About the Chin People and Chin State

There are seven states and seven regions in Myanmar and Chin state or Chinland is one of the states which located in the remote mountain ranges of north-western Myanmar (Burma). The ancestors of the Chins believed to be originated from the eastern Tibet and are an indigenous people of the Chinland. There are currently around 500,000 Chin people living in Chinland. More Chins live in other States within Myanmar, such as Arakan State, Sagaing, Magwe, Bago, Mandalay and Yangon Regions.

The Chins are united culturally, traditionally, geographically and religiously in spite of ethnically and dialectically diverse. There are more than 50 sub-tribal groups who are speaking different dialects among the Chins and more than 90 percent of them identified as Christian. Chin Christianity is the fruit of the Missionaries from American Baptist Church who came to Chinland in the late 1800s and the Chins practice Christianity for more than a century.

The Chins are uniquely rich in dialects, cultural and traditions. The Chin people are loving and caring and committed to support each other especially in times of sorrow, grieves and hardships as well as joyous occasions. Rice, meats and vegetables are our main food and we love to celebrate religious and cultural festivals such as Christmas, New Year, Easter, Chin National Day and Chin Harvest Festival.

Chin Churches and Communities in Australia

Hundreds of thousands of Chin people fled their birth country due to political conflicts and religious suppression in Myanmar. As a result, the Chin people disperse around the world and resettling in countries like Norway, Denmark, Germany, Ukraine, U.S.A, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The first trip of the Chins to Australia was around 2000s and more Chin refugees started to come to Australia from late 2004. Some resettled in Western Australia, some in South Australia, some in Queensland and some in Victoria. It is believed to be around ten thousand Chins living in Melbourne. There are around 30 Chin Churches in Melbourne and many more Chin Churches around the country. There are two main Chin communities in Melbourne; Melbourne Chin Community (Western) and Australian Chin Community in eastern suburbs.