Although the Haqkhun are considered part of the official Tangshang and Tangsa groups in Myanmar and India today, one researcher noted: “Although culturally and linguistically they are very close to the Nocte group, every Haqkhun we asked told us that they now consider themselves to be Tangsa and not Nocte.” No effort was made to identify the many Tangshang and Tangsa tribes and languages during the British era, partly because officials were too terrified to enter the territory because of the tribes’ fearsome reputation as headhunters.
Location: Nanyun, in northwest Myanmar’s Sagaing Region, is home to over 2,000 members of the Haqkhun tribe, who reside in their own villages as well as in mixed communities with other Tangshang people. The name of this group, Haqkhun, employs the spelling used in Myanmar. Approximately 1,000 Haqkhun people also live on the Indian side of the border,1 where they are called “Hakhun” or “Gakhun.” They first arrived in India only in the mid-20th century and are still migrating there today. When asked his thoughts as more families arrived from Myanmar, a Haqkhun man in India replied: “They are part of my family. I have to help them when they are in need. The conditions in Myanmar are so difficult that it is becoming almost impossible for them to continue to live there.”
Language: In 2012, a team of linguists surveyed 260 Haqkhun people in Nanyun, concluding that their vernacular was related to three other dialects: Bote, Haqkhu, and Lama. Although there are vocabulary differences among these varieties, their similarities offered hope that a common orthography may one day be developed to benefit all four of the tribes.
Little is known about the history of the Tangshang due to their lack of a written language that may have recorded their journey. Although they converted to Christianity a few generations ago, vice and violence continue to plague their communities, with a villager in India lamenting: “As long as the Haqkhun continue to smoke opium, drink rice-beer, shelter insurgents, and resort to illegal means of making money, there is no way forward. Children are not interested in education as they see their parents earning a lot even though they are uneducated. Easy money coming in from so many illegal sources has already ruined the village completely.”
In the past the Haqkhun celebrated 12 festivals, one for each month of the year. Concerted efforts have been made by Haqkhun Christians in India to retain their tribal traditions without compromising their faith. After a new festival was launched at Malugaon village, a leader rejoiced, “Nobody had heard of the Haqkhun, not even the other Tangsa groups, till we began to celebrate this festival. Now at least the Haqkhun are known within Tangsa society.” A rare video of Haqkhun people celebrating their Mwe festival with dancing and singing was posted on the internet in 2012, showing the men in their traditional attire with each carrying his gun. Another video shows a Haqkhun wedding ceremony.
Animism was practiced by the Tangshang and Naga tribes of Myanmar for centuries, but the Gospel swept through the region, with almost the entire tribe converting to Christ in the 1970s and 1980s. Today, all but a small number of Haqkhun people are professing Christians.
In 2009, a Haqkhun woman in India said: “Becoming Baptists is the best thing that has happened to us. The men have stopped wasting their time and money drinking rice-beer and smoking opium. We don’t have to spend money on sacrificing animals every time someone is sick. The church has brought us all together and has given us a platform to become better people, and to take responsibility and to share our concern for others. Before we were like animals, only caring for ourselves: killing each other, going to war, and sacrificing even human beings.”
Scripture Prayers for the Haqkhun in Myanmar (Burma).
| Profile Source: Asia Harvest |
