Chin people
The Chin people (Burmese: ချင်းလူမျိုး; MLCTS: hkyang: lu. myui:, pronounced [tɕɪ́ɰ̃ lù mjó]) are an ethnic group native to the Chin State and Rakhine State of Myanmar. Strictly speaking, the term "Chin" only refers to the 53 sub-tribes of the Chin ethnic group, divided and recognized by the Burmese government. They speak the Kuki-Chin-Mizo languages, which are often mutually unintelligible but are closely related.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chin people in Burma | |||||||||||
| Total population | |||||||||||
| 1,500,000+ (2011) | |||||||||||
| Regions with significant populations | |||||||||||
| Myanmar | 1,500,000 | ||||||||||
| India | 100,000+ | ||||||||||
| Mizoram | 70,000-100,000 (2012) | ||||||||||
| Manipur | 12,000 | ||||||||||
| United States | 70,000 | ||||||||||
| Malaysia | 12,000 | ||||||||||
| Languages | |||||||||||
| Lingua franca: Burmese or Mizo Native: other Kuki-Chin languages | |||||||||||
| Religion | |||||||||||
| Majority: Christianity 80% Minority: 20% Buddhism, Folk religions | |||||||||||
| Related ethnic groups | |||||||||||
| Mizo people, Kachin people, Bawm people, Naga people | |||||||||||
The Chin are one of the founding groups of the Union of Burma, along with the Shan, Kachin, and Burmese. The Chin speak a variety of related languages, and share elements of culture and traditions. According to the British state media BBC News, "The Chin people... are one of the most persecuted minority groups in Burma." These people predominantly live in the Chin State, Bago Division, Ayeyarwady Division, Magwe Division, Rakhine State and Sagaing Region of Myanmar, but are also spread throughout Burma, and Bangladesh and India as refugees.
During the era of British rule, the colonial government used the compound term 'Chin-Kuki-Mizo' to group the Kukish language speaking people, and the Indian government inherited this nomenclature. Some Chin nationalists now consider that Chin would mean subtle Paite domination of Chin, Kuki and Chin identity, which other groups like Hmars, Chins (Chinmi), and Koms may not use.