Kachin peoples

The Kachin peoples, 1.5 million of the northern hills, gather Jingpo, Zaiwa, Lashi, Maru, Rawang and Lisu under one name across Kachin State, Yunnan, Arunachal and Assam. Heterogeneous and overlapping in territory but not always in custom, they share hill rice, opium-poppy pasts, Baptist churches and the Kachin Independence Army's long war. Jingpho serves as the regional tongue. Gumlao republican villages and gumsa chiefly ones divide Kachin politics; manau victory dances stamp the festival grounds. Jade mines, timber trucks and war refugees mark the modern hills. Myitkyina markets, Laiza headquarters and the manau poles keep Kachin identity mustered though the tribes differ. Jingpo schools teach the regional tongue. Zaiwa, Lashi and Maru villages keep their own rites. Rawang and Lisu join the Kachin name loosely. Yunnan's Kachin farm the border valleys. Arunachal and Assam kin cross for festivals. Overlapping territories still spark land disputes. Heterogeneous tribes still elect one Kachin flag.