
Last modified: 2012-06-16 by ian macdonald
Keywords: india | maraland | mara thyulia py | evangelical church of maraland | 
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 image by Jaume Olle, 31 May 2012
 
   image by Jaume Olle, 31 May 2012
 The flag of the Mara people or Maraland (Saiha District, Mizoram).
Jaume Olle, 31 May 2012
Maraland is a homeland of Mara people divided by the border between India 
   (Mizoram) and Myanmar (Chin and Rakhine States).  There are @ 100 000 
   Maras: 
55 000 in Mizoram (India)
33 000 in Chin State (Myanmar)
9 
   000 in Rakhine State (Myanmar)
3 000 elsewhere
Their language is Mara, 
   a Chin-Kuki-Mizo language classified as Kuki-Chin-Naga sub-group under the 
   great Tibeto-Burman language family. (Wikipedia)
They always called 
   themselves "Mara", but the British, and then Indians, insisted on calling 
   them "Lakhers" until 1988 when the proper name returned. 
East 
   Maraland, in Myanmar, doesn't have any self-government. The Indian-held part 
   - West Maraland - forms the Mara Autonomous District Council (with capital in 
   Saiha) within State of Mizoram. Maras are 100 % 
   Christian and overwhelming majority belongs to the Evangelical Church of 
   Maraland. There are few Presbyterians and Baptists also. 
The active 
   political party there is MDF - Maraland Democratic Front (flag unknown, if 
   any).
 Chrystian Kretowicz, 19 April 2009
  
 image 
by Chrystian Kretowicz, 19 April 2009
 
image 
by Chrystian Kretowicz, 19 April 2009
The largest NGO of Maraland is Mara Thyulia Py = Mara Young Organization (or 
Association) headquartered in Saiha. This outfit has a flag: a horizontal 
bicolor with the eagle (or falcon) in flight, centered. My rendition of this 
flag is based on the image drawn by Jaume Ollé for Flag Report and the 
photograph of the actual flag. It is a possibility it is a "national" flag of 
Maraland, although it would be hard to prove.
 Chrystian Kretowicz, 19 April 2009
  
 image 
by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 3 
November 2010
 
image 
by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 3 
November 2010
Another flag which might be the base for 
Maraland "national" flag is the flag of the Evangelical Church of Maraland of 
which almost all devout and enthusiastic Maras are  the members. That 
flag is a horizontal triband of light blue, white and green with the church's
logo centered on the white band.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelical_Church_of_Maraland 
and flag at
http://saihaherald.wordpress.com/2009/02/26/emc-assembly-ei-86-pathao-haw/ 
Chrystian Kretowicz, 19 April 2009
  
 image 
by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 3 
November 2010
 
image 
by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 3 
November 2010
Flag based on description above, but as we don't have any evidence, hard or 
otherwise, could it be the Mara and Maraland don't actually have a flag?
 Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 3 
November 2010