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Scattered Zos In The World

The so called Zo ethnic group nicknamed by other vested interest who by virtue of military power named them in different nomenclatures such as Kuki, Chin and Lushai (Mizo, Zou, Lakhel) who occupied vast areas – say Chindwin River in the east, Halflong in the north, Akyab in the south and Brahmaputra in the west. The Zos for lack of political consciousness could not raise their heads under the sword of divide and rule policy adopted by the British Imperialism.

Since time immemorial the so-called Zos also had their suzerainty in Chin Hills under Pu Hauchinkhup, in the present Mizoram (Lushai Hills) under Sail Chiefs, in Manipur Hills the Guite, the Manlun, the Thadou chiefs occupied the hill portion of the present Manipur State. This goes on until the advent of the British Imperialism. The British expedition completed in 1890 and started dividing the Zo territory into a number of sectors to suit their administrative jurisdictions.

The root word Zo

From the mouth piece of our grand parents, it is learnt that the people of Zo hailed from the first three Zo brother Songthu alias Chongthu, Songza and Zahong who first dwelt in a cave known by the people as Khul or Chhinlung or Sinlung or Khur somewhere in China but the exact location is not yet traceable by an scholars in the world. One Burmese diplomat Dr. Vumkhohau says that Zo comes from the word Zo and thus all races, clans of this particular group of Tibeto-Burman directly descended from our ancestor Zo. The same opinion was held by Pu Khupzathang (Capt), a Zo genealogist who writes a book ‘Zo Khang Suutna Liabu’.

According to a Burmese scholar Thantun, Tibeto-Burmans probably once inhabited the T’ao valley of Kansu province, once the North West of China. Because of many disturbances made by the Chinese, the Zos might have moved to the north east of Tibet. The Chin under Chinese in 200 BC made further depredations and in order to avoid them, the Zos traveled across ridges and forests and move further south. The journey probably took hundreds of years and eventually they come to the border of Tibet and Burma.

The term Zo is an ancient and historical name of the Zo ethnic groups. Before the Zo society evolved into clans-base organization and segmentation, historical records referred them as Yaw, Jo, Chou, and Zhou. The Shan Dynasty’s Chronicles proves this. The Pong (Shan/Tai) kings annals from 80 AD—1604 Ad clearly mentioned the Zo district and the Zos respectively.

In the year 862 AD, a Chinese historian, Fan Ch’o Hao in his book already used the word Zo to call a peculiar ethnic group of people. Another scholar, a Catholic Father Vincent, in his book published in 1783 used the word Zo to mention a group of people who have the same practice of livings. Sir Henry Yulu’s narrative of the Mission to the court of Ava in 1885 showed the Chindwin plains and west of the Chindwin River as Zo district. FK Lehman, a renowned Social Anthropologist in this book ‘Structure of the Chin Society’ reiterated the fact that the so called Kuki-Chin linguistic groups has a special term for themselves which appeared as Zo, Yo etc.

Dr. Vumkhohau, a Zo scholar and diplomat from Burma, in his profile of the ‘Burmese Frontier Man’ has affirmed that we called ourselves Zo from time immemorial. There are different theories regarding the etymology of the root word Zo.

The Zos known by other as Kuki in Manipur, Nagaland and Assam; Chin in Burma and Lushai in Mizoram, Tripura and other Zo occupied areas. Nevertheless, they are the same people descended by Zo. No writers or scholars could make any distinctive classification of division of these people based on custom culture, usages and the way of living. S Carey and Tuck says that there can be no doubt that the Chins and the Kukis, are one and the same race, for their appearance, manners, customs and languages all this conclusion (The Chin Hills, p-155). Further, we can prove the ethnical oneness of the scattered Zos by the same tongues they use, God-Pasian, sky-van, fire-mei, father-pa, mother-nu, grandfather-pu, grandmother-pi, water-tui, king-leengpa etc.

A legend records that, like the other nations, Zo too have their own lands and scripts in olden days, which is very much similar to that of eastern nations like Burmese, Chinese, Japanese and Korean. But it is very said to mention that it (the script) was stolen by a dog as it was written on a scrolling dry leather.

Hence, the genesis of Zo comes from the word Zo and no men born on earth could question as yet. The words Kuki, Chin and Lushai as we mentioned in the above have neither any bearing on the culture of these peoples nor have any historical originality except these people have ethnical oneness and lived like one people as that of old Anglicans. But with the passages of time, these people lost their identity of nationhood as divisive forces acted upon them terribly say the Shan, the Burmese, the Chinese, and at last the British Imperialism who subjugated them in the last part of the 19th century.

The Rise & Fall of Zos

Metternich says that ‘The man who made history have no time to write it’. Very indeed, the Zo leaders who made the Zo history are not known till date but we inherit the fruits of their past actions, good or bad.

Though no one can exactly traced the whereabouts of its (Zo) existence, it is believe and accepted that these people did lived, raised and fall like other nations. Most of the Zo thinkers and researchers opined the rise and fall of the Zos in this way:

They (Zos) belong to Tibeto-Burman which is of Mongolian stock. The common belief is that Zo first lived in China, before the birth of Christ, probably during the Chou (Zhou) dynasty. In due course of time, these people were harassed by the Chinese kings and ultimately they had to quite China, then moved towards the South west and settled in upper Burma known as Yaw Valley, along the Chindwin River. They reached Yaw valley-upper Chindwin extending up to Kabaw valley sometime in the eight century AD. During their occupation of this Yaw valley, they knew how to cultivate the modern practice of wet-rice field. When they approached from south west of China up to Kabaw valley, they faced no warlords, except some skirmishes with the expeditions of the Shan States, who then begin their infiltration in the upper Burma towards the end of the 13th century.

In due course of time, they extended their home rule upto Khampat, and thereby started to have their kingdom without any threat from any quarters. They lived happily and joyfully for about a couple of centuries, i.e. from the 13th to the 15th century. At the beginning of the 15th century AD, they confronted a threat from the Shans who aimed at expanding their suzerainty. The Zos were the second people to face the onslaught of the Thai imperialist who moved upward with their mighty Tai (Thai) force marauding the Burmese and Zos on their way to Assam. This was the first heyday of the Zos so far as we traced the old records of the Zo history.

Then, they moved about further south upto the present Chin Hills and started settling in the hill regions, which was then No Man’s Land. After leaving Khampat kingdom, it appears that there was none to trumpet their conscience. From there they scattered all along the hill ranges in different directions, divided into clan-based leadership which is rampant. Some Zos settled in the Chin Hills and made Tonjang as their head quarter under the leadership of Pu Khanthuam. Some of them moved further southwest called Lushai hills.

Zoland

Location: The area occupied by the Zo country, as per the memorandum of ZORO submitted to the Secretary General of the United Nations Organization (UNO) on May 20, 1995 the area confines between 92’ and 95' E longitude and 20' and 25' N latitude. The whole area is roughly about 1, 45,600 sq kms.

Area: Specifically the Zoland cover the Lushai hills (now Mizoram, India), the Chin Hills in Burma, the hills of South and west of Manipur, Jampui and Sakham ranges in Tripura, India. Hill tracts of Chittagong in Bangladesh, Arakan, upper and lower Chindwin River including Saigang division and Kale-Kabaw valley in Burma.

Population: The estimated population of Zos as per the 1991 census was about 50, 00,000. It is clear that after a decade it must have increased to many folds. Who knows may be more than a 100 lakhs.

Some Major tribes of Zo: As per the memorandum submitted to the British Government on April 22, 1947 by the Mizo Union it included 47 major tribes namely; Aimol, Anal, Bawng, Baite, Bawngzo, Chiru, Chawhte, Chawrai, Chongthu, Chawngthu, Darlawng, Dawn, Fanai, Hmar, Hrangkhawl, Hnamte, Kaihpen, Khumi, Khiang, Khiangte, Khawlhring, Kawm, Lushei, Lakher, Langrawng, Mualthuam, Miria, Ngente, Paite, Pawi, Purum, Pangkhua, Pangte, Paute, Pawite, Ralte, Renthlei, Thadou, Tarau, Tikhup, Tlanglau, Tlau, Vangchhia, Vaiphei, Zou, Zawngte, Gangte.'''