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In this paper I would like to explain some of the theological factors emphasizing mainly on the Cross, inherent in the cultural practice of Zo (Chin) people in Myanmar. Zo primal religion is mostly understood as the worship of dawite (spirits) or nats. And the practice of worshiping or sacrificing of dawite has taken their ritual foundation and rooted deeply. Moreover, the ritual practices and their cultural traditions are mixed up with one another and sometimes they cannot be separated from each other.

This paper is going to expose the Zo cultural elements and practices, which are slightly similar to that of some Christian concepts mainly focusing on the sutpi tradition and they become the foundation for the Gospel. Then, the uniqueness of the cultural values of Zo people will be sensed by others.

Zomi (Zo people) Christians are enthusiastically engaged in mission that they constituted a Missionary Program in 1983. The partial fulfillment of this missionary movement the Churches erected crosses on the top of mountains in many areas because they fundamentally believed that they could prevail only through the Cross of Jesus alone. The evangelicals are more impressed with erecting the crosses on high mountains. Their purpose of the erection of the cross is to remind them of Jesus Christ’s redemptive work all the time. They seriously believed that the evil spirits are afraid of the sign of the cross. They nonverbally proclaimed that the land of the Zo (Chin) Hills belongs to Christ. Therefore, the Cross deeply influence their beliefs.

It is necessary to study the composition of Zomi typical house to discern the deep meaning of sutpi. Originally, there are four main posts carrying the roof of the house. All the upper ends of the rafters were hanged a strong root ledge called tungcih, which stretched all along the house roof. And this heavy tungcih, was supported by the posts commonly known as sut. Among the posts there is the chief or greatest post called sutpi.

The word sut means post and pi means huge or chief. Therefore, sutpi means ‘chief post’ or ‘chief pillar.’ In other word, sut can literary means ‘untie’ or ‘undo.’ To make the whole frame of the house firm, a middle beam called was spread across the length of the house and it was firmly tied to sutpi. When we view the sutpi from the floored verandah through the maindoor, it takes after a form of the cross.

Formerly, sutpi was known as gapkhuam, meaning the post of fine (punishment). Actually, gapkhuam was one that supported the main shelf above the fireplace, a bamboo post that was punched for hanging guards of liquids and their valuable goods. It became gapkhuam in this way: It was forbidden for the strangers to touch that particular post. If any stranger touched that post without any proper reason, it was negatively thought that he either wanted to steal the things on that post, or wanted to sleep with the woman host, or wanted to disgrace the post gapkhuam. Here forgiveness was unheard for breach of that discipline.

Ancient Zo people had a number of enemies. They are once known as ‘head-hunters’. Normally, a person who was never seen before was regarded as an enemy. The real enemy was the one whom a person has to avenge. Revenge was a must where the avenger could afford. But there was a saying, ‘Sutpom si lo’ (One that holds sut post lives) appeared in the social structure.

What does sutpom means? The word sutpom is a combination of two words, ‘sut’ and ‘pom’. Sut represents sutpi, and pom which means ‘hold’ or ‘embrace.’ Hence, the word sutpom means embrace-post. If an enemy ran into the house and embraced or held the sutpi because of fear or of repentance, he was not killed rather accept as a friend and became member of one’s community. This was the process of sutpom. Here, the way of forgiveness appeared in Zomi social community. Sutpi becomes the primary post to make the atonement among the people and it is essential to establish peace in the community.

In this sutpi discipline, the person who embrace the sutpi is the main character. It is a hard question to reply: ‘Who will be the sutpompa (post-embracer)?’ The sutpompa- the one who embrace the sutpi, is the one who sacrifice his life for others; he is the one who make a decision for his family or his community to spare his life as well. Therefore, the sutpompa does not represent himself but the whole community. In this way, sutpi, the foundation of the house became the atonement post in the community. This process reflected on the sacrificial event of Jesus Christ on the cross.

We understood that reconciliation is a process of bringing those who are enemies into harmony and unity. The process of embracing the sutpi makes the enmity subsides and builds a new bridge between the two communities.

The sutpi tradition has many similarities with the atonement work through the cross. Firstly, Jesus’ atonement dealt with humanity’s sin. It can be reflected that when the sutpompa dealt with his adversary his work may cover the humanity’s sin (the whole village or clan). Then, here, the atonement between the rumors of two communities is done. It cannot be possible with embracing the sutpi, the central post of the house.

When an enemy embraced or held the sutpi of a family, he was not disgraced but their relatives were called upon to discuss the future welfare of that enemy. In that discussion, after the saying, only the welfare person was discussed. And sacrifice should be made for the freedom of the man. To make reconciliation and to free the sutpompa (once enemy), a sacrificial victim was killed by the siampipa (priest) and the priest pronounced his sooth and let the blood of the victim fell or sprinkled upon the man. In this was of that family. It is wonderful and very important that even an enemy became a friend and a member of the family.

Christians understood the cross as the center and the foundation of the Christianity. If there is no Cross, the history of the Christianity would have not been interesting and the name Christianity would be no longer heard in this age as well. Moreover, without the cross, Christ’s work will not be completed or finished. When we proclaim the gospel we have no other source beside the cross and Christ. And finally, the death of Christ on the cross greatly changes the history of the world. And then, once the shameful and horrible cross became the hope of the world.

As we have stated in Zomi tradition, even though gapkhuam post ordered, ‘the person be punished’, at the same time, the sutpi post declared, ‘Let there be atonement’, in other words, ‘Let him be freed’. In this fact the sutpompa can made any atonement to his enmity whatever been happened between them.

When we take a look at the cross in the light of sutpi with the tradition backgrounds, one may develop a new perspective. This new understanding is concrete because it is firmly built upon the foundation of the tradition of sutpi. Understanding the meaning of the Christian Gospel through one’s culture makes the Gospel is rather rooted and relevant to its tribal culture. Then, the Gospel becomes a living and meaningful to the particular people.

After the influence of Christianity in Chin state, most of the traditional and cultural practices had been devalued and abolished. Even though the sutpi tradition is not a common tradition in this present time (21^st century), the value of their tradition is needed to redefine in the modern Zo people’s context. After the mid of 20^th century, the sutpi tradition is gradually disappeared. At the same time, the way of Christian life style begin and revenges and rivals become to disappear because of the Gospel of the Cross. This can be stated that the Gospel of the Cross has changed the history of once brutal Chin people to simple. The concepts changing from negative attitude to positive thought is the effect of taking the place of the old sutpi with the new sutpi – Cross. Hence, erecting a New Sutpi that is the cross in the place of sutpi (at the center of the house) would be the fulfillment of the will of God in Zomi. However, the idea of sutpi must keep maintain in the concept of Zo people for building the Kingdom of God.

To make a new interpretation of the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20) in Zomi context, it is not the corner but rather the central stone and Jesus Christ (cross) himself is the foundation of the house. More over, just erecting the Cross in the house may not have enough meaning, but rather to set in the center of our life, our family and society as the main foundation may be more meaningful.

It is not to abandon all the traditional elements but rather to investigate the cultural elements accurately and secrete out the positive elements from the negative elements. Finally, the positive cultural elements (eg. sutpi) will become the foundation for the Gospel (Cross) to take firmly rooted in Zo people. Now the cross of Christ become the new sutpi, which establish peace in their land.

THE HIDDEN TRUTH ABOUT SUTPI

Pu Khup Lyan, B.Com., Dip.Ed.
Asst. State Education Officer(Rtd)
Chin State

There was a Zomi tradition which was quite similar to the forgiveness through the cross of Christ in Christianity. This was connected with the posts of a Zomi typical house. In building a house in ancient days there were five posts erected from the ground reaching the roof top to support the main ledge on the roof. These posts were called ‘sut’ posts. The outer post and inner post were called ‘sutpi.’ The other three had different names. All the upper ends of the rafters were hanged on a strong roof ledge called ‘tungcih,’ about four feet in circumference, which stretched all along the house roof. This tungcih was supported by the ‘sut’ posts commonly called sutpi.

Inside the house, a master bed was placed near the sutpi post on which were hanged many important possessions such as necklace, waist-belt, sacred sling bad called sakhau, sword, spear, and so on.

The inner sutpi post was also called ‘gapkhuam’, meaning post of fine (punishment). Actually, gapkhuam was one that supported the main shelf above the fireplace, a bamboo post that was punched for hanging guards of liquids. It became gapkhuam in this way: It was forbidden for strangers to touch that particular post. If any stranger touched that post without any proper reason, it was negatively thought that he either wanted to steal the things on that post, or wanted to sleep with the woman host, or wanted to disgrace the owner of the house. Therefore, he was fined. Hence the post gapkhuam, post of fine (punishment). Forgiveness was unheard for breach of that discipline.

Ancient people had a number of enemies. Normally, a person who was never seen before was an enemy. The real enemy was the one whom a person had to avenge. Revenge was a must where the avenger could afford. But, there was a saying, “Sut pom silo” (one that holds sutpost lives). If an enemy ran into the house and held of the sutpost because of fear or of repentance, he was not killed. This was called the process ‘sut pom’ (holding of sutpi post).

When an enemy held sutpi post, he was not killed but rather close relatives were called upon to discuss the future welfare of that enemy. In that discussion, after the saying, only the welfare of that person was discussed. Sacrifice should be made for the freedom of the man. The process was in the following way.

The enemy was pulled out from the post and was covered with a big bamboo-threshing sieve. The idea was that the evil spirits would not see him. In ancient days, when people slept in the jungle, they slept inside a fishing net. By doing so the spirits of the jungle dared not do harm to them because they wee guarded by many eyes (i.e., holes of the net). In the same way the evil spirits dared not do any harm or could not see the person who was in the sieve.

After that the priest pronounced his sooth and let the blood (of pig, goat, dog, chicken, etc.) fall or sprinkled upon the man. In this way the enemy was cleansed. Then they opened the sieve and he was freed. He was no more an enemy but became a member of that family. He was not called a slave but ‘gual’ (friend). He was not only forgiven but he went and worked in the field together with the family, and ate with them. It is wonderful and very important that even an enemy became a friend and a member of the family. In forgiving and cleansing an enemy, the sprinkling of blood was quite similar to the biblical practice fulfilled in the shedding of blood of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.

‘Sutpi’ means the post that frees. This post was the strongest post in a Zomi house. To make the whole frame of the house firm, a middle beam called ‘vangkam’ was spread between the outer beams called ‘liangzawl.’ Vangkam beam crossed sutpi post to which it was firmly tied. If we look only at the sutpi post and the vangkam beam, the structure looks like a cross. Since days of the past, Zomi people used cross-like posts for freedom from guilt or from being killed.

In such a Zomi house, all the upper ends of the rafters were hanged on the tungcih ledge which was supported by the sutpi posts. All the lower ends of the rafters were placed on ‘liangzawl’ beams on both sides. These beams spread against the ‘vangkam’ beam that crossed and firmly tied to the sutpi post. Therefore, the sutpi post carried almost all the weights of the house. How important a sutpi post was!

In the freedom given by ‘sutpom’ (holding sutpi post), even in a murder case carried out intentionally, the person was forgiven. In the history of the people of Israel, only those who accidentally caused death were allowed in the city of refuge. Those who murdered intentionally, even though they caught hold of the horn of the temple, they were pulled out and were killed (Exo. 21:14). Regarding mercy freedom, holding of Israelite temple horn and Zomi traditional ‘sutpom’ were parallel. Some of today’s church buildings have spires or pinnacles that go high up towards the sky. Those pointed pieces are symbols of that which King David spoke of as “… my shield and the horn of my salvation, …” (2 Sam. 22:3). Those churches faithfully speak non-verbally, “Here is salvation (life).”

In the Zomi tradition, even though gapkhuam post ordered, “The person be punished,” the sutpi post by its grace decreed, “Let him be freed.” In this way God had put a truth among the Zomi people since ages past that there was forgiveness in the shadow of a cross-like sutpi post. Therefore, remembering that the Zomi people and sutpi cannot be separated, they should revive and erect their hidden sutpi posts. This ‘sutpi’ and the ‘sutpom’ tradition worth for interpretation and proclamation.

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