A brief History of Maraland :
by C. Simon, Scientist, Gov’t of India.

The Maras had political consciousness in the early forties of the 20th centuries. When they learnt that India was about to attain freedom from the British dominion, the Maras Chiefs Conference was convened at Saikao in January 1945. In this conference they had unanimously adopted a resolution demanding a separate administration and according submitted a represented to the superintendent, South Lushai Hills, Aijal (Aizawl). One of their memorandum reads as follows,

“To the superintendent, Lushai Hills, Aijal dated the Saikao, December 1945 from the Lakher chiefs.”

“We, the Lakher chiefs would like to express to you what we want most for your sympathetic consideration and immediate order”.

“As we have been demanding so many times, the government may please give us Lakher Hills District, and also one English office may be appointed to conduct our administration.”

“This is what we want most, we would like to be under either the Burma Government or Crown
colony. We want that the Lakhers. Should be placed under one separate District administration, but not under the Lushai Hills District .”

This clearly shows that the Maras had demanded
separate administration to the British India several times by their chiefs for the sake of their
subjects.

A Profile of Maraland

By Pachi Hlychho, Art & Culture Officer, MADC

Dwelling in the Southern tip of Mizoram state of India the Mara constitute a district tribe and are an off-shoot of the Kuki-Chin group of Tibeto-Burman family. Though nothing definite is known about their original home, their ancestral homeland appear to have been somewhere in Southern China. They then migrated from there via-Tibet entering the hills of Northern Burma
and settled for sometimes in Chin Hills.Thence in the latter part of the 17th century they have migrated to their present Maraland.

It is generally believed that they have settled in the land now occupying for about three centuries.

Encircling by the blue Kolodyne (Beino) river which makes the Maraland appears like semi-Island. The geographical area of the Maraland is 1550 sq Kms with a population of 51,073 as per latest Census .The Maraland is bounded by Burma in the East and South and Lai Autonomous District council in the North and West. Before the advent of the British to India, the Mara enjoyed natural independent of their own and ruled over the land by their chiefs. With the advent and extension of British empire to their border the Maras frequently encroached the British empire by head hunting and looking the British subject. Reputation of such incident was intolerable to the British rulers and they were ultimately subjugated by the British in 1924 but no local self Government was constituted nor the political autonomy granted for the management of their local affair.

Briefly, the British superintendent and the Mara chiefs used to rule over the Mara people as virtual dictator.When Maraland was annexed and brought under the Indian British sway, the homeland of the Maras was partitioned for administrative convenience- one part was annexed to the East Bengal province which after a gap of 20 years again included in the South Lushai (Mizo) Hills under the Assam province where- as a major portion went to Government of Burma (Myanmar). This is a historical fact and as a result a smaller portion of the Mara inhabitant area remained within the union of India today.

Formerly the Maras and their frequent succesful raids on their neighbouring tribes proved to be the powerful, mighty and brave warriors of those days. Colonel Phayre in a latter to the Government of India gave a very vivid picture of the warlike nature of the Maras. “I have known all the tribes personally except the shindu [ Maras] for many years. The Mara tribe has always been spoken of as powerful and as being much feared ——(A mackenzie “The North East frontier of India” P-351)

The above remark clearly indicate that the British rulers had very vague knowledge about the Maras before the Maras were brought under their control . The season is clear. It was because of their warlike nature which cause them difficulties in dealing with them. Again, it was because of their isolationistic manner that the Maras were given different names from a Distance by the early writers, scholars and their neighbours.

The Maras were known as the “Lakhers” to their North-Western neihbours mostly by the Lushais (Mizos). They were also known as “Shendus” or “Shindus” by their Southern neihbours mostly by the Khumis and Arkaneses. Shendus or Shindus in Khumis means a people wearing a bit of rag around the top knot, who constantly fight and makes others restless.

They were also known as the ‘Miram’ by their northern neighbours, Hakas. The term Miram was nothing but the Hakanised from of Mara. They were again known as “Zo” to their North Eastern neighbours, the Chins, This the early British Writers who firstly contacted the Khumis and Arakanneses, their Southern neighbours , adopted the term shindu while the Lushais (Mizo) adopted the term Lakher to refer to the Mara people till date . Inspite of the above foreign names coined by their immediate neighbours and early writers scholars and Historians, the Maras never designate themselves , Lakher Shindu or shendu , Zo or Miram but MARA.

The Maras were animists by religion . By the year 1907 a couple of British Missionaries from London landed in Maraland who fortunately reduced Mara language into writing .They composed manuscripts and opened school for the children. Hence , gradually all the Maras embraced Christianity. The Maras speak a language of their own, different from that of their neighbours i.e. Mizos, Bengalis, Nepalese, Lai, Chakmas and Burmese. They have their own Bible and Hymn Book, etc.

The Evangelical Church of Maraland and Congregational Church of India [Maraland] one the major church of the area .

After attaining India Independence the Government of Assam opened 23 primary school upto Cl-III and one middle school upto Class VI in the year 1948. Even today the Mara language is the medium of education upto class IV. The Government of India was kind enough to make quota in the recruitment of Army for the Mara youth in those days. Even after conservation
to Christianity the Maras have been very strict to their Custom. For example, The Mara girl’s price may be approximately estimate to more than ten thousand rupees ( in cash and in kind)only while the girl of their neighbours is rupees three hundred to rupees five hundred (in cash and in kind) only.

With the independence of India in 1947, Maraland in the British Lushai Hills became apart of Independent India. In 1950The Constituent Assembly of India Constitution organized the Mara as a Scheduled Tribe of India alongwith others Tribe of the North East India (Gazette of India Extra ordinary Part II Section 3 Page 118 dated 10th August 1950) The others Tribe appeared in the Gazetted are Seven in Number (i) Lushai ( Mizo) (ii) Naga (iii) Khasi (iv) Garo (v) Mikir (vi) Cachari and Jaintia.

The Government of India, in order to look into the grievance and affairs of the Tribal people a pointed a sub-committee of the constituent Assembly known as North East Frontier ( Assam )
Tribal and Excluded Tribal areas Committee under the Chairmanship Gopinath Bordodoi, the then Chief Minister of Assam.

According to the recommendation of this Committee the Pawi- Lakher (Lai-Mara) Regional Council was inaugurated on 23rd September 1953. In 1972, While the Mizo District became a union territory, The Pawi-Lakher regional Council was divided and Constituted as two separate Autonomous District Council (ADC) within the Mizoram Union territory.

In 1987, Mizoram became the 23rd State of India. The Mara Autonomous District Council (MADC) remains as it was within the Mizoram state.

However, with the Amendment of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution (Amendment) Act, 1988, and as per representation submitted by the Mara leaders, The Mara Autonomous District Council was given enhancement of power with 21 subjects viz; Forest, Art & Culture, Rural Development, Agriculture and Horticulture, Soil & Water Conservation, Socila Welfare, AH & Vety, Industry, Fishery, PHE, Sericulture, LAD, Road Transport, Sport & Youth Services, Cooperation, PWD, Water & Education and also by this Amendment Act.

Name change: from Lakher to Mara:

Lakher, the name in which Maras were known earlier was replaced with their real identity which is Mara. The same was published in the Gazette of India on 19th December 1988, reflecting the official change and the effect thereof.