The Mara are the native inhabitants of

Mizoram Mizoram () is a state in Northeast India, with Aizawl as its seat of government and capital city. The name of the state is derived from "Mizo", the self-described name of the native inhabitants, and "Ram", which in the Mizo language means "lan ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

, native to

northeastern India , native_name_lang = mni , settlement_type = , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , motto = , image_map = Northeast india.png , ...

, primarily in the

Mara Autonomous District Council Mara Autonomous District Council (MADC) is one of the three Autonomous District Councils within Mizoram state of India. It covers Siaha subdivision and Tipa subdivision of Siaha district. Primarily, an autonomous administrative government ...

of the state of

, where they form the majority of the population. The Maras are related to Kuki and

Mizos The Mizo people (Mizo: ''Mizo hnam'') are an ethnic group native to the Indian state of Mizoram and neighbouring regions of Northeast India. The term covers several related ethnic groups or clans inside the Mizo group. All Mizo tribes and clan ...

in India and Kachin,

Karen Karen may refer to: * Karen (name), a given name and surname * Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors People * Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand ** Karen languages or Karenic l ...

, Shan and Chins in Myanmar. Significant numbers of Maras also live in the southwestern and south-central parts of

Chin State Chin State (, ) is a state in western Myanmar. The Chin State is bordered by Sagaing Division and Magway Division to the east, Rakhine State to the south, Bangladesh to the south-west, and the Indian states of Mizoram to the west and Manipu ...

(Burma) in

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

- the contiguous area of Mara area in India mostly separated by

Kolodyne The Kaladan River ( my, ကုလားတန်မြစ်, ; also Kysapnadi, Beino, Bawinu and Kolodyne) is a river in eastern Mizoram State of India, and in Chin State and Rakhine State of western Myanmar. The Kaladan River is called the Chh ...

Chhimtuipui The Chhimtuipui river, also known as the Chhimmtuipi Lui or Kaladan river, is a river of Mizoram, northeastern India. It flows in a southerly direction through Myanmar. Geography The river is the biggest river in Mizoram by volume. It originate ...

/ Beino river, which forms an international boundary. They have gone by a number of tribal names to the outside world. The Mara were earlier known as ''Magha'', ''Miram'', ''Baungshel'', ''Maring'', ''Zyu'' or ''Zao/Zho'', ''Khuangsai''. Additionally they were known as ''Lakher'' by the Tlaikao/

Lushai The Mizo people (Mizo: ''Mizo hnam'') are an ethnic group native to the Indian state of Mizoram and neighbouring regions of Northeast India. The term covers several related ethnic groups or clans inside the Mizo group. All Mizo tribes and clan ...

, ''Miram'' by the Lai, and ''Shendu'' by the Khumi, Dai, Shô, Matu, and Rakhaing people. The new name ''Mara'' was added to the List of Scheduled Tribes in Mizoram state in 1978, replacing the old name. They constitute a distinct tribal group in the

Siaha Siaha (official name given by the Mara Autonomous District Council, popularly known as Saiha) is a census town in Saiha district, Siaha district in the Indian north-eastern States and territories of India, state of Mizoram. It is the Headquarter ...

Saiha district Siaha District is one of the eleven districts of Mizoram state in India. The district is bounded on the northwest by Lunglei district, on the north and west by Lawngtlai District and on the south and east by Myanmar. The district occupies an ar ...

of Mizoram, while also occupying the northern part of

Paletwa township Paletwa Township ( my, ပလက်ဝမြို့နယ်) is a Townships of Myanmar, township of Matupi District in the Chin State of Myanmar. It consists of Paletwa and Sami, Paletwa, Sami towns and Paletwa is the administrative center for t ...

and

Matupi township Matupi Township ( my, မတူပီမြို့နယ်; also Madupi Township) is a township of Matupi District in the Chin State of Burma (Myanmar).

, western and southern part of Thlantlang township, and the southern part of

Hakha township Hakha Township ( my, ဟားခါးမြို့နယ်) is a township of Hakha District in the Chin State of Burma. It surrounds the city of Hakha, the state capital. It became part of Falam District until Hakha District was formed by th ...

. They refer to themselves as "Maras".Dr K. Zohra, Ph.D, An introductory notes to Mara District of South Mizoram, India.

References

External links

Chakhei.com : The first town portal in Maraland
{{Authority control Kuki tribes Scheduled Tribes of India Ethnic groups in India Ethnic groups in Myanmar