 Sizang chiefs in British Burma, 1900 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 11,000 (2025)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Chin State Khaikam, Tedim District | |
| Languages | |
| Sizang language | |
| Religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Tedim, Zo, Chin |
The Sizang people (also known as Siyin or Taute) are primarily the descendants of Pu Thuantak, also known as Suantak in the Tedim language and by related clans. The Siyin Valley is in present-day Chin State, Myanmar,[2] and was settled by descendants of the Pu Thuantak who moved from their original home of Chindwin with other Zo people.
In 2025, the Sizang population in Myanmar was around 11,000.[1] They speak the Sizang language, which is mutually intelligible with Vaiphei, Paite, and Tedim.
Etymology
Si means "salt water", and zang is a northern side or plain; the Sizang originated north of a brine spring. Taute, as they are known in Manipur records, means "fat people".[2]
History
During the late 19th century, when the British Imperial Army tried to colonise the Chin Hills, the Sizang resisted.[3][2]
Culture
The Sizang had a warrior tradition similar to that of the Naga people. Headhunting was widely practiced. Sizang society was patriarchal, with inheritances going to sons.[2]
The marriage of a man and woman from the same village, known as phungkhawm, was forbidden. The eldest man in the groom's tribe would go to the bride's tribe to propose marriage, bringing a gift of modokzu (transl. a pot of liquor) for the bride's family. If the proposal was declined, he returned with the modokzu.[4]
Male babies are named five days after birth, and female babies after three days. They are given a temporary surname to protect them from spirits. Parents choose the name; the first son is named after his paternal grandfather and the first daughter is named after her paternal grandmother.[5]
Religion
Before their conversion to Christianity, the Sizang were animists;[1] they worshiped nature, doai (the devil), and Pathian (God). They also worshiped unknown spirits to avoid harm. Illnesses were believed to be caused by evil spirits that lived within nature.[2] The Sizang believed that their ancestors emerged from a gourd in the village of Chin-Nwe.[6] The bible was translated into the Sizang language in 2004.[1]
Economy
The main occupation is slash-and-burn agriculture. Livestock such as cattle, gayals, goats, chickens and pigs are also raised. Ever since Christianity first arrived in the Siyin Valley, many have been ordained pastors. Other Sizang work in the public sector as civil servants, and many have also served as soldiers during World War 2, and also in the Burmese military.
Language
The Sizang language is mutually intelligible with the Tedim language and India's Vaiphei and Thadou languages. Sizang, which did not have a written script until British colonisation, is written in Latin script.[2]
| English | Sizang | Tedim |
|---|---|---|
| How are you? | Na dam le? / Dam maw? / Dam ni? | Nang dam maw? |
| Where are you going? | Ko'ng (koi-sung) pai tu ni? | Ko'h (koi-ah) pai ding na? |
| What are you doing? | Bang vawt ni? | Bang hih na? |
| Have you eaten? | An ne zo ni? | An ne khin maw? / An ne zo maw? |
See also
References
- "SIYIN" (PDF). Asia Harvest. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 March 2026. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
- Poudel, Lohani & Poudel 2019, p. 59.
- Hau 1963, p. 8.
- Poudel, Lohani & Poudel 2019, p. 63.
- Poudel, Lohani & Poudel 2019, p. 61.
- Grierson 1904, pp. 73–74.
Sources
- Grierson, George A. (1904). "Siyin". Specimens of the Kuki-Chin and Burma Groups. Calcutta, India: Superintendent of Government Printing.
- Hau, Vum Ko (1963). Profile of A Burma Frontier Man. Kilatmadju Press.
- Poudel, Kamal; Lohani, Ram Raj; Poudel, Tikaram (2019). "Cultural and Linguistic Affinities Amongst Meitei-Sizang-Thadou" (PDF). Nepalese Linguistics. 34: 58–67. ISSN 0259-1006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 December 2024.