The Chin

 

 The Chin live in the mountainous southern regions of the Chin state in western Myanmar, particularly in Mindat and Kapetlet. Due to near isolation, tribe and villages have remained fairly untouched.

 

The Chin earn a living by practicing shifting cultivation, trapping, hunting, weaving and logging. Since dense plant growth limits the use of land for agricultural purposes, they clear the land by burning the vegetation. They then grow dry rice on it for a year but sometimes three or four years before moving. Some groups, however, have settled permanently in large clearings in the forests. These forested areas are state lands, but the farmers fight for their claim as landowners
The Chin are able to produce only enough food to feed themselves. To supplement their income, they take seasonal migratory jobs, such as cutting sugarcane or working in lowland towns. Severe labor shortages in the fields often result from these migrations. Mining precious gems, such as jade, rubies, and sapphires, is another way the Chin can help themselves financially. 

A Chin house usually has only one room. All activities take place on the floor where food is prepared and eaten. Mats are rolled out nightly for sleeping and then rolled up or stacked away during the day. Because the floor is the center of home life, it is grossly impolite to enter a Chin house while wearing shoes. The family often dines outdoors. 
 

The Chin practice their own ethnic religion that embraces animistic beliefs. Animism includes the notion that forces and aspects of nature (wind, rivers, trees, earth) are connected with spirits or supernatural beings. These spirits are called upon to help solve the urgent practicalities of life, such as securing food, curing illness, and averting danger. The Chin animistic beliefs include spirits called Nats, which are inherently evil. During life one must try to appease them through sacrifices and rituals, so that the less evil spirits will fight off the more evil ones.

 

The people in the southern Chin hills used to have the custom of tattooing  the face of the women. This extraordinary custom began in the eleventh century when some young maiden girls got tattooed, disfiguring their faces to protect them from slavery or capture by the ruling princes.

Only Mindat and other south Chin villages still maintain this tradition. Munn, Makang and Dai clans have different tattoo design. Thus the facial tattoo of Mun is different from that of Dai. Munn’s tattoo is a line of small circles along the neck, straight lines making half moon shape for the cheeks. Dai and Makang put a lot of dots all over the face.

 

Chin women wear distinctive facial tattoos, silver earrings, hand woven textiles, silver belts and amber beads. When a girl entered the age of puberty, a tattoo was applied onto her face. The process of facial tattooing is quite painful and dangerous. The practice has been outlawed since 1960, but was still practiced until 1980. The youngest women with a facial tattoo are around 30 years old.