History of Christianity in Mizoram

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The memorial to the first Mizo martyr, Phullen

The history of Christianity in Mizoram covers the origin and development of all forms of

British occupation at the end of the 19th century. Christianity arrived as a consequence of tribal warfare, raids of British plantations, and the ensuing punitive British military expedition called the Lushai Expedition of 1871. The subsequent annexation of the erstwhile Lushai Hills to the British Empire opened the gateway for British Christian missions to evangelise the Mizo people.[1][2][3]

By the 1890s, the

literacy rate as of 2011 census) in India, and the native population is almost entirely of Christians.[7][8]

Prelude

Alexandrapur incident and British military expeditions

Before the mid-19th century Mizos were virtually unknown. The British Empire, which had

Burma, had little or no interest in the tribes or their hilly land. The Mizos then lived in small and isolated clusters of tribal chiefdoms, often raising warfare against each other. Their religious views were dominated by paganism and they led animistic world view, with unique concept of afterlife called Pialral. They practised elaborate rituals including animal sacrifice, and worshipped or feared almost all conceivable inanimate objects, diseases and unusual natural phenomena.[5] The British officers used to describe them as "irreclaimable savages".[9]

Around 1850 the Mizos started to encroach the British plantations in the neighbouring

British rule.[3][10][11][12]

Missionary reconnaissance

The British administration over Mizos was a hectic problem. The totally illiterate people still practised their own tribal customs, which often got in the way of law and order. The obvious option for the government was to introduce education, and a simple solution was through Christian missions. A young

typhoid on 21 April 1892.[13][14][15][16] On closer scrutiny of Williams activities during his visit, the date of his arrival, 15 March, is declared as the true "Missionary Day" by Mizoram Presbyterian Church in its 89th General Assembly in 2012.[17][18][19]

Arthington and his mission

A British philanthropist and stern follower of Christ, moved by his passion for missions among the pagans started from his own pocket, without the help of a church, a mission with the help of the BMS or Baptist Mission Society. With this enthusiasm he established what he called Arthington Aborigines Mission in 1889 for

Baptist Church.[20][21]

Arthington Aborigines Mission

The arrival of Christianity and formal education in Mizoram is due to Robert Arthington. Lorrain reached India on 1 January 1890. But not knowing further steps to take he stayed in

Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Mission in 1897. Lorrain and Savidge departed from Aizawl for England on 31 December 1897.[1][26]

The first church

Calvinistic Methodist Church (now properly the

Sunday schools.[27] This organised congregation in 1898 is considered as the origin of church in Mizoram, and the establishment of Mission Veng Kohhran. An entirely separate church building was constructed only in 1913, at a place called Hriangmual bawlhmun (the current location of Mission Veng Church), which was an ancient altar of pagan worship.[28] In August 1897, the Welsh Mission had arranged a Khasi Christian Rai Bahadur and his family from Khasi Hills to help Jones, therefore the first enlisted congregation consisted of 6 Khasis in addition to Jones and his wife.[29]

First baptism

Two young men named Khuma and Khara became the first fully converted Christians among the Mizos. Khuma had been tutored under Lorrain and Savidge but initially showed no sign of apparent interest in the religion. But in 1898 he became more and more impressed, and with his friend Khara, they were baptised by Jones on 25 July 1899. However, the first individuals to be baptised in Lushai Hills were two Khasis, who received baptism in earlier mid-July. Khara was however not fully devoted and soon reverted to the old faith after getting into government service.[30][29][31]

First church building

Although the first congregational worship started in Aizawl, northern Mizoram, the first independent church building was established in southern Mizoram, at a small village called Sethlun, near Lunglei. It was constructed in 1902.[32]

Baptist church

The first ever denomination to come up was the Baptist Church propagated and established by the duo Arthington Missionaries. However, with the coming of the Presbyterian missionaries and their consequent setting up on the harvested fields of the Baptist missionary duo; with endeavour and sincerity, the Welsh mission, in 1901, agreed to divide the Lushai Hills into two separate fields, and gave the southern part to

Baptist Missionary Society (BMS) of London. BMS had received inheritance from the will of Robert Arthington, and with that they could manage the mission field of southern Lushai Hills. Their missionaries Lorrain and Savidge, of the same Arthington mission workers, arrived in Lunglei in March 1903. They were greeted by some 125 Mizo Christians from Sethlun. They settled at Serkawn and this Lunglei-annexed village became the eventual headquarters of Baptist Church in Mizoram.[33]

Lakher Pioneer Mission

The BMS could not still cover the extreme southern corner of Lushai Hills. Lorrain therefore urged his younger brother Reginald to start a mission work among the

separation of India and Burma in 1947–1948, Maraland was split and the Mara church got divided accordingly. The Indian counterpart became Evangelical Church of Maraland.[36] Mara Independent Evangelical Church then faced administrative break up in 1970, to be reconciled only in 1987. The unified church became Mara Evangelical Church.[37][38]

Influence of Khasi revival

In 1903 church statistics showed that there were 46 church members, of which 11 were Khasis. In January 1904 there was an upsurge of Christian revival among Khasis in Khasi Hills. Six Mizo delegates from Lushai Hills attended the Assembly at Mairang in 1906. They received the revival spirit, and when they returned to Aizawl they spread the revival spirit among the Mizos. Evangelism then was in an unprecedented pace throughout Lushai Hills with mass conversions in almost all villages.[29][31] By 1912 the figure of baptised Mizos soared to 3,999. After a year the number almost doubled (7,423). After the revival of the 1930s the entire Mizo community was considered as Christianised, except for only few individual dissenters.[5]

Other denominations

  1. Bombay. In 1917 he became the first commissioned officer in India and started his mission at Aizawl, and called it Chhandama Sipai. India Eastern became a separate command on 1 June 1991 and became a territory in 1993.[39]
  2. Catholicism arrived in 1925. In a brief visit from Chittagong, Fr. Boulay, CSC, baptised two infants on 6 December 1925 which marked the beginning of Catholicism. However, early opposition arose from Protestants, and as a result, the first Catholic church came up only in 1947. With permission from the Governor of Assam, two Canadian Holy Cross Fathers Fr. George Breen, CSC, and Bro. Gilbert, CSC, arrived in Mizoram on 15 April 1947. They established their headquarters at Kulikawn.[40]
  3. United Pentecostal Church (UPC) emerged as an offshoot of the great spiritual revival in the 1930s, which resulted in many highly spiritualised Mizos seeking a more flexible church, particularly unsatisfied with the strictly Welsh-influenced system. Led by Zakamlova, a separate congregation was organised in Aizawl, but they lacked any denominational support. After several attempts to contact international missions, they established an "Apostolic Church" in 1948 with moral support from the Apostolic Church of Pentecost in United States. The first church was opened at Lungleng Vawkzawn village in October. However, Zakamlova knew the need to get full affiliation, so that he contacted Pentecostal Assemblies of the World worker Roxie A.R. Telie Dover, who was stationed at Bhagalpur. Upon invitation Dover visited Aizawl on 16 January 1949. Learning their enthusiasm and doctrinal inclination, Dover suggested them to join UPC. After getting government permission Rev E.L. Scisma inaugurated UPC on 19 February 1950.[41][42]
  4. Seventh-day Adventist arrived in 1946. It was initiated by Lallianzuala Sailo, who first made contact with the Seventh-day Adventist Church at Shillong in Meghalaya in November 1946. OW Lange was the first Adventist missionary to Mizoram.[43]

Indigenous churches

Mass conversion within half a century and frequent bursts of revivals among Mizos led to births of numerous indigenous denominations of Christianity in Mizoram found nowhere else. With extant and existing types there are more than three dozen independent churches throughout Mizoram.[44] The reason largely being a reciprocal revival of cultural values which were strongly opposed by the founding missions. Some notable ones in terms of stronghold and popularity are:

  1. Lalpa Kohhran Thar (The Lord's New Church), but more famously known as Chana Pawl or Ziona Pawl, was founded by Chana's brother Khuangtuaha in 1942.[45][46] The extraordinary practice is polygamy of the head of the church. Chana had 30 wives. His eldest son and successor (after his death in 1997) Ziona has 39 wives and over 90 children. The church is somewhat a form of pater familias as the head is revered as supreme leader. The church itself holds a world record of the World Record Academy for being the "biggest family in the world" in 2011. They are concentrated at Baktawng village.[47][48][49]
  2. Isua Krista Kohhran (Church of Jesus Christ) was started on 23 May 1970 at Bualpui NG village.[50][51] A rival sister Isua Krista Kohhran Mizoram split out on 6 April 1977. The church is spread all over Mizoram and also in parts of Tripura, Bangladesh and Burma.[52]
  3. Solomon's Temple.[50][51]
  4. Nunna Lalchhungkua was founded by evangelist Rorelliana on 27 September 1978.[51][53]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Hluna, J.V. (2003). Mizoram Hmar Bial Missionary-te Chanchin. Aizawl, India: The Synod Literature & Publication Board.
  2. ^ J. Meirion Lloyd (1991). History of the Church in Mizoram: Harvest in the Hills. Synod Publication Board. pp. 17–23.
  3. ^ a b "Chapter 1. The terrifying tribesmen of the Mizo Hills". www.mizostory.org. Mizo Story. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  4. ^ a b Press Trust of India (11 January 2013). "Mizoram observes Missionary Day". in.com India. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  5. ^
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  7. ^ "Population By Religion In Mizoram (2001) Census". National Informatics Centre, Mizoram State Centre. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  8. ^ "Demographic Profile". Mizoram Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Mission. Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  9. S2CID 145307476
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  10. ^ A. Thanglura (1988). Mihrang leh Sahrang. Aizawl, India: Self. pp. 81–85, 93–96.
  11. ^ Champhai (25 September 2009). "Zoluti (Mary Winchester) Chanchin – Ama Ziak" [ZOLUTI (MARY WINCHESTER) CHANCHIN - Her Autobiography] (in Mizo). Kan Lungkham Champhai. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  12. ^ Lewin TH Col. (2007) [1912]. A Fly on the Wheel: Or, How I Helped to Govern India. UK: Oxford University Press. pp. 2656–290.
  13. ^ J. Meirion Lloyd (1991). History of the Church in Mizoram: Harvest in the Hills. Synod Publication Board. pp. 17–23.
  14. ^ "Page 2: William Williams visits the Mizo Hills". Mizo Story. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  15. ^ PimPom (13 February 2012). "Rev. William Williams leh Mizoram a a sulhnu hmasa" [Rev. William Williams and his initial works in Mizoram] (in Mizo). mi(sual).com. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  16. ^ ZKC (6 June 2013). "Mizoram Kristianna Lo Thlendan Tlangpui". Zo Kawtchhuah. Archived from the original on 18 February 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  17. ^ Chemtatrawta (11 December 2012). "Missionary hmasa ber thar kan nei leh ta mauh mai le..!!!" [We now have a new first missionary!] (in Mizo). misual.com. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  18. ^ "Missionary Day" (in Mizo). Baptist Church of Mizoram. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  19. ^ "Synod then rawtna hnâwl a ni, Chanchin Tha Thlen ní-ah March 15, 1891 a pawm" [Separation of Synod declined, Missionary Day declared for 15 March]. Vanglaini (in Mizo). GetLocalNews. 9 December 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
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  21. ^ Thomas Ray. "Robert Arthington: The eccentric Baptist millionaire". Baptist Bible Tribune. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  22. ^ PTI (11 January 2014). "Missionary Day observed in Mizoram". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 January 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  23. ^ "CHANCHIN THA THLEN NI - 2012". Mizoram Presbyterian Church Synod. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  24. ISBN 9788183240864
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  25. ^ Lorrain and Savidge 1898. The World Atlas of Language Structures Online. 1898. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  26. ISBN 9780878085057
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  27. ^ "Page 4: David Evan Jones 'Zosaphluia'". Mizo Story. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  28. ^ "Mission Veng Biak In Thar Hawnna (Updated)" [Inauguration of new Mission Veng Church] (in Mizo). Mizoram Presbyterian Church Synod. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  29. ^ a b c G.R. Mawblei. "REVIVAL LEH MISSION". Mizoram Presbyterian Church Synod. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  30. ^ ZKC (6 June 2013). "Mizoram Kristianna Lo Thlendan Tlangpui". Zo Kawtchhuah. Archived from the original on 18 February 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  31. ^ a b "Page 5: Khuma, the first Mizo to be baptised". Mizo Story. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  32. ^ ralte_vahai. "Mizorama Kohhran(Biak In) hmasa ber ??" [The first church building in Mizoram?] (in Mizo). mi(sual).com. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  33. ^ BMS. "Mizoram". BMS World Mission. Archived from the original on 15 January 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  34. ISBN 9788180695148
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  35. ^ "Lakher Pioneer Mission". Mundus. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  36. ^ "GENERAL BACKGROUND OF THE MARA EVANGELICAL CHURCH". Mara Evangelical Church. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  37. ^ "Mara Evangelical Church". World Council of Churches. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  38. ^ "A Brief History Of The Evangelical Church Of Maraland". Evangelical Church Of Maraland. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  39. ^ "Kawl Khuma". The Salvation Army India. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  40. ^ A. Jeyaseelan. "CHRIST THE KING CATHEDRAL PARISH - BRIEF HISTORY". Aizawl Diocese. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  41. ^ "MIZORAMA UPC A LO PIAN DAN" [How UPC originated in Mizoram] (in Mizo). United Pentecostal Church of Mizoram. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  42. ^ "North Mizoram District Chanchin" [History of North Mizoram District] (in Mizo). UPC North East India North Mizoram District. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  43. ^ Mission in Mizoram (PDF). pp. 16–26. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  44. ^ Chhana (17 March 2011). "Mizorama kohhran hrang hrangte". mi(sual).com. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  45. ^ "Man has 39 wives, nearly 100 children". Reuters. 22 February 2011. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  46. ^ "Mizo Man Has 39 Wives, 94 Children, 33 Grandchildren". Outlook. 20 February 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  47. ^ Ian Ord (5 July 2011). "Ziona Chana Heads Biggest Family In The World". Odd Culture. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  48. ^ David M. Thangliana (24 November 2006). "Cult culture: man with 50 wives - Largest joint family on earth thrives on self-sufficient economy". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 19 June 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  49. ^ "Biggest family: Ziona Chana has 39 wifes and 94 children: a world record (Video)". World Record Academy. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  50. ^ a b "Zoram tualto kohhran leh a din kum thenkhatte". 23 August 2010. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  51. ^ a b c Jenny. "Zoram tualto kohhran leh a din kum thenkhatte". Lawrkhawm. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  52. ^ "ISUA KRISTA KOHHRAN". Isua Krista Kohhran. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  53. ^ Donald (24 July 2012). "Hnam Sakhua bihchianna". mi(sual).com. Retrieved 22 January 2014.

Further reading

External links

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