The members of this tribe call themselves Lai (meaning center ) or Lai Chin, but almost all other people in the region know them as Hakha Chin, after the name of the township they heavily populate. Several tribes in the area, often referred to as the Hakha Chin, have been profiled separately under their own names in this book. During the British colonial era, the Lai looked down on these other tribes, refused to admit that they belonged to their race and asserted that they are of a different origin."
Most Lai Chin people inhabit a widespread area of northern Chin State in western Myanmar. They are concentrated in Hakha township, while two small communities of Lai Chin are found across the state border in the extreme north of Magway Region. Others live in neighboring Bangladesh.
In the past the Hakha area was home to so many distinct language groups that it was said, Women from one village may find it difficult to understand the women from another village just a few miles away!" Under British rule, Lai was adopted as the lingua franca of much of Chin State, and the town of Hakha was chosen as the state capital. Today, Lai is used in homes, churches, literature, government work, and business. English is also widely spoken.
The Lai Chin have long been recognized as one of the largest and most important of the Chin tribes. For centuries, the Lai fought a succession of wars against other Chin tribes, the Mizo, Burmese, and against invading armies from India, Britain, and Japan. They gained respect as courageous and resilient fighters. In the past, the forests around Hakha were filled with many dangerous animals, and frequent tiger attacks resulted in hundreds of people being carried off and eaten.
The monsoon season runs from April to October each year, followed by the dry season from November to March. Most rural Lai Chin are engaged in slash-and-burn agriculture, earning money by selling produce, pigs, and other livestock in township markets. Many people living in the towns work in shops or hold government and school jobs, while some have gained employment in gold, jade, and ruby mines.
In Myanmar, most Lai Chins are Christian, but in Bangladesh, they are mostly Buddhist. Animism had such a hold on Lai Chin society that at the time of the 1931 census, 92 percent of the population identified as animists, despite the gospel having been among the people for more than three decades.
Generations of Lai Chin perished without knowledge of Jesus Christ until 1899, when Arthur and Laura Carson of the American Baptist Mission visited Hakha accompanied by six Karen schoolteachers. They were surprised to find people hungry to hear the gospel, and the first churches were soon planted. Today, around 90 percent of Lai Chin people in Myanmar are Christians, and many believers are highly educated and have attended one of the many Bible schools in the area.
The situation in Bangladesh is different where there is a much smaller population. Over 80% are Buddhist in Bangladesh, but they have a Christian minority.
Lai Chins in Bangladesh need the gospel in their midst. They remain Buddhist, and neglect to call upon the name of the Lord.
Pray for Holy Spirit-empowered evangelists and disciplers from Myanmar to take Christ to the Lai Chin Buddhists in Bangladesh.
Pray for God, in his mercy, to protect them from natural disasters such as monsoons and floods.
Pray for a record high crop as a testimony of God s power and goodness.
Scripture Prayers for the Lai Chin in Bangladesh.
Asia Harvest, Copyrighted Used with permission.
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
