Chin people

Chin People (Zomi)

Chin people in Myanmar, 2007
Regions with significant populations
2+ million Burma, India, Bangladesh 50,000+ in United States, 70,000+ in Malaysia, 15,000+ Australia, Europe, rest of Asia
Languages
Majority: Zomi Minority: Asho, K'cho, Kuki, Lushei, Lai, Mro/Khumi, Hmar
Religion
Majority: Christianity Minority: Animism and Buddhism

2+ million Burma, India, Bangladesh 50,000+ in United States, 70,000+ in Malaysia,

The Chin people (Burmese: ချင်းလူမျိုး; MLCTS: hkyang lu. myui:, pronounced: [tɕɪ́ɴ lù mjó]) are one of the major ethnic nationalities in Burma. The Chin are one of the founding groups (Chin, Kachin, Shan, and Myanmar) of the Union of Burma. Chin is the primary ethnic group of the Chin State, who have many related languages, cultures, and traditions. The British Broadcasting Corporation states, "The Chin people... are one of the most persecuted minority groups in Burma." The major ethnic group of the Chin people are the Zomi. These people predominantly live in the Chin State and the Sagging division of Myanmar, but they are also spread throughout Burma, Bangladesh, and India as refugees. According to the Burma census of 1891, the Chin ethnology was dismissed because the Chin are considered a hill tribe. In the 2014 Burmese ethnic census, the Chin ethnicity was again dismissed by the people of the Chin State. Therefore, the nationalistic people rejected the Chin name, given its negative connotations. Due to military oppression in Chinland, the Chin people took refuge in nearby India, the United States, and other countries.

The name "Chin" is disputed. During the British era, the British used the compound term 'Chin-Kuki-Mizo' to group the Kukish language speaking people, and the Government of India inherited this. Chin nationalist leaders in Burma's Chin State popularized the term "Chin" following Burma's independence from Britain. More recently Chin has been rejected by some in favor of Zomi, although the Zomi are also a small Northern Kukish language group. Some Zomi nationalists now consider that Chin would mean subtle Paite domination of Chini, Kuki, and Zomi identity, which other groups like Hmars, Zou (Zomi), Anals, and Koms may not use.