A religion establishes bonds between members of a community, facilitates cooperation and communicates common norms, and introduces mechanisms to ensure that good behavior is enforced. The Mizo social system is based on a tradition of trusteeship, truthfulness, and integrity. Historically, the Mizo religion is similar to other tribal ethnic religions that also practice ritual sacrifices and ceremonies. Religious beliefs and practices are tightly intertwined in their social lives. The introduction of British rule in Mizoram had a significant impact on the lives of the Mizo people. The British administration contributed positively to the Mizo people by introducing a modern approach to Mizo society and paving the way for the arrival of Christian missionaries. Meanwhile, Max Weber (1864-1920), a German sociologist and administrative thinker, believed that Protestantism precipitated social change. Therefore, this paper attempts to highlight the historical transition of Mizo Society from traditional society to modern civilized society and it will analyze the validation of Max Weber Protestantism ethics on the influence of early protestant missionaries in Mizoram.
The role of religion is to shape people's values, which have a direct impact on how they act and how their societies operate. Human decision action and attitude should always be used to explain all social phenomena and the function of all social institutions. Social capital and culture are strongly related to religion. A religion establishes bonds between members of a community, facilitates cooperation and communicates common norms, and introduces mechanisms to ensure that good behavior is enforced. There is a fundamental characteristic that unites all forms of religions: They stipulate rules of behavior or practices that constrain their followers to different degrees. The first trade-off is that religious practices entail time and resources that are unavailable for production due to their demands. The second implication is that they could directly affect productivity, such as by limiting social interaction with nonbelievers or imposing dietary restrictions. The third implication is that they may shape beliefs and values that affect economic decisions. This paper is an attempt to analyze the relevance of the Protestant Ethics advocated by Webber in the eradication of the traditional system and the rise of the contemporary system in the Mizo community.
The Mizo social system is based on a tradition of trusteeship, truthfulness, and integrity. Society was centered around the village, but constant feuds and wars with the neighboring village compelled them to build a large settlement. The traditional Mizo village would typically be situated on a hill with a good view of the surroundings as well as a good position for monitoring the activities of the enemies. A general pattern of social organization and culture was maintained in each village, though it differed in its structural structure from that of other villages [2]. States were self-governing, self-contained, and responsible for their economics. A new forest hillside was selected every year for cultivation by the village within its territory. Every family in the village had a share of this cultivation site, and the same hillside would rarely be cultivated for some years between farming cycles. Since farming has been shifting every year, the forest area in the village has been exhausted, so the entire village moved to another location. This indicates a semi-nomadic way of life for the Mizo people. It generally worked well and ensured primitive community requisites in an independent and self-determining way. However, this non-nomadic lifestyle did not support the development of a large and complex society [3]. Until the year 1890, the village settlement had occupied its territory for not more than three or four years. With their practice of Jhuming cultivation, the Mizos have a culture that is intrinsically woven. Activities that revolve around the Jhum operation and their festival are all related to agricultural operations in some way. Festivals are associated with the various stages of their changing cultivation. Until the arrival of the British, each village in Mizoram used to be its own unit governed by a chief joined by a council of elders and priests. Decisions were typically made by consensus by this council, which met in the chief's house. Strong warriors influenced the decision-making of the chief and his council to a considerable extent. Though British India abolished Mizoram's chieftainship in 1955, the old village council formed the basis for the organization of local democracy.
Traditional Mizo Beliefs System
In the Mizo language, the word religion is called "sakhua", which is a combination of two words, "sa" and "khua". "Sa" is the progenitor and creator of tribe, clan, or race; "khua" is the protector of human beings [4]. Thus, Sakhua was the family or clan god. Traditionally, Mizo males adopted their family religion. It was considered that women did not have their own sakhua; it was her parents' or husband's sakhua that determined her welfare and existence. Children followed the sakhua of their fathers. The man might choose to embrace the sakhua of another clan after performing a certain ceremony, but he had to sever all ties to his relatives or clans after this. Historically, the Mizo religion is similar to other tribal ethnic religions that also practice ritual sacrifices and ceremonies. Religious beliefs and practices are tightly intertwined in their social lives. As per their old religious beliefs, the Mizo believe in one omnipotent, omnipresent, and supreme being. This being is known as Pu Vana or Pathian and he created the entire universe. He is a good God who never harms humans because he is benevolent and compassionate. Sacrifices were therefore offered to him not to appease but to invoke blessing, grace, and favor from him [3]. In the Mizo society, there was a strong sense of community, which drove them to prioritize their community's needs over their own. Ultimately the Mizo identified himself or herself with the community and the village community became their own identity [5]. Consequently, a number of large religious sacrifices were made every year in order to appease spirits, protect against beasts, and bless crop cultivation.
There was a strong belief in the existence of life after death among the Mizos. Early Mizo society believed that dead people had two different places to go to after they died. One was called the village of the dead or Mithi Khua, which was a dull, shadowy place with everything on a much lesser scale than in the present world, and the other was called the paradise, where they would stay forever enjoying all the good things there for free. Actions in this world greatly determine the soul's status after death. A large majority of people went to the village of death and a small group of selected people, such as those who performed a series of costly feasts, young children who died in infancy, and virgins. As a result, only the well-off and rich were entitled to go to paradise and the poor to die in the village of death. Consequently, the traditional beliefs system of the Mizo religion was materialistic in nature rather than encouraging people to carry out good deeds during their lifetimes.
Concept and Origin of Protestanism
During the early 16th century in northern Europe, Protestantism arose as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices. In Christianity, Protestantism occupied a prominent position along with Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. The movement spread throughout the world after a series of European religious wars in the 16th and 17th centuries, especially in the 19th century. In every part of the world where Protestantism has gained a foothold, it has impacted the social, economic, political, and cultural life of the region . The name Protestant first appeared at the Diet of Speyer in 1529, when the Roman Catholic emperor of Germany, Charles V, rescinded the provision of the Diet of Speyer in 1526 that had allowed each ruler to choose whether to administer the Edict of Worms (which banned Martin Luther’s writings and declared him a heretic and an enemy of the state). 14 German cities and six Lutheran princes read a protest against the decision on April 19, 1529. They said the majority decision was not binding on them since they were not a part of it and that if forced to choose, they must obey God. Both the general counsel of the entire church and the synod of the German nation were invoked. They became known to their opponents as Protestants, a label that eventually became applied to all those who followed the Reformation's tenets, especially those living outside Germany.
Weber Theory of Protestant Ethics
Max Weber, a German sociologist and administrative thinker, believed that Protestantism precipitated the social change. Weber observed that, in countries such as the Netherlands, England, Scotland, and Germany, the entrepreneurial leaders and owners of capital, as well as the higher grade of skilled workers were overwhelmingly Protestant. By reversing the traditional anti-materialistic Christian values of poverty, he claims the Protestant work ethic influenced capitalism. In Weber's view, certain kinds of Protestantism motivate believers to work hard, be successful, and not waste their profits on frivolous items. As a result, material wealth was no longer seen as a sign of sin, but as a sign of God's favor.
Max Weber posited that Protestant values of hard work and savings were more likely than Catholic values to be conducive to capitalism in Europe of his time. Through a study of Calvinism, he demonstrated that Protestant values helped shape capitalism and the modern world order. In Catholicism, Weber observed that emphasis is placed on community, while in Protestantism, it is placed on individual achievement. Among Weber's best-known works is "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism", published in 1904. He noted that the leaders and owners of capital, the skilled laborers, and most technically and commercially trained personnel in modern industrial societies were overwhelmingly Protestant. In addition to this, he discussed the uneven development of capitalism in Europe, in particular how capitalism developed first in places where Protestants were a majority. In contrast to traditional Catholic teaching that poverty was a virtue and work merely a means for maintaining oneself and one's community, the Protestant sects began to see hard, continuous work as a spiritual end in itself. Hard work was first, and foremost, an ascetic technique of worldly renunciation and defense against temptations and distractions: the unclean life, sexual temptations, and religious doubts. In addition, Protestants believed that God's disposition toward the individual was predetermined and that traditional Christian practices, such as confessions, penances, and buying indulgences, could never influence God's disposition toward the person. However, each person's chosen profession was a "calling" granted by God, and to receive good fortune in one's chosen occupation was the only indication of God's favor or acknowledgment in this world. Thus, accumulating wealth and succeeding in the material realm through hard work and prudent spending were regarded as signs of grace. In Weber's view, the ethic, or way of life, that evolved around these beliefs created the conditions for both an industrious and disciplined workforce as well as the accumulation of capital.
According to Weber, the development of capital follows an idealistic explanation, as opposed to Marx's historical materialist theory. Rather than the concrete organization and class struggles of the economic structure, it is an element of cultural belief that leads to social transformation. Weber's work, in fact, can be seen as building on Marx's ideas and as resonating with broader discussions of rationalization. Strangely, the West has modernized and developed modern science, industry, and democracy while the Orient, the Indian subcontinent, and the Middle East traditionally have been technologically, scientifically, and culture-wise more advanced than the West during many centuries? Weber argued that the modern forms of society developed in the West because of the process of rationalization: the general tendency of modern institutions and most areas of life to be transformed by the application of an instrument like rational bureaucratic organization, calculation, and technical reason, and the overcoming of “magical” thinking. With the removal of impediments to rationalization, organizations and institutions restructured based on maximum efficiency and specialization, and older, traditional (inefficient) types of organizations were gradually eliminated. A major irony of the Protestant ethic was the fact that the rationalization of capitalist business practices and labor unions eventually undermined its religious goals.
The Early Protestant Christian Missionaries in Mizoram and Socio-Economic Change
The introduction of British rule in Mizoram had a significant impact on the lives of the Mizo people. The British administration contributed positively to the Mizo people by introducing a modern approach to Mizo society and paving the way for the arrival of Christian missionaries. William Williams, a Welsh missionary who worked in the Khasi Hills, was the first missionary to set foot in Mizoram. The Mizo people intrigued him after he saw a number of Mizo leaders in the British jail in Sylhet. In March 1891, he and his friends from different backgrounds arrived in Mizoram. Williams wrote the Welsh Mission's Home Board after he returned to Khasi Hills, in an appeal to start work in Mizoram. In response to the appeal and with the recommendation of the Working Committee, the assembly of June, 1892 resolved to make Lushai Hills (Mizoram) the field for missionary operations. In the aftermath of William Williams' sudden death in 1892, the Mission Board was unable to immediately begin mission work in Mizoram because of difficulties obtaining another missionary as well as financial restraints. In 1893, the Arthington Aborigines Mission took advantage of the end of the government's prohibition to make their way to Mizoram without being aware of the Welsh Mission Board's plans. J. Herbert Lorrain and Frederick W. Savidge were sent to the Lushai Hills as missionaries. They arrived at Aizawl, Mizoram on the 4th of January, 1894 after traveling through Silchar. In contrast with other white soldiers, these men arrived unarmed and with their own baggage, as they found no coolies to carry their baggage for them. Col. G.H. Lock, who was the superintendent of the Lushai Hills, helped them select a site for their house. In the Lushai Hills, they were rather brief as Mr. Arthington strongly recommended that after a few fellow believers were gathered in a tribe, the missionaries should head to unreached regions [6]. In order to learn the Mizo language before they left for another country, they pleaded for Welsh missionaries to be sent immediately.
The request of J.H Lorrain and F.W. Savidge was answered by the Welsh Calvinistic Mission which sent its first missionary D.E. Jones, who arrived on 31st August 1897. Lorrain and Savidge had sown the seeds of the Mizo transformation within four years of ministry. To begin with, they used the Roman alphabet to translate the Mizo language into writing. Secondly, on 1st April, 1894, they established the first formal school in Mizoram; thirdly, they began translating Luke, John, and Acts into Mizo; fourthly, they had seven Christian songs translated from English and composed by themselves and finally, the first Mizo Primer was completed on 22nd October, 1895 [1]. In December of 1898, another Welsh missionary, Edwin Rowlands, went to Mizoram to help D.E. Jones. In their different manners and abilities, they balanced each other's deficiencies and improved each other's performance [7]. Within a short period of time, the two missionaries gained the trust of the Mizo people, who started calling them "zosap," which means "white people of Mizo descent.". The British officers were supporting the mission work at the time, and although the natives wanted the officers and their sepoys to leave, they welcomed the missionaries and their shops. Accordingly, there was mutual trust and acceptance among the Mizo regarding the works of Christian missionaries.
The traditional Mizo society had indigenous methods of educating and instructing its young before the advent of modern education brought in by foreign missionaries. Folktales and proverbs were vital components of indigenous education. They transferred knowledge and values to future generations. In traditional Mizo society, every village and cluster of villages has a dormitory for bachelors called the Zawlbuk. By using the Zawlbuk, young boys could be formed into responsible adults who could be educated in social norms and ways of life, thereby ensuring a healthy and peaceful social environment At the start of Christian missionary activities in Mizoram, Zawlbuk were extensively used for teaching and preaching.
Abolition of Traditional Social Institution
In the Mizo society, members of the new elites including missionaries, teachers, and other church workers, as well as government servants saw the need to update and update the Mizo traditional ways of life, and thus abolish the zawlbuk institution. Additionally, 2000 Lushai Labour Corps members went to France during World War I and returned enlightened and changed in their outlook. They also supported the abolition of Zawlbuk. The Mizo people were introduced to the new economy because these people brought money with them. One of the reasons for the end of the zawlbuk was the introduction of the monetary wealth system [8]. In Mizo society, the abolition of zawlbuk can therefore be attributed to modernization based on Christianity. Introducing formal education by the government and Christian missions may have also contributed to the abolition of the zawlbuk. J.M. Lloyd also agrees with the introduction of education as the primary reason for abolishing the zawlbuk [7].
Transformation of Economic Activities
During Colonial times, jhumming was a major part of the Mizo economy. As the backbone of the society, it was the sole source of survival, and around this activity were entwined their customs, cultures, measurements of time, quantity, and distance. The Mizo of the indigenous society did not have any knowledge of modern trade. The Bengali and Chakma traders used to collect rubber and barter it for salt. As the colonial period began, the Mizo people's attitude toward whites was pessimistic. The two pioneering missionaries found no help in building their houses or in any other activity. As a result, the Superintendent ordered that all shopkeepers do not sell salt without permission from the missionaries. Then, only when the Mizo’s thought that the two missionaries were powerful to control even shops, they were able to find Mizo people to help them in their work [9]. The missionaries can then interact with the native people's economic activities from the beginning of their arrival in Mizoram. Developing bazaars in the border areas ignited the idea of trade in the minds of the Mizo. A Bengali trader in Bepari Bazar near Sairang was the first trader after the British invasion in 1872. The two well-known trade markets were Bepari bazaar in the north and Kassalong in the south on the Chittagong border. The traders were welcomed by the Mizoram people as friends as they supplied them with sulphur, gunpowder, and flint-glass which were important to the Mizoram armaments. Capt. T.H. Lewin encouraged the establishment of trade marts in the foothills of Mizoram after 1874. Thus, several of these establishments were established in the state. The popular trade marts or bazaars in the north were
Tipaimukh bazaar at the confluence of Barak and Tuipui or Tuivai river
Sonai bazaar or Lushai hat on the Tuirial or Sonai river
Changsil formerly known as Bepari bazaar on the Tlawng or Dhaleswari river. At the recommendation of Capt. T.H. Lewin, who was the Deputy Commissioner of the Chittagong Hill Tracts at the time, an additional bazaar was set up at Demagiri or Tlabung in 1873. There were only 2 shops in Lunglei in 1914. To collect household taxes, the colonial state encouraged people to stop bartering and to switch to monetary exchange. By taking advantage of the cash economy, the Mizo was able to explore new trade routes in Kachin. There were only 91 shops in Mizoram in 1922. However, within a short span of time, the Mizo people witness a significant improvement in their economic system. With the patronage and encouragement of western protestant missionaries a trade profession and other means of honest and truthful income activities rather than relying only on jhumming was popularised. Using mass education and printing, Protestant missionaries converted people, and other religious groups copied their methods to minimize conversions. The churches helped a mass movement, fought slavery and forced labor, and supported indigenous land rights. Demonstration, printing, civil society, and colonial reforms carried out by protestant missionaries helped Mizo society achieve economic growth and democracy [10]
The protestant missionaries greatly affect economic decision-making by establishing social standards and shaping individual personalities. They cultivated weber's theory of Protestantism ethic such as the spirit of modern development, hardworking behavior, and material grace from God. Thus, Christian preaching after post-colonial Mizoram naturally and efficiently cultivates the human capital necessary for a thriving economy. With similar views of weber's ideology on the influence of Protestantism in economic development, the protestant first settlement location in Mizoram such as Aizawl and Lunglei were the most developed area in Mizoram today. The early protestant missionaries have brought three important economic faced in the Mizo society, firstly, it encourages competition among market participants, secondly, it encourages the government to honor and defend property rights, peace, and stability, and it helps the Mizo people enlightenment in the socio-economic field so that they can channel the force of competition, property rights, peace and stability for nurturing and sharing.
Present Status of Mizoram Economy Based on Economics and Statistic Report 2020-2021
Max Weber's theory of Protestantism ethics has so far proved to be true when we look at the economic conditions of Mizoram despite twenty years of insurgency (1966-1986) which halted all the economic development of the state. The church and its social capital who also held an important position in the business as well as government institutions played a very important role in the development of the State.
State industries enjoy a unique location advantage. As a border state between Myanmar and Bangladesh, Mizoram is a major gateway to Southeast Asian countries for foreign trade. Over the last decade, trade facilitation has improved as road, rail, and air connections have improved and trade routes have been established with neighboring countries. Mizoram has 3,267 square kilometers of bamboo forests. There is an estimated growing stock of 25.26 million metric tonnes (MMT) of 35 varieties of bamboo in the state. Natural resources can be exploited commercially in this region for export-oriented industries of immense potential. The climatic conditions in the state provide a conducive breeding ground for the commercial exploitation of all kinds of silkworms. Sericulture remains one of the state's key industries. 104 metric tonnes of raw silk were produced in Mizoram in 2019-20.
It is possible to generate hydropower in the state of Mizoram in the amount of 4,500 megawatts (MW). By April 2021, Mizoram's installed power-generation capacity was 207.45 MW, which included hydropower (97.94 MW), thermal power (71.5 MW), and renewable energy sources (38.0 MW). Mizoram has a highly literate workforce with a literacy rate of 91.33%. The Mizo workforce has an advantage because of their English proficiency. Trade facilitation has improved significantly over the last decade through improved rail, road, and air connectivity, as well as improved trade routes with neighboring countries. In Mizoram, the cumulative inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) was US$ 116 million between April 2000 and March 2019 and US$ 6 million during H1FY20, per the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
A budget of Rs. 70 million (US$ 0.95 million) was allocated to implement the 'National Bamboo Mission in Mizoram in the Financial Year 2021. The bamboo, sericulture, tourism, agro-products, and agro-processing sectors of the economy are supported in part by natural resources, climate conditions, and other incentives within the state. In 2019, to promote brotherhood among Mizos across the globe, the State Government allocated Rs. 1 crore (US$ 0.14 million) to organize unity festivals. Total horticulture production in Mizoram was 638.95 thousand metric tonnes as per 3rd advance estimates 2019-20. In FY20, the state produced 344.91 thousand tonnes of fruits under an area of 63.77 thousand hectares. Similarly, 101.49 thousand tonnes of spices were produced in the state under an area of 28.22 thousand hectares in the Financial Year 2020.
Fish farming can be conducted in 24000 hectares of Mizoram. Only 5,477 hectares out of this were developed as ponds and tanks until 2018-19. As of this year, state fisheries produced 7,230 MT. Known for its rolling hills, rivers that cut through them, and lakes interspersed throughout, Mizoram is a tourist's paradise. According to the state's Tourism Bureau, 249 foreign tourists visited in 2019 and 1,53,762 domestic tourists visited the state. Under the Swadesh Darshan scheme, the Union Minister of State for Tourism, Mr. Prahlad Singh Patel, is set to inaugurate the ‘Thenzawl Golf Resort’ project in Mizoram in August 2020.
All economic agents are human. Workers are human, firms are owned, managed, and staffed by a human. Financial institutions are funded by humans, managed by humans, and invested in humans. Thus, human dignity played a very important role in the success of socio-economic advancement. The important contribution of Christianity in Mizo society is a formalized structure in which humans help one another connect with God. Meanwhile, missionaries were an important factor in promoting economic change. Despite the negative stereotypes about missionaries, they have effectively improved health, education, economic development, and political representation in Mizoram.
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