The culture of the Mizo people has been heavily influenced by Christianity during the colonial era of the British Raj and the rise of Mizo nationalism with the Mizo Insurgency of 1966-1986. Mizo culture is rooted in the arts and ways of life of Mizos in India, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Mizo culture has developed in plurality with historical settlements and migrations starting from Southern China to the Shan states of Burma, the Kabaw valley and the state of Mizoram under the British and Indian administrations.
Despite significant westernization of Mizo culture due to Christianity and British influence, efforts have been made to revive pre-missionary traditions such as .
Identity
The Mizo people () are an ethnic group native to north-eastern India, western Burma (Myanmar) and eastern Bangladesh; this term covers several ethnic peoples who speak various Kuki-Chin languages. Though the term Mizo is often used to name an overall ethnicity, it is an umbrella term to denote the various tribes and clans, such as the Hmâr, Raltê, Lai, Lusei etc. A number of dialects are still spoken under the umbrella of Mizo;
The Mizos are united in identity by shared customs and origins of tribes claiming origin from the origin of . Thus, Mizos are classified as (). The Mizos are both a nation and a tribe with various sub-classifications of groups within.
The history of these tribes is varied, with the largest one being the Lusei. The Lusei migrated and established dominance in the Northern Lushai hills between 1840 and 1850. The Paihtê are spread between Northern Mizoram and Southern Manipur, the difference is that the Paihtê in Central Mizoram have lost their original language as opposed to Churachandpur and North-East Mizoram. The Hmâr people settled historically in the northern cities of Biate, Champhai and Vangchhia. Like the Lushai, they were composed of royal sub-clans and chiefdoms. The Maras in the South-East are known as Lakher by the Mizo. Language
Mizo is the official language of Mizoram, along with English. Mizo language, or Duhlián ṭawng, is a language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan family of languages, spoken natively by the Mizo people in Mizoram states of India and Chin State in Burma.Lalthangliana, B., 'Mizo tihin ṭawng a nei lo' tih kha, see also Matisoff, 'Language names' section
Mizo ṭawng is a tonal language. It consists of four tones, a high tone, a low tone, a rising tone and a falling tone for a syllable to be expressed in four different meanings.
Restraints on vocabulary have also introduced many English words into the language. Words for objects, professions and other entities prefacing Mizo culture after the impact of Westernisation are borrowed from English directly. As English is also an official language of Mizoram, established with the onset of Christianity, it is widespread in Mizoram and easy to integrate. Religion
Animism
Before the advent of Christian missionaries, Mizo communities believed in the primaeval Mizo religion known as Lushai Animism.
The Mizo religion is structured with a Supreme God known as Pathian and his wife, the Goddess Khuanu. It is accompanied by many other beings, both benevolent and malevolent. Benevolent spirits include Khuavang, Pu Vana, Vanchungnula, Sakhua and Khaltu. Malevolent spirits would include Ramhuai, Hmuithla, Phung and Khawring.
Christianity
Christianity was introduced via missionaries in 1984 via the Arthington Aborigines Mission. It marked the beginning of a cultural transformation in Mizoram through education and evangelisation. A Mizo alphabet was established in Roman script to allow the Mizo language to be written down. The missionaries also opened the first schools in Mizoram, which worked towards translating various gospels. The establishment of a Baptist Church under the Baptist Missionary Society of London expanded access to education and healthcare services.
One of the cultural symbols linked to Mizoram's Christian religion is the non-denominational Solomon's Temple which serves as a tourist attraction. The temple has been under construction for 20 years since the laying of its foundations in 1996 before inaugurating its opening in December 2017.
Bnei Menashe
The Bnei Menashe also known as Shinlung are a community of Indian Jews from the northeastern provinces. The movement was established in 1951 after a tribal leader had a dream of being one of the lost tribes of Israel and embracing the ideas of being Jews. Members of the Bnei Menashe mainly consist of Chin, Kuki and Mizo people. As a result of adopting Judaism, a significant number of approximately 5,000 of their 10,000 members have moved to Israel to continue their doctrine.
In 2005, the Shavei Israel organisation and the local council of Kiryat Arba supported the Bnei Menashe to open its first community centre in Israel. Several synagogues have been subsequently built in Mizoram, Manipur and other areas, including a mikveh (ritual bath) in Mizoram and Manipur with the guidance of Israeli rabbis.
Folklore Mizo folklore and mythology are varied and diverse across the several clans and tribes in the state. It ranges from stories of natural wonders and landscapes to individuals revered through oral legend. Several places in Mizoram often have a mythological story, including Kungawrhi puk, Sibuta Lung, Phulpui Grave and Chhingpui Memorial.
Creation myth The origin myth of the Mizo people describes the creation of the natural world by the Goddess Khuazingnu. The story recounts how a representative couple of each human community and animal species were placed inside a cave sealed with the rock known as . The rock was lifted and the entrance was unsealed by Goddess Khuazingnu to repopulate the Earth. All the clans, tribes and different people exited this way until the Raltê clan exited with great noise. Due to this noise, the rock was placed back and sealed. This also led to the coining of meaning noisy/rowdy Ralte.
Chhurbura
Chhurbura is a Mizo folklore character who is a culture hero. There are several stories of his exploits encompassing foolishness and wisdom. Literature
Mizo literature is the literature written in Mizo ṭawng, the principal language of the Mizo peoples, which has both written and oral traditions. It has undergone a considerable change in the 20th century. The language developed mainly from the Lusei dialect, with significant influence from Pawi language, Paihtê language and Hmâr language, especially at the literary level.Lalthangliana, B., 'Mizo tihin ṭawng a nei lo' tih kha
A genre unique to Mizo history and culture is that of (). This is a reference to all poetry, songs and literature associated with the Mizo Insurgency 1966-1986. Rambuai literature normally deals with the social and cultural traumas associated with the era such as sexual violence, air attacks, village groupings and curfews. Mizo Hlakungpui Mual
To honour the contributions of Mizo poets and writers, the () was established in 1986. The Committee nominates memorials for poets with exceptional contributions to Mizo culture and writers with 3-4 books with prolonged influence on Mizo culture. Four phases of monuments have been erected, totalling 36 notable literature individuals memorialized.
Cinema The history of Mizo cinema begins with the arrival of Christianity with stills and movie cameras from the missionaries. One of the first cinematic events in Mizoram was the silent film on Mizoram, "Land of the Lushai's", possibly between 1940 and 1950.
Access to both Western and Hindi movies increased in the 1950s. Silent movies were introduced through movie halls such as 'Krishna Talkies' built-in Aizawl. Throughout the 70s, cinema halls further popularized Western movies and martial arts movies. Cinema culture, however, declined due to the low maintenance of cinema halls and the popularization of television.
In 1983, the "Young Stars Films Company" was established by film enthusiasts in Aizawl. The company produced the first full-featured Mizo film () in 8mm film. The movie was based on a novel of the same title published previously by the producer. Between 1983 and 1990, more low-budget films were produced under different Mizo filmmakers with both 8mm film and the newly introduced video camera. Due to a lack of skilled personnel locally in Mizoram, movie productions in the 90s declined with the inability to handle post-production and afford video cameras at high prices. The establishment of the Aizawl Films and Drama Cooperative Society saw a slight increase in film production from 1993 onwards.
Mizo movies began to experience a revival with the introduction of CD and DVD formats. Between 1999 and 2004, Mizo movies were in high demand, with approximately 50-70 Mizo films produced annually. The movie industry outside of Aizawl also began to grow in towns such as Champhai, Saiha and Khawzawl. Filmmakers such as Mapuia Changthu of Leitlang Pictures and Napoleon RZ Thanga began to produce high-quality films and formulate filmmaking as a profession in Mizoram. In 2008, the Government of Mizoram began to support the filmmaking industry of Mizoram.
Visual arts The first Mizo art organization was the Mizoram Painters Association on 13 August 1971. Painters would originally use their skills for commercial purposes such as signboards and memorial stones as opposed to fine art. On 30 May 1987 the Mizoram Painters Association was changed into the Mizoram Artists Society. The first art exhibition was held February 1888 organized by the Arts and Culture department of Mizoram. At the exhibition 70% of the art pieces consisted of enamel and poster colours. On 5 September 1992 the Mizoram Academy of Fine Arts was founded to promote fine arts and painting. Oil painting among Mizo artists became popular after 1986.
The development of Fine Arts in Mizoram has historically been stifled with low tourism and interest in local art. Six art exhibitions have been held in 1988 Aizawl, 1989 Lunglei, 1990 Aizawl, 1990 in the Northeast Zone Culture festive., 1992 New Delhi and 1995 in Aizawl. The Northeast Zone Culture centre organized art workshops in Mizoram seven times with painters from neighbouring northeastern states.
Traditional music
Mizo music consists of three periods, namely Pipute Hla of pre-missionary era music, Sakhaw thar hla music developed within the missionary era, and Tunlai hlate of the contemporary era.
Mizo folk music consists of vocals (singing) accompanied by traditional drums, gong and other native percussion instruments.B. Thangliana, Mizo Literature, 1993, p.76 Traditional Mizo songs are classified for different purposes. were songs accompanied by the (traditional Mizo gong). These songs tended to use simple lyrics to accompany the gongs. were songs associated with warriors to hunt and celebrate victory upon returning to their villages. Similarly, is sung by warriors upon successful war or raids that lead to the headhunting of enemies. were religious songs taught in private to priests through oral teaching. They would be used for medicinal purposes, animal sacrifices or rituals involving the spirit world.
Mizo music began to diverge from its traditional ways with the introduction of Christianity and the changes to Mizo culture. The folk music environment transitioned into hymns, gospels and choir instead. Many Mizo songs became direct translations of British English hymns incorporating worship. Parallel to the impact of Christianity on Mizo music, it also led to a new genre known as . This genre focussed on songs and music based around nationalism. It was significant from the early 20th century to the creation of the Mizo Union and the Mizo Insurgency of 1966-1986. Notable composers of are known as and include Laltanpuia, Kaphleia and Captain L.Z. Sailo, whose songs rally for solidarity and connection to the land. Traditional clothing