The name of this group is a composite of two closely related tribes: the Chen and Kayu. Although there are slight differences in culture and dialect between the two groups and they claim to have different origins, Chen and Kayu people today relate well together and freely intermarry. Some sources in India claim the Chen sub-tribe are a mixture of Konyak and Phom Naga people. Overall, approximately 200 tribes of Naga and Tangshang people occupy the Naga Hills and a large tract of territory across several states of northeast India and Myanmar.
Location: The 10,000 Chen-Kayu Naga people inhabit 13 villages on the Myanmar side of the border with India. Most villages are located in the Khamti District, with others spilling over into Lahe Township in the Naga Self-Administered Zone, which is situated within the densely forested Sagaing Region. Until a few decades ago the Chen-Kayu homeland was pristine, but gold mining in the Khamti area has polluted the river and turned it into a foul-smelling sewer. Many local people have been afflicted with cancer after eating fish from the now-toxic waterways.
Language: The Chen-Kayu language is part of the Tibeto-Burman family, but it differs from most Naga languages in that it is related to varieties of Northern Chin, suggesting historical links between the two ethnicities. The Kayu dialect is reportedly like the Chuyo and Gakat dialects of Tangshang. Although the Chen-Kayu language is used vigorously by all members of this tribe, many now can also speak Burmese.
Born to fight, the Chen-Kayu Nagas have waged war against every outside force during their history, including the British imperialists and the Japanese during the Second World War. Because of their strategic location along the volatile India-Myanmar border, the Burmese authorities have been active in the area since the 1960s. As a result, “The cruel treatment by the military that appointed itself as the safeguard of Burmese Buddhism became clear from the decades of exploitation of Naga people as the free labor for many army projects. There have been many reported cases of rape and torture.”
Chen-Kayu Naga men are renown as great warriors and hunters. Until recently, men who had slain a tiger were given facial tattoos to mark their bravery, while those who had cut off a tiger’s paws proudly boasted a tattoo of a tiger on their arms. After headhunting was outlawed, warriors collected monkey skulls instead of human heads. Those with dozens of trophies were considered the bravest men in the community, while young men who participated in a successful raid were considered the most eligible bachelors.
Apart from a small number of families who have doggedly held on to the animistic practices of their forefathers, almost all Chen-Kayu Naga people are professing Christians today. The faith has not been smooth-sailing for these believers, however, many of whom endured constant persecution at the hands of the Burmese military. In 2009, government soldiers tortured six people in Lahe Township for converting from animism to Christ, with two of them dying from the savage ordeal.
Because the Chen-Kayu language has never been reduced to writing, no part of the Bible exists in their language, and no Christian video or audio resources have ever been produced in a vernacular they can easily understand. Despite this, the large majority of this former headhunting tribe remain Christians, with at least one church fellowship in each of their 13 villages. Local pastors do their best to shepherd their flocks, with preachers and Bible teachers making occasional visits to the Chen-Kayu area to instruct and encourage the local leaders and to help them deal with problems in the church.
Scripture Prayers for the Naga Chen-Kayu in Myanmar (Burma).
| Profile Source: Asia Harvest Copyrighted © Used with permission |
