A Dispute between the American Baptist Chin Mission and the Lakher Pioneer Mission
A dispute between the American Baptist Chin Mission (ABCM) and the Lakher Pioneer Mission (LPM) led to the division of Mara people in Chin state. Many Maras living in Thantlang/Thlantlang townships were forced to follow Hakha mission, while those in Matupi and Paletwa town somehow followed Lakher Pioneer Mission based in India. Read the entry in Dr. Lian Hmung Sakhong's book, "In Search of Chin Identity" below:
The demarcation of the New Border and the Dispute between the American Baptist Chin Mission and the Lakher Pioneer Mission.
The immediate effect of the Burma Act of 1935 was felt more by the Christian missions than the political system; it caused a dispute between the American Baptist Chin Mission (ABCM) and the Lakher Pioneer Mission (LPM) when implemented in 1937.
The LPM was founded by Rev. and Mrs. Reginald A. Lorrain, Mr Lorrain was a brother of James Herbert Lorrain, a pioneer missionary of the Baptist Missionary Society of London (BMSL) working at Lunglei, in the southern part of Mizoram. R.A Lorrain did not secure support fromt the BMSL, so he and his wife left England without any institutional support to establish a mission, and depended upon the contributions of friends and individual supporters. They began the Lakher Pioneer Mission in 1907, and settled at Sherkor among the Lakher or Mara gorup of Chin in the adjoining area of southernmost Mizoram and the western part of Chin state. The only long-term missionaries who served in the LPM were Rev. and Mrs. Reginald Lorrain, their only daughter, Louise, and her husband, Albert B. Lorrain-Foxall. It was a one-family enterprise, which effectively evangelize among the Mara.
Within five years, Lorrain reduced the Mara dialect* into writing, compiled two sets of dictionaries containing 7,000 to 8,000 words each, made a complete grammar of the language and prepared a primer for use in the schools. The primer was printed by the Government of Assam free of charge. He also prepared a hymn book with 68 selected songs in mara, a catechism containing questions and answers using scriptural texts raning from Genesis to Revelation, and he translated the Gospel of John. In addition, he and his wife established a school for 22 pupils, which enabled some 50 Mara to read and write their language. Eventually, most of the students were converted (cf Kipgen 1996, 203-295). In 1938**, J. H Cope wrote, 'They have two ordained workers, six unordained, five schools aside from headquarters where there is a boys' and a girls' school' (Cope 1938: FM-283). Cope also mentioned the LPM's literature in his correspondence:
The New Testament is soon coming out in a second edition, the first having been completed 4 years before the Kamhau [that is, in about 1928]. Genesis is now going through the press and they have other books in the process of translation. They have a radio station. They claim 600 Christians, some of whom are in the Chin Hills, and 4,000 in the Christian community (Cope 1938: FM-283).
As Cope's letter indicated, the LPM's work covered both sides of the Lushai Hills and Chin Hills Districts. The Mara group of the Laimi*** tribe are spread along both the eastern and western banks of the Bawinu River, which became the natural boundary between India and Burma. Thus, when the borderline was officially demarcated, the LPM became and 'unauthorized mission' in the Chin Hills District. Moreover, the ABCM accused them of 'encroachment of preachers into territory not their own' (Johnson 1988: 590). In this way, the separation of Chinram by alien law aggravated a competitive problem that used to be avoided by so-called mission comity.
To settle the dispute regarding the territory served by the ABCM and that LPM, Mr. Naylor, the Deputy Commissioner of the Chin Hills District, invited the missionaries from both parties to a meeting held at Pako, a small village on the border, on 24 May 1938. Cope and Strait represented the ABCM and Rev. Lorrain and Mr. Lorrain-Foxall represented the LPM. Naylor chaired the meeting. Cope mentioned in his letter that Lorrain was two years his senior, good-looking, grey-haired, and he 'was especially pleasant to me. He had long looked forward to meeting me. Lorrain's borther, who was at Lungleh, has retired and is finishing a Lushai dictionary at home' (Cope 1938: FM-283). While Lorrain pleasantly expressed his concern for the Mara people as a whole, regardless of the artificial boundary or foreign law, Cope on the other hand seemed to act like an over zealous missionary-cum-colonial-officer, saying,
I then summed up, giving four reasons why I believed they should not come into the Chin Hills at all. They were shocked when I declared I was against their coming at all. They made no summing up and neither did Strait. The Chiefs in this area were called in and all said they preferred having the Haka mission work in their country (Cope 1938: FM-283).
Unfortunately, nowhere in his letter did Cope spell out the details of the agreement or the decisions they made at the meeting, nor did Strait.
What we know from the present situation, however, is that Rev. Lorrain and his LPM work were forced to confine themselves to the western (Indian) bank of the Bawinu River, and the Mara people on the eastern (Burmese) side were forced to join the ABCM. This is one illustration of how the Burma Act and the Indian Acts of 1935 forced the separation of the Chin people into two countries.
The Death of Rev. Cope
After the meeting at Pako, Strait went to the Matupi area to inspect the schools but Cope and Naylor returned directly home. On their way back, Dr. Cope (DD awardee) suffered a severe attack of malaria. When they reached Haka, his maralia was followed by dysentery. Weakened by sickness, he could not continue his journey to Tiddim where his family awaited his return. On 5 June, Dr. Strait returned from his tour, and found that his colleague was very weak and sick. He immediately sent a telegram to Falam and requested the Civil Surgeon to come to Haka. He also sent a telegram to Mrs. Cope to tell her that her husband was dangerously ill and that she should come, but before she could reach Haka, Rev. Cope passed away on 11 June 1938 in his 55th year.
Source: In Search of Chin Identity by Lian H. Sakhong.
Maraland.NET Notes:
Lian H. Sakhong, Ph.D (Dr. Laihmung Sakhung/Laihmo Sakho) belongs to Vytu/Zyphe/Zophei tribe. In his writings he has often put Mara, Vytu, Lautu, Senthang, Laizo, Lai, Zotung, etc under Laimi which is disputed by other scholars.
* indicates disputed terms used by Dr. Lian H. Sakhong. Mara is not a dialect, it is a language, Mara itself has 5 or more different dialects.
** Maraland.NET wonders why Dr. Lian Hmung Sakhong did not consult any Mara Scholars on Lakher Pioneer Mission, but instead he chose to cite reference from other scholars like Kipgen, from Manipur. We believe the native scholars will be able to give a more accurate figures.
*** also indicates disputed terms used by Dr. Lian H. Sakhong. Mara scholars like Dr. Zohra, Ph.D said Mara is not and is not under a Laimi group.
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|2009-09-27 13:54:53 Observer - Mara were torn apart"Lorrain's borther, who was at Lungleh, has retired and is finishing a Lushai dictionary at home' (Cope 1938: FM-283). While Lorrain pleasantly expressed his concern for the Mara people as a whole, regardless of the artificial boundary or foreign law, Cope on the other hand seemed to act like an over zealous missionary-cum-colonial-officer, saying,
I then summed up, giving four reasons why I believed they should not come into the Chin Hills at all. They were shocked when I declared I was against their coming at all. They made no summing up and neither did Strait. The Chiefs in this area were called in and all said they preferred having the Haka mission work in their country (Cope 1938: FM-283).
Unfortunately, nowhere in his letter did Cope spell out the details of the agreement or the decisions they made at the meeting, nor did Strait.
What we know from the present situation, however, is that Rev. Lorrain and his LPM work were forced to confine themselves to the western (Indian) bank of the Bawinu River, and the Mara people on the eastern (Burmese) side were forced to join the ABCM."
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The above piece effectively inform us how the Mara were forced to fall on to the verge of disunity yet like a broken-innocent. It was at the hand of a jealous and selfish American Missionary the Mara had given up 30% of their land to Lai group. They must be held responsible for this. It prompts the question to ask who might have so dare to and responsible for tearing down the remaining Mara in Burmese side into three pieces - namely to Paletwa, Matupi and Thantlang???
It is now time for all Mara people today to understand who really concerned about the Mara people and worked for Mara people with his life. We must be re-united in Rev. Lorrain's original works, in his love and after all in God's love.
Mara Observer
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|2009-12-22 12:39:44 piangkhawthang - I want to ask one thing,could you please send meDear,
plz,I want about chin christianity and disunity among chin denominations.Actually I am studty in Kerala,India. Why?I ask you such as things nothing but I have doing my reserch about chin christianity interprets about the" church" and about disunity among chin deniminations.Why ?that much increasing problem among chin christianity,instead of unity quarreling each others.What hte reason,could you please send me about that one,that I will be OK! Thangkyou for your helping me,Goodbye
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The above piece effectively inform us how the Mara were forced to fall on to the verge of disunity yet like a broken-innocent. It was at the hand of a jealous and selfish American Missionary the Mara had given up 30% of their land to Lai group. They must be held responsible for this. It prompts the question to ask who might have so dare to and responsible for tearing down the remaining Mara in Burmese side into three pieces - namely to Paletwa, Matupi and Thantlang???
It is now time for all Mara people today must understand who really concerned about the Mara people and worked for Mara people with his life. We must be re-united in his original works and love.
Mara Observer