Mizo names are composed of a given name and occasionally a surname that represents one's clan.
Mizo names are composed of a given name and occasionally a surname that represents one's clan.
Mizo names are unisex, [1] with gender distinctions made through specific suffixes:
Suffix "a": Denotes a male. [2]
Suffix "i": Denotes a female. [3]
For example, "Liana" indicates a male, while "Liani" indicates a female.
In pre-Christian Mizo society, regional chiefs (lal), who were equivalent to kings, played a central role in governance and cultural identity. Chiefs and their immediate clans often had names that reflected their sovereignty and social status. For instance, names like Lalchhuaklala, Lalburha, and Suakpuilala were commonly associated with the ruling elite. The prefix lal (meaning "chief" or "king") was included in their names to signify their authority and lineage. [4]
Names in Mizo society often carried deep cultural and social significance, and the institution of bawiship was no exception. Names like Bawihluni, Bawichhunga, and Bawiluti were coined to highlight the unchanging and often degrading position of being a slave. [5] For example:
Bawihluni: Denotes "being a slave all her life," symbolizing a lack of freedom. [6]
In pre-Christian Mizo society, names often reflected a person's social standing or achievements. Chiefs, elders, and hunters could give their children names that signified their status. For instance, hunters who achieved fame and reputation often used names like Zakapa, Kapliana, and Kaphranga, with kap (meaning " to shoot") denoting their skill in hunting wild animals. These names carried a tone of pride and were a testament to the high regard for hunting in Mizo culture. [7]
Similarly, warriors and men of valor (pasalṭha) who defended villages during inter-clan conflicts or against wild animals were highly esteemed. Names like Raltawna (meaning "combating the enemy") and Ralkapthanga (meaning "one who is notable for shooting or killing rivals") commemorated their bravery. [8]
The Mizo naming tradition also reflects historical events, such as the participation of Mizo men in the Second World War. Names like Germanthanga, Japanchhawna, and Ferenthanga were coined to honor those who fought against Nazi Germany, Japan, and France. These names serve as a historical record of the Mizo community's involvement in global events. [9]
Beginning with the establishment of British rule in 1889, and the arrival of missionaries J.H. Lorrain and F.W. Savidge on January 11, 1894, brought significant changes. One striking change brought about by Christianity was in the naming conventions among the Mizos. The title Lal, previously reserved for chiefs to signify their authority and sovereignty, came to represent the "Almighty God" in Christian theology, democratizing its usage across society. For instance, names like Lalrinchhani means "having faith in God." [10]
In addition to Mizo names with religious references, Biblical names such as John, Isaac, Esther, Ruth, and Jacob have become common, replacing the traditional first name with the Biblical names and moving the Mizo given names as the middle name or surname. Some names have integrated the Biblical names into the Mizo given name, such as Lalkrawsthanga. [11]
Mizo names typically follow two main conventions, reflecting cultural and tribal identity. The first method involves using an initial to denote the person's tribe, clan, or sub-clan, such as in the name H. Malsawma, where "H" represents the clan, where it could be Hnamte, Hmar, Hauhnar, Hauchhum, etc. The second method uses the clan name as a surname, such as Malsawma Hnamte, Malsawma Hmar, or Malsawma Hauhnar. It is important to note that Mizos do not traditionally use surnames in the conventional sense. [12]
Mizos often shorten names, whether they have two or three syllables. For example, "Malsawma" may be abbreviated to "Mala" or "Sawma." However, the gender-affix must still be included when addressing someone. Full names are rarely used, as calling someone by their full name is considered rude, and parents usually reserve it for when they're angry with their child. [13]
Endearments are more frequently used, with terms like "Mama" or "Mami" for the eldest or only child, and others like "Bawihte," "Mate," or "Tete" (te meaning small or little) being added to names, as seen in "Sawmte" or "Sawmpui." [14]
In Mizo culture, titles like "Pu" and "Pi" are used to show respect and are typically given to older individuals or those of high stature, though they can also indicate someone who is married. "U" (pronounced like "oo" in "moo") is another respectful title used when addressing someone who is at least one year older, such as "U Sawmte" or "U Sawmpui." Additionally, "Ka u" (lit. 'my sibling') is used when introducing an elder sibling or cousin. For unmarried young people, "tlangval" is used for boys and "nula" for girls. For older unmarried individuals, "pa" is used for males and "nu" for females. [15]
Surname conventions and laws vary around the world. This article gives an overview of surnames around the world.
Semiotics is the systematic study of sign processes and the communication of meaning. In semiotics, a sign is defined as anything that communicates intentional and unintentional meaning or feelings to the sign's interpreter.
A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise different concepts and experiences. All communication is achieved through the use of symbols: for example, a red octagon is a common symbol for "STOP"; on maps, blue lines often represent rivers; and a red rose often symbolizes love and compassion. Numerals are symbols for numbers; letters of an alphabet may be symbols for certain phonemes; and personal names are symbols representing individuals. The academic study of symbols is called semiotics.
In semiotics, a sign is anything that communicates a meaning that is not the sign itself to the interpreter of the sign. The meaning can be intentional, as when a word is uttered with a specific meaning, or unintentional, as when a symptom is taken as a sign of a particular medical condition. Signs can communicate through any of the senses, visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, or taste.
Hmar people are a scheduled tribe ethnic group from the states of Manipur, Mizoram, Assam, and Meghalaya in Northeast India. They use the Hmar language as their primary language.
An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It is also often conflated with systems of honorific speech in linguistics, which are grammatical or morphological ways of encoding the relative social status of speakers. Honorifics can be used as prefixes or suffixes depending on the appropriate occasion and presentation in accordance with style and customs.
In semiotics, linguistics, anthropology, and philosophy of language, indexicality is the phenomenon of a sign pointing to some element in the context in which it occurs. A sign that signifies indexically is called an index or, in philosophy, an indexical.
In semiotics, syntagmatic analysis is analysis of syntax or surface structure as opposed to paradigms. This is often achieved using commutation tests.
The Mizo people, historically called the Lushais, are a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group primarily from Mizoram in northeastern India. They speak Mizo, one of the state's official languages and its lingua franca. Beyond Mizoram, sizable Mizo communities live in neighboring northeast Indian states like Manipur, Assam, Meghalaya, and Tripura, with minority populations also found in Myanmar and the United States. Mizoram is the second most literate state in India, at more than a rate of 90%.
A referent is a person or thing to which a name – a linguistic expression or other symbol – refers. For example, in the sentence Mary saw me, the referent of the word Mary is the particular person called Mary who is being spoken of, while the referent of the word me is the person uttering the sentence.
In semiotics, connotation arises when the denotative relationship between a signifier and its signified is inadequate to serve the needs of the community. A second level of meanings is termed connotative. These meanings are not objective representations of the thing, but new usages produced by the language group.
Decoding, in semiotics, is the process of interpreting a message sent by an addresser (sender) to an addressee (receiver). The complementary process – creating a message for transmission to an addressee – is called encoding.
Encoding, in semiotics, is the process of creating a message for transmission by an addresser to an addressee. The complementary process – interpreting a message received from an addresser – is called decoding.
Semiotics of music videos is the observation of symbolism used within music videos.
Mizo literature is the literature written in Mizo ṭawng, the principal language of the Mizo peoples, which has both written and oral traditions. It has undergone a considerable change in the 20th century. The language developed mainly from the Lushai language, with significant influence from Pawi language, Paite language and Hmar language, especially at the literary level.
The Darlong people are a sub-tribe of Hmar,living in the state of Tripura, Mizoram, Assam India. The Darlong call themselves ‘hriam’ or ‘manmasi nauhai’. They constitute less than one percent of the population of Tripura.
The culture of the Mizo people has been heavily influenced by Christianity during the colonial era of the British Raj and the rise of Mizo nationalism with the Mizo Insurgency of 1966-1986. Mizo culture is rooted in the arts and ways of life of Mizos in India, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Mizo culture has developed in plurality with historical settlements and migrations starting from Southern China to the Shan states of Burma, the Kabaw valley and the state of Mizoram under the British and Indian administrations.
Mizo chieftainship refers to the system of chieftainship used by the Mizo people, which historically operated as a gerontocracy. The chieftain system persisted among the various clans and tribes from the precolonial era through to the British colonial period and Indian independence briefly. The Mizo Union advocated for abolishing chieftainship in Mizoram. The chieftainships of Mizoram were eventually disbanded with the Assam-Lushai District Act in 1954.
The Chhim leh Hmar Indo, or the War of the North and South, was a civil war in the Lushai chiefdoms, taking place between 1856 and 1859 and widely considered one of the bloodiest conflicts among the Mizo people. Centered on the Sailo chieftaincy, the conflict involved all of Mizoram’s tribes and major Lals (chiefs). This event led to the migration of Old Kuki people outside of the Lushai Hills to the Barak Valley and Hill Tippera.
All personal names in the Mizo language are unisex.
at the end of a Mizo name; an "a" denotes a male
while an "i" denotes a female.
Being the sovereign head of the village the chief and his immediate clans could often be distinguished by their names.
As such, the name Bawihluni signifies being a slave all her life.
Other Mizo names relatively significant in tracing the history and culture of the Mizos, among many other could be names with the word 'kap' like Kapkima, Kapliana, Kaphranga, Kapzawna, and the like. These names signified fame and reputation in the field of hunting. 'Kap' and 'kim' which could be literally translated as 'shoot' and 'everything' respectively, carried with it a proud tone that suggested that the father or the grandfather of the child was a skilled hunter who had hunted down different kinds of wild animals.
A literal translation of the word 'ral' in English is enemy, 'kap' is 'shoot' while 'zau' means wide. Taking the meaning of these words into context, the name Ralkapzauva symbolized the history of the father or the grandfather of the child who had probably encountered not just one enemy force but had fought far and wide outside Mizoram.
Distinctive names like Germanthanga, Japanchhawna, Ferenthanga were also coined after men who returned to Mizoram from the Second World War. These names simply suggested the presence of Mizo men in the war against Germany, Japan, and France during World War 2.
For example - H. Malsawma. "H" denotes the tribe, which can be Hnamte, Hmar, Hauhnar, etc. The second method of naming is by using one's tribe/clan name as a surname. In our example name of H. Malsawma, this becomes Malsawma Hnamte/Hmar/Hauhnar, etc. It should be remembered that Mizos do not have surnames as a rule.
hen names are abbreviated, it must be remembered that the affix denoting the gender cannot be left out when calling out to them or speaking with them
These endearments are also added to the names as can be seen in our example name - "Sawmte" or "Sawmpui" with "te" and "pui" being endearments.
These are titles denoting respect, usually given to older people or people of great stature.