The Mro-Khimi people ( or မြိုလူမျိုး), also known as Mro, Awa Khami Mro, Wakim, Mro Chin, or Awa Khami, are one of the 135 officially recognized ethnic groups of Myanmar. They are considered a subgroup of both the

Chin The chin is the forward pointed part of the anterior mandible (List_of_human_anatomical_regions#Regions, mental region) below the lower lip. A fully developed human skull has a chin of between 0.7 cm and 1.1 cm. Evolution The presence of a we ...

and Rakhine peoples. The Mro-Khimi inhabit various parts of

Rakhine State Rakhine State ( ; , ; ), formerly known as Arakan State, is a Administrative divisions of Myanmar, state in Myanmar (Burma). Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State to the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Re ...

and

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

, including the townships of Matupi and Paletwa, and regions such as Samechaung and Michaung. There are more than 100 clans. They speak the Mro-Khimi language, a member of the

Kuki-Chin languages The Kuki-Chin languages (also called Kukish or South-Central Tibeto-Burman languages) are a branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family spoken in northeastern India, western Myanmar and southeastern Bangladesh. Most notable Kuki-Chin-speaking ...

within the

Sino-Tibetan languages Sino-Tibetan (also referred to as Trans-Himalayan) is a family of more than 400 languages, second only to Indo-European in number of native speakers. Around 1.4 billion people speak a Sino-Tibetan language. The vast majority of these are the 1.3 ...

family. The group maintains distinct cultural traditions and customs.

Ethnonyms

They call themselves as Khami, which means 'human'.

History

Origins

According to traditional accounts, the Mro-Khimi people originated from a region known as Twipin (Tibet). From there, they gradually migrated southward, residing in Rokon for approximately thirty years. They then settled at Cha Phawi Mountain for about 300 years, before moving to Khang Lyhn Mawi in Paletwa, and eventually into Rakhine State. According to the Rakhine chronicles, the Mro people were the first people who enter

Arakan Arakan ( or ; , ), formerly anglicised as Aracan, is the historical geographical name for the northeastern coastal region of the Bay of Bengal, covering present-day Bangladesh and Myanmar. The region was called "Arakan" for centuries. It is ...

. The Mro people once ruled as emperors in Rakhine State and established two "Mro" dynasties. The dynasty lasted for about 25 years, from 131 AD to 156 AD. During the reign of King Dasara (c. AD 485), Mro-Khimi chief Rahoila was sent to find the lost statue of Mahamuni. Chronicles refer to “Kwae Mwae Mro”, indicating early Buddhist influence. The first known Christian conversion among the Mro-Khimi occurred in April 1932 in the Mi Chaung region of Paletwa. In July 1960, the Gospel of the

Mara Mara or MARA may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Mara (''Doctor Who''), an evil being in two ''Doctor Who'' serials * Mara (She-Ra), fictional characters from the ''She-Ra and the Princesses of Power'' and ''The New Advent ...

reached Mro-Khimi communities, though many continued traditional spirit offerings.

Language and literature

The Mro-Khimi language is spoken in the townships of Paletwa (Chin State) and

Kyauktaw Kyauktaw ( ) is a town in northern Rakhine State, in the westernmost part of Myanmar. The famous Mahamuni Buddha image, currently at Amarapura, was originally situated near Kyauktaw, in the ruins of the old city of Dhanyawadi. The town was captur ...

, Buthidaung, Ponnagyun,

Pauktaw Pauktaw () is the principal town of Pauktaw Township in Sittwe District in Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma). On 16 November 2023 the town was briefly captured by the Arakan Army (AA) during the ongoing civil war, following the resumption of hosti ...

Mrauk U Mrauk U ( ) is a town in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar. It is the capital of Mrauk-U Township, a subregion of the Mrauk-U District. Mrauk U is culturally significant for the local Rakhine people, Rakhine (Arakanese) people and is the location ...

, and Maungdaw (Rakhine State). Four primary dialects are recognized: * Arang (also: Ahraing Khami, Areung, Aroeng) * Xengna (Hrengna) * Xata * Vakung (Wakun, Wakung) The Vakung dialect is the most widely spoken and understood. Additional dialects mentioned by Horney (2009) include Aryn, Dau, Khuitupui, Likhy, Pamnau, Tuiron, Xautau, and Xienau. Phonological studies have focused on Vakung and Xautau dialects. The Mro-Khimi language shows around 78% lexical similarity with Khumi (Khimi) and about 39% with Mrucha (Mru). The Mro-Khimi writing system was developed in 1997 using the Roman alphabet by U Kyaw Tha Aung (KEF), with the help of German scholars Dr. Kenneth Greggerson and Helga.Htin Aung, ''Image of Life'', Grace Publications, 2006, p. 98

Religion

Traditionally, the Mro-Khimi practiced animism, worshipping guardian spirits known as nats. The chief deity, “KNIQKHOEQMAQ,” is considered the creator of the world and of the Khimi people. Other important spirits include: * “Eain Sout Nat” – spirit of the home * “Yar Sout Nat” – spirit of land/agriculture The name “KNIQKHOEQMAQ” comes from the words for “sun” (“Kani”) and “universe” (“Khoeqmaq”), meaning "creator who owns the sun and universe". This belief system influenced later conversions to

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

and

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

References

External links

List of ethnic groups in MyanmarEssay on the Chin peoples
Kuki-Chin languages Ethnic groups in Myanmar {{Myanmar-stub