it was learnt that the Paites are one of the most educationally advanced ethnic group in India'^{[citation needed]}

These days Paite tribes are spread throughout the whole world.

There is also a large Paite population in the Indian State of Mizoram. They are well integrated in the Mizo group which consist of many very similar tribes. Mizo being the predominant inclusive name for the tribes of the area, as opposite to Zomi which is preferred in Manipur and Burma. Usually people of the Paite tribe in Mizoram have the letter P before their given name which is more or less the only way to distinguish Paite-Mizo from non Paite-Mizo.

Paite: They live in Churachandpur district in Southern Manipur. Along with Thadou, Vaiphei, Zou, Gangte, Hmar and others they were referred to as Chin-Kuki group in the past. At present, they call themselves as Paite and affiliate to Zomi denomination. They also believed in supreme god Pathian and believed to have originated from a cave or Khul. Their population was 49,271, ^[1] spreading over 125 villages. Folksongs and folktales related to everyday life and culture of the people are orally passed through generations. They are an educated group of tribes and participate actively in local and state politics.

[edit] The Zomi Tribes

Zomite pen: Myanmar sung bek ah om lo hi. India ah tengbial hi. Bangladesh, India leh Tibetan/Himalayas ah zongh ateng bilbial ihi hi. Hih pen Zomi Origin i mun i gam i kipatkhiatna muntekhat bek pan hi a, Minam khat i hihna a ong lak hi.

The Zomi Tribes

Let us now turn our attention to the Zo people under which the Paites constitute a sub-clan or tribe. Listed below are the various tribes under the Zo umbrella. In the present day, the Zomis, of which the Paites form a tribe under it, are divided into three geo-political regions.

Northern Zomis

The northern Zomi constitutes the Paite, Sihzang, Simte, Tedim, Vaiphei, Thadou, Zou, Hmar, Lungpho, Manawt, Vaipua, Hangmi/Milhiem, Tangpha, Manipur, and Samte, etc. The northern Zomi are the axis of the Tribe Zomi. They are found to have been geographically concentrated in such locations as the Tonzang district and the Tedim district (both in Burma), the north-east of Mizoram, the Naga Hills, the Somra Tracts, the Hkamti district, the Kale-Kabaw Valley and the North Cachar Hills, the Churachanpur State in India, and Karbi Anglong districts of Assam. The Northern Zomi’s socio-cultural system is basically complex but despite important structural distinctions, they have closer affinity to the central Zomi, rather than to the southern tribes.

The Zomi tribes inhabiting the Tripura state of India are the Molsom, Langrong, Chongrai, Bong, Kaipeng, Hrangkhawl, Ruankhum, Darlong, Lushei, Rangchan, Paite/Paitu, Namte, Mizel, Lantei, Laifang, Fun, Khephong, Khareng, Balte, Jantei, and Hajango.

In Bangladesh, about seven Zo tribes can be identified viz; the Bawmzo, Asho, Khami or Khumi, Kuki, Lushei, Mosho and Pankhu.

Almost all the tribes inhabiting the Chin State in Burma and Mizoram state in India belong to Zo racial groups. Ethnologically, the above named tribes belong to Zomi group because their progenitor is Zo. The close ethnicity is proved by the peculiarity that though variations in dialects exist, the Zomi - unlike other tribes - can converse with one another in their respective dialects with 70% comprehension. Thus the chain of their relationship is circumscribed not only by geographical bounds, but more often by racial unity.

A more detailed study into Zomi languages was made in 1931 and 44 (forty four) separate dialects were recorded as belonging to Kuki-Chin (Zomi) group. As per the memorandum submitted to the British Government on April 22, 1947 by the Mizo Union, 47 (forty seven) major Zomi tribes were included, viz Aimol, Anal, Bawng, Baite, Bawngzo, Chiru, Chawhte, Chawrai, Chongthu, Chongthu, Darlawng, Dawn, Fanai, Hmar, Hrangkhawl, Hnamte, Kaihpen, Khumi, Khiang, Khiangte, Khawlhring, Kawm, Lushei, Lakher, Langrong, Mualthum, Miria, Ngente, Paite, Pawi, Purum, Pangkhua, Pangte, Pante, Pawite, Ralte, Renthlei, Thadou, Tarau, Tikhup, Tloanglau, Tlau, Vangchhia, Vaiphei, Zou, Zawngte and Gangte.

Central Zone of Zogam areas covers

... the Falams and the Tedims; but negotiably the the Hakas, the Thantlang, the Maras (Lakhers), the Lushei, the Hmars, the Zahaus, the Hualngou, the Khuanglis, the Tlasun, the Laizou, the Bawmzou, the Zoukhuas, the Tawrs, the Zoutung, the Ngentes, the Kneltes, the Fanais, etc are called the Southern Zomi. They are found to have been geographically concentrated in such locations as North-Western part of the Arakan District, the Pokokku Hills, the Central portion of Chin State (all in Burma), Mizoram, Tripura Hills and the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh.

Southern Zomi

The Southern Zomi includes the Asho, the people of Kanpetlet, Patletwa and Matupi areas such as Chinbok, Chinme, Chinbon, Khumi, Khami, Mro, Matu, and Khalkha. The Asho (or the plains’ Chin) are found to have been geographically concentrated in such locations as Thayetmo, Insein, Minbu, Prome, Aunglam, Akyab, Sandoway, Syrian and Cape of Morton in the plains of Burma. Among the Southern Zomi, the Khyang and Chaungtha in Paletwa district of the Chin State have old relationships with the Arakan, like that of the Old Kuki to Manipur and Tripura.

Zogam: pen, Zomi te in Zomi Minampi hihna ong bullet in, on kipneih khitteh, 'dinmun kitheihna' Gam Nationhood ong la ding a, ong picing suah ding hi. Mipi leh minambup sung ah tua upna leh muhna ong kiciang in Zogam i luah ding a, Gam khat i ding thei ding i hi hi. Zomi sungah Kua teng kihel: Utleh kihel, utkeileh kihello cihtheih thu hi peuhmah lo hi. Gam, Gammi hihna pen, utdandan in kikhelthei lua zen kiuhkeuh a hi hi, ulian thulente in phalna leh ciaptehna ong bawlsak nak leh! Ahih hang in Minam hihna pen ahiih leh, gialbem in a gial a khek theihloh zah khat in Minam hihna kikhel theilo hi. Zomi tawh thu i gen ciang in, Minamvai, gamvai thu i gen ciang in, SISAN tawh thu kigen ahi hi. A taktak in Tulaitak in Zomi i cih pen, Zomihuam ci leng telnop kha ding hi. I Sisan kibatpih, tu ma kumza 2, kumza loim 3 lai khawng a i kampau kibatpih te, belbpawlpih, sungkhat bawngkhat, leh khuakhat behkhat vive pan, ankuang luikhawm te i hi hi; tua teng pen hun ong saw sawt ciang in kikhenkhen i hi a, I minam taktak a mansuah dekdek i hi tanghial hi. Pawlkhat leh tampi te in Zomi pen, Tedimmi te' a cihna hi. Tedim aituam ding kisa kha kilkel kha hi. Tua pen, muhna toilua mahmah leh kawciik lua mahmah a khial mahmah vaikhat ahi hi. Khangsawn momno te'n tuubang a cin ding, i veng i pam tek hilh sawn ciat in, sangkahna ah zongh theisak tek ding ahi hi. ihuam...Zomi i cih ciang in....

1. Myanmar gam a Chin States huam sunga teengte, Tedim leh Tonzang, Zopi(Kalay valley) 2. Khalkha leh Thantlang, hih tegel bek a pau uh kihuang pen hi kibanglo hi, 3. Falam, Pawite, 4. Mindat, Zotung, Matu te, hih te zongh kuamah a pau uh kibang lo hi. 2. Zaang a om Mro, Asho, Yaw, Khami te, 3. Bangladesh gam a I kibatpih Zomi minampih te, 4. India gam a, Mizoram State sunga teng zong Eimi vive mah hi Eipau thei ciatuh hi. 5. India gam a, Manipur State sunga teng, 6. Mun kitheitel nailo a, Eipau, eidan a om mipih te leh, 7. Leitungbup a zin kawikawi, tengkawikawi, amah leh amah Zomi hi'ng cih a kithei mimal khem peuh i MIPIH ZOMI a hi hi, Tua te zongh Zomi IC a ngah na ding vaihawm sak ding ahi hi.

Zomi pen hih malsim 1pan 7 ciang a teng a huam a hi hi. I Sisan leh i zia kibang hi hang!

Kua te Tedim hiam? Kua te Khalka hiam? Kua te Paite? Kua te PAWL TE, Kua te GALTE???

[edit] Criticism

The population mentioned is only about 60,000 that is simply the population of Paites(mainly of Manipur). To include others like Lushei, Hmar, Mara(Lakher), Zotung, Zophei, etc under Zomi is a futile attempt to classify them as if they are smaller tribes than the Tedimmi, which is one acceptable ethnic name of the wholly Zomi. Various tribals living in Chin Hills, Lushai Hills and its surrounding areas are closely related tribes but are distinctly different today speaking different languages. It is a futile attempt for any tribe to try to dominate any smaller tribe forcing them to use their adopted name as superior and should be used as a unified name for everyone.We must remember the total population of Zomis (in the larger context of Zo people) is almost 5 millions.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

Endnotes:

^ Indian Census

External Links:

[0] Indian Census

[1]

Paite

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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[edit] The Zomi Tribes

[edit] Criticism

[edit] External links

[edit] References

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