Identifying the Zo race

Tuesday, 06 April 2010 01:23

Written by ZOHOPE Foundation

The British, after dominating India for a hundred years and Burma for fifty years, started invading this Zo Country intermitently. At the final invasion, which the British called ‘Chin-Lushai’ Expedition, 1888-1890, they had started major military campaign invading the Zo Country from three corners, Burma, Assam and Bengal, and after subjugating the ZO race, they had devided under three administrative Heads, now their divisions become three separate soverign States and the Zo race is now devided under three nationalities.

As such the Zo race is assimilated, and become minorities using different clan Names or foreign imposed names like KUKIS or CHINs, CHHO or Y0 etc. The British Coloniser called the ZO race as ‘ Savages’ or Tribals; and their inhabited areas as ‘Chin-Lushai’ (ZO) Country which we called ZORAM conforming their Historic Chin-Lushai Conference held at Fort William Calcutta, on 29th Jan. 1892, in which the Coloniser themselves tried to put the devided ZO RACE together again, but to of no avail so far, and which was still kept pending. Though the people inhabiting the above mentioned areas, are from the same race and common ancesstry, they could hardly recognised themselves as the same race, after hundred years of division under different administrative heads.

Because the ZO race had been destroyed and assimilated under different nationalities, the ZO people has a long way to go for emancipating to regain the ‘Race’ and Nationhood. Since the ZO people are now living below the racial line, the question of racial discrimination is yet to be arised but rather striving to rise up to the international level of racial standards. As such the project as regards to fight ‘Racism’ could only be so much basic. While the world body has to fight ‘Racial Discrimination’ the ZO people could only start with, the struggle for the ‘Re-birth of ZO Race’ and the Project could only be started with propagation and awareness campaign.

Though the ZO people had their own sript in olden days, their jungle sojourn life did not permit them to continue the use of their own sript. But since they do not use Burmese script or Devagiri , Bengali or Hindu scripts; the British Colonisers introduce Roman Script as a meduim of t eaching which is now in use. With this Roman Script we can publish for ZO race rectifying some letters to suit different dialects in defferent localities. Since different scripts and the language of defferent nations were imposed to ZO people under different Sovereign States, the ZO race is now submerging under the majorities control. But still there could be a ray of hope provided we could take up immidiate and presently action which is the ZO Reunification Organisation is trying to start with.

The initial actions that had already taken up to give the re-birth of ZO race are:

• Organised Conventions and Cultural meets covering all Zo ethnic  identities.
• Submitting Memorundums to responsible World Leaders.
• Participating in the National and International level meetings.
• Printing and published magazines, Journals, booklets. etc.

Further steps to be taken up for the Re-birth of ZO Race as:

• Visiting Towns and interior villages for awarness campaign.
• To continue publication of journals, magazine, booklets, etc. in local dialects.
• Organising more of annual Conventions and Cultural meets.
• Organising Seminars covering the divided ZO race and to publish the Seminar papers in Foeign and local language.
• To open Offices: in the Gen. Hqrs., Zonenal and Divisional levels for cooperative works and information networks with proper staffs.
• Courtesy : Society for Threatened People