The Chins of ChinramChin State, Myanmar

By Sarah Osborn

(Travel-Myanmar.net, 2010)

Images of Myanmar/Burma

(Stanfield, n.d.)

Images of Myanmar/Burma

(Li, 2007)

Images of Myanmar/Burma

(Oo, 2011)

(Human Rights Watch, 2012)

(Anonymous, 2009)

(Anonymous, 2008)

History of the ChinsThe Chins’ consist of eight primary tribes living

in hundreds of villages and speaking around 56 dialects. A written language did not exist for the Chins until Christian missionaries used the English alphabet to write their language for them after their arrival in 1909 (Sakhong, 2003).

In the 1800’s India and Burma became controlled by the British and as outposts started to appear outside of the Chin’s territories, they became suspicious of the outsiders and started attacking Burmese villages (Sakhong, 2003).

Since Chin villages were independent, the British would find neutral chiefs and broker a truce that allowed the British to build an outpost in the village’s territory. The chief would agree to this but forbid the British to build inside the village as this would upset their pagan gods. (This was actually not true, but was a way of exercising prejudice against the white foreigners in their land.) The British didn’t want to offend the newly found truce and were happy to gain the advantage by building an outpost outside of the village. Eventually, they were able to take control of all of the Chins’ lands (Sakhong, 2003).

PaganismThe original Chin religion was that of Khua-

hrum, the guardian god of village and community. The Chin also believed in Khua-zing, the Supreme God of the Universe and in Khua-chia, which were evil spirits that walked the earth. Each village had a plot of ground that was left alone for the Khua-chia to live and was called the “sacred-ground”. Nobody was allowed to touch, till, or do anything else to the sacred ground for fear that disturbing the ground would bring the wrath of the Khua-chia and instant death (Sakhong, 2003).

ChristianityBaptist missionaries from the Unites States

came to Hakha in 1899 where they were invited to stay at the British outpost and establish a mission. It was six years before there was a conversion in Teddim and another year after that before the missionaries finally had success in Hakha (Sakhong, 2003)

The chiefs were initially outraged by early converts, but there was little they could do about it with the British officers ensuring that no harm befell the missionaries and their new converts.

Theories of BehaviorDarwinism- Charles Darwin believed that

character traits beneficial to survival are passed down from generation to generation and that these traits are innate(Plucker, 2007).

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs- Maslow observed that there is a hierarchy to needs and that basic needs must be met before other needs are met. The order of needs are (a) physiological, (b) safety and security, (c) love and belonging, (d) esteem, and (e) self-actualization (Boeree, 2006).

Typical ChinIs devoted to GodLives for familySees village/Chin community as an extension

of familyWelcomes hard workIs usually cheerful/pleasantHas a good sense of humor

Mental HealthMental Health care is non-existent in Chin

State. Regular health facilities are scarce to many who need them. For many Chins it is easier to go to Mizoram in India to get healthcare than to get to a treatment facility in Rangoon, which is the closest hospital for many. Although the junta has built some new health facilities, it was done using forced labor and the facilities were left either locked or unmanned so they have been of no use to the communities (Human Rights Documentation Unit, 2008).

EducationThere are approximately 109, 000 students in Chin State

that should be able to go to school. Unfortunately, there are not enough schools in close proximity for the children to make it so they can attend (one school will service several villages and there are no cars or means to transport children to school). There are no colleges or universities in Chin State so students wishing to achieve a higher education have to go to India, or Rangoon to pursue their dream, which is often too much money for a family to afford. Since 1990, the Junta has also prohibited students from being taught in their native language and requires all to be taught in Burmese, which means that more children are becoming illiterate in their native tongue. (Chin Human Rights Organization, n.d.).

Cultural ResponsesChin culture tends to have an “appropriate

response” in communication, which is to have a response to a person that is most likely to help them feel more comfortable, less threatened, pleased, or less angry (Anonymous, 2011)

American culture tends to have an “efficient response” in communication, which is to have a response to a person that is most likely to help them feel like you are meeting their needs effectively, seeing that problems are taken care of or solved quickly in a practical way (Anonymous, 2011).

Discrimination and OppressionForced LaborPortersForced MigrationStarvationVoting violations

National Chin Day vs. Chin State DayFebruary 20, 1948 is the day in history when the

tribes of Chinram were able to get together and agree on an equitable representation for each of the tribes that remained on the Burmese side of Chinram. A constitution was agreed upon and a parliamentary form of government was agreed upon that would be fair for both the Northern and Southern tribes within Chinram (Sakhong, 2003).

The Junta wants the Chins to celebrate this holiday as Chin State Day, the equivalent of the United States celebrating July 4th as Colonial Days.

Chins of Chinram Utahns of USA

Compare/Contrast of the Chin Culture and Utah Culture

•Low-carbohydrate diet•Limited schooling•Human Rights violated•Strong Communities•Limited sense of ownership•Arranged marriages•Pagan origins•Tribal origins•Farming/ Pre-industrialized•Medical treatment unavailable

•Joy/Thankfulness•Christianity•Patriarchal society•Strong work ethic•Strong family cohesion•Celebrates freedom holidays

Venn Diagram Final Project

•High-carbohydrate diet•Unlimited Schooling•Human Rights protected•Strong Individuals•Strong sense of ownership•Choose your own mate•Pride in Pioneer heritage•Industrialized•Medical treatment available to all

References Anonymous. (2008). Hakha- Capital City of Chin State, Myanmar. Retrieved February 8, 2012 from:

http://www.myanmar2day.com/places-to-visit-in-myanmar/2008/12/hakha-capital-of-chin-state-myanmar/ Anonymous. (2009). Kanpetlet, Chin State. Today In Myanmar. Retrieved February 8, 2012 from:

http://www.myanmar2day.com/places-to-visit-in-myanmar/2009/02/kanpetlet-chin-state-1/ Anonymous. (2011). Cross-Cultural Psychology; New Cross-Cultural Psychology Data Have Been Reported by Scientists at

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Khonumthung News. (2011). CM rejects proposal to celebrate Chin National Day. Retrieved: January 25, 2012 from: http://www.bnionline.net/index.php/news/khonumthung/12309-cm-rejects-proposal-to-celebrate-chin-national-day.html

Li, N. (2007). The political economy of Myanmar/Burma- Part One. School of Human Rights Research, Netherlands. Retrieved February 8, 2012 from: http://invisiblecollege.weblog.leidenuniv.nl/2007/10/28/the-political-economy-of-myanmar-burma-p

Oo, Y. N., (2011). Junta threatens Aung San Suu Kyi. Rethink sanctions. Retrieved February 8, 2012 from: http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Junta-threatens-Aung-San-Suu-Kyi.-Rethink-sanctions-20766.html

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State, Western Burma: A Population-Based Assessment Using Multistaged Household Cluster Sampling. PLoSMedicine, 8(2). Retrieved February 4, 2012 from: http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1001007

Stanfield, J.L. (n.d.). Myanmar. National Geographic. Retrieved February 8, 2012 from: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/myanmar-guide/

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