‘ZO’ Etymon — Decoded!josephsuantak

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Oct 27, 2011, 9:15:16 AM10/27/11
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‘ZO’ Etymon — Decoded!josephsuantak
[A Reasoning Beyond Fertile Local Theories & Ethno-Geo-Politics]
By Dr Joseph Suantak, Tuibuang Bazar, Ccpur. e-mail: joseph...@yahoo.in
[Based on his yet to be published manuscript ‘Chin+Kuki+Zo Genesis & Exodus’]

To this day, some of us [CKZs] strongly suggested that this term ‘ZO’ has its root in the Chinese or Tibetan culture. And in view of that, research students, scholars, historians, &c among us tendered the Sino-Tibetan [ST] names and terms such as Dso/Dsho/Dzo/Dzho, Cho/Chou, Jo/Jou, Shao/So/Sho/Shou, Yao, Zhao/Zhou/Zho/Zo, etc time and again and treated them as if its mother-terms. Of course, admittedly, it almost becomes the general consensus and fashion. Further, some pointed out even ‘Jokhang’ Temple in Lhasa, in present day [a]Tibet [Sikang]. But, the term signifies ‘Big Temple’.

Image.1: Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet.

a-jokhang
To the Tibetans, Jokhang of Lhasa is the most holy site in Tibet. It was built only in 639CE by the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo [the 33rd Tsenpo king], to receive the golden statue of Buddha which his Nepali spouse brought as a dowry as well as various holy writings. And again, it would be worthwhile to mention — if not my eyes were deceiving me — there is no chronology of a Pu Zou/Zo or Pu Jo/Jou king in Tibet circa 2000BC; even throughout the historical pages of the Tibetans.

Based on my recent investigation and observation the term doesn’t seem to have emerged neither from the Chinese, Tibetan nor from any Sino-Tibeto-Burman [STB] ethnic group found today in the now India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, etc whose cultures rather stem out from us [Chin+Kuki+Zo] only in ca 10kyaBP [see Image.5 ‘Map’; also, Joseph Suantak’s “Khulmi? Chhinlung, Hurpi, Khol, Khul, Khur, Sinlung” (Under publication, to be released within 2011)]. Sure, from comparative critical study of its related terms, the ‘ZO’ [or related terms/words/names] of the CKZs and the STBs have no relation in origin and usage. For instances, the Tibetan Dso, Dzo, Dzho, Zo, Zho is merely the name of a hybrid of yak and domestic cattle/cow [see Image.2].

The word dzo technically refers to a male hybrid, while a female is known as a dzomo or zhom. Alternative Romanizations of the Tibetan names include zho and zo. Another Tibetan family, the present Balti language or Balti form of Tibetan language spoken in the whole of Baltistan also used “bZo”; and the Ladakhi used “Zo” to mean the same [Cross breed of Yak and Cow]. Again, ‘Zo’ in Ordinary Balti, and in Ladakhi = Eat [The Balti Language- by Syed Muhamad Abbas Kazmi]. In the proper Tibetan the term ‘so’ = Tooth. And ‘Tso/Tsho’ & ‘Co’ = lakes/high-altitude lakes.

From cultural and lingual point of view, it is not likely that our ancestor must have simply adopted these Tibetan terms that merely denote “eating”, “tooth”, “lake” and a domesticated animal name as their primal collective designation. Yet, another terms in Tibetan — ‘Cho’ refers to ‘sentient being’ and, ‘Cho-Cho’ mean ‘brother’. Compared to the other terms, this Tibetan “CHO” for “sentient being” or “brother” is most impressive and convincing to pick as from where the CKZ’s “ZO” have been evolved; if one is adamantly inclined to find it in the Tibetan culture.

Image.2: Tibetan “Zo” with a laden back. Who’d say it’s my ancestor?

a-zotibetan
In Chinese [Pinyin/Wade/Mandarin], the word or term Romanized as ‘Zhou’ means ‘state, district, continent, thoughtful, broom, universe, boat, etc’. And the term ‘Zhao’ refers to ‘omen, sign, quest, seek, look for, attract, tease, trick, license, photograph, reflect, shine, claw, armature, cover, call together, summon, natural pond, clear, obvious, cause, commence, initiate, etc.’ ‘Yao’ means ‘gnaw at, bite at, bite/gnaw, shake, sway, kiln, stove, waist, middle, drug, medicine, healer, invite, solicit, want/need, evil spirit, bewitching, demon, boast, dazzle, shine, ballad, hearsay, rumour, distant, remote, etc’. ‘Chou’ means ‘uglily, enemy/enmity, anxious/worry, take out, arable fields/farmland, kind, division, class, dense/thick, prepare, chip, silk, hesitate/waver, fulfil, reward, etc’. ‘Chao’ refers to ‘quarrel/squabble, copy, search, tide, upsurge, stir-fry/fry, exceed, go beyond, bank note/paper money, put down/suppress, den of robbers, etc’. ‘Shao’ means ‘sentry post, whistle, take along, end/tip, burn/cremation, grill/bake, cook, a bit/ a little/a trifle, spoon, carry on/continue/go on/keep on, rudder/stern, admirable, urge, etc’ [Ref:words-chinese.com]. Now, it becomes quite confusing to point out from which one of the terms CKZ’s “ZO” might have been developed. However, if one is still tempted and convinced to point the direction of China and Tibet as from where the CKZs’ “ZO” originated, the Tibetan term ‘Cho’ is quite preferable rather than the Chinese terms, which have a number of perplexing interpretations and phonologies.

On the other hand, from the words of Jean-Pierre Dutilleux: “In the state of Para, Northern Brazil, in one of the last still largely unexplored rainforests in the world, a new tribe, the Zoe, was recently contacted. They live between the Amazon River and the country of Suriname. The Zoe is part of the Tupi linguistic group. Little is known about them. They are semi-nomadic hunters and gatherers. Their favorite prey is monkey, which is plentiful in the region during the dry season. During the rainy season, the Zo'e people rely on a root plant called manioc, which must be processed into flour to avoid its poisonous properties” [jpdutilleux.com].

Image.3: South America “Zo’e” woman and her children.

a-zoewoman
This Zo'é Tribe (also known as Zo'é or the Marrying tribe), according to another source, are a native tribe in the State of Pará, Municipality of Óbidos, on the Cuminapanema River, Brazil. They are a Tupi–Guarani people. They are also known as the Poturu, Poturujara, or Buré. The term "Zo'é" means "us". Despite the closeness of the names/terms “Zo” and “Zo’e”, culturally they are quite contrasting and thus they rather seem not to have shared a single gene thread. This Zo'e people wear the poturu, a wooden plug piercing the bottom lip [see image no.3]. And they have a tradition where new fathers have the backs of their calves cut with the 'tooth of a small rodent'. Usually one woman has several husbands, one or more of whom may be "learning husbands"; young men learning how to be good spouses, in exchange for hunting for the rest of the family. Sarcastically, when a girl is married off she became the “training-ground” or “carnal-property” of the unattached adult males in the community. And excuse me; they are still adorned in what we termed “Adam & Evi sût”, in our local parlances.

What this study wants to point out is that, the term ‘ZO’ is not an uncommon word/term/name even to other ethnic groups in this Global village. And that, based on African traditions and the recent research findings of world renowned social scientists, the term rather seems to have been brought from Africa, the Cradle of Humankind, by the proto-CKZs, who are the pre-Dravidians [Indo-Mongoloids]/earliest modern humans in the prehistoric period of present day India, Myanmar and Bangladesh; whom I believed to be the ancestors of all STB people [Joseph Suantak: “Khulmi?...”].

‘The first study, published in Science [April 15, 2011] by Dr Quentin Atkinson, provides strong evidence for Africa as the birthplace of human language. An analysis of languages from around the world suggests that, like our genes, human speech originated — just once — in sub-Saharan Africa. Atkinson studied the phonemes, or the perceptually distinct units of sound that differentiate words, used in 504 human languages today and found that the number of phonemes is highest in Africa and decreases with increasing distance from Africa. The fewest phonemes are found in South America and on tropical islands in the Pacific Ocean. This pattern fits a "serial founder effect" model in which small populations on the edge of an expansion progressively lose diversity. Dr Atkinson notes that this pattern of phoneme usage around the world mirrors the pattern of human genetic diversity, which also declined as humans expanded their range from Africa to colonise other regions’ [popular-archaeology.com/issue/april-2011|&|sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04].

According to Dr Atkinson, the origin of modern languages predated the “Out of Africa” 50-70KYABP and that modern language, akin to languages spoken today, may thus have been the key cultural innovation that allowed the emergence of these and other hallmarks of behavioral modernity and ultimately led to our colonization of the globe. Dating in this new finding [or study] is quite similar to my earlier article entitled “Hypothesis on the evolution of modern human language [with special reference to Chin+Kuki+Zo tongue]”, in which I have marked ~1.0MyaBP to 60kyaBP as the period “First/Initial stage” in the evolution of human language.

Whereas one version contends that ‘Zo’ or ‘Yo’ as the collective designation of only ‘all clans and families belonging to the tribes who call their chief Topa’ [SingKhawKhai, 1995: 22]; all the CKZ families/clans who speak in Lusei, particularly in the erstwhile Lushai Hills called themselves Mizo since the mid-20thc.CE but in the past the Lusei family used to called themselves “Seifa-(te/ten)” [children of Lusei] in their ancient librettos. Yet, it is strange to find another particular CKZ sept by the name “Zou/Zo” [recognised as Scheduled Tribe in India] and speak a separate “Zou” dialect since time immemorial. “In terms of its connotation, though it might not be what it originally signifies, the word ‘Zou’ or ‘Zo’ but not ‘Zhou’, ‘Zhao’, ‘Chou’, ‘Sho’, ‘Yo’ or ‘Yao’ is a common term to all the collaterals [Chin+Kuki+Zo] to mean ‘victorious’, ‘achieved’, ‘remote’, ‘highland’, ‘the cold region’, ‘blue mountain’ or ‘deeply forested hill ranges’”[Joseph Suantak: “Khulmi?...”].

Whatsoever be its interpretation and concepts on this term to the CKZs; as already stated, further research/investigation led me to suppose that ‘Zo’ originated from Africa as early as the development of words and languages not merely as a collective name of any particular ethnic group but, as a reputable, an enviable, and special designation [or title], or as a vital part in the evolutionary process of the Chin+Kuki+Zo culture. Perhaps, it was also carried on in its distorted form as “Shou/So” by Fan Cho’s “Mi-no kingdom”, one among the CKZ’s ancient kingdoms in the Tuikang valley [now Burmanised as Chindwin]!

“Zo”, first appeared as the “title/name” of a spiritual leader/high priest [or the highest rank] of the prehistoric religions in Africa; to name one, ‘Voodoo’, one of the world's oldest known religions which have been around in Africa since the beginning of human civilization. The word "voodoo" comes from the West African word "vodun", meaning “spirit”. Supportive to this tradition, last summer (2010), Associate Professor Sheila Coulson, from the Oslo University [Norway], along with scientists and students from the Norwegian universities of Oslo and ‘Tromsø [sic]’ and from the University of Botswana claims to have proof that modern humans started performing advanced rituals, ‘worshipping the python’ in a little cave on the northern side of the Tsodilo Hills in the remote Ngamiland region of Botswana, Africa since 70KYABP.

When Ms Coulson and her team entered the cave, it struck them that the mysterious rock resembled the head of a huge python. On the six meter long by two meter tall rock, they found three-to-four hundred indentations that could only have been man-made [see Image.4]. Such culture or ritual of “propitiating the python”, in its correct cultural sense to the CKZs; undeniably, was renounced by the CKZs only by the dawn of the 20th c. CE.

Image.4: The Python ritual cave of Tsodilo.

a-cavetsodilo
"Like most behaviors that are found in societies throughout the world, religion must have been present in the ancestral human population before the dispersal from Africa 50,000 years ago...religion, at least in its modern form, cannot pre-date the emergence of language. ...If religion had to await the evolution of modern, articulate language, then it too would have emerged shortly before 50,000 years ago." [Nicholas Wade: 2006].

Now, if we are to accept the general dating of the evolution of modern human languages and the ‘voodoo’ religion; and, the claim made by Ms Coulson and her team of scientists and researchers the term “ZO” must have developed, supposedly, not later than ~50TyaBP. But, it is not known whether the “python worshipping culture” had used this term. Yet, affirmatively, one version states as this: “Zozo [or Zo] is an ancient name; its origin go to the beginning of time as one of the ancient gods. The true name is quite secret, and its legend will be forever sealed. Zo supposedly means Spiritual Leader, with an African origin” [trueghosttales.com]. In Liberia, “Poro rituals articulate a view of power as morally ambiguous, a source of both life and death... a philosophy where animals, like everything else, are believed to have souls... One way of entering this spiritual world was sacrifice. It is sad that in order to enter the highest rank of a ZO, a high priest, the candidate has to sacrifice a relative, sometimes his own son. If human sacrifice is to be considered the most supreme form of sacrifice, it was the most appropriate for entry to the most powerful grades [ZO] of Poro”, writes Prof. Dr. Till Förster [2007]. These two statements are indicative of that the term ZO have been universal in Africa to mean the ‘highest priest’ to any primitive or traditional religion since the development of human language and religion.

Not only as the title-name of a spiritual leader; the term “ZO” is very much common in the vocabularies of the African peoples to this day. For instances, to the Hausa of Northern Nigeria ‘ZO’ means ‘come’ — “Ya” means “he” and “Ta” means “she”; Ya zo means he came and Ta zo means she came (Ifi.Am...@Dartmouth.Edu). One notable film among the Central African film production, which is one of the remarkable works of film director Joseph Akouissonne is also titled “Zo kwe zo”, meaning “A Human Being Is a Person”. Thus, “Zo” is also alternately used to indicate “human/person” in some of the African cultures or “rational being”, as signified by the Tibetan “Cho”. In the Haitian Voodoo terminology, “Zo” refers to “bone”; “Zo devan” = healing herb; “Zozo” = slang word for “penis” (shall we say, “Male’s something-something (MSS)”, or “Human procreation tool! HPT”; and, “Cho” = hot. Besides, the members of the Haitian Gangs, usually, called themselves “Zo”, too (Cook Ross, 2010 & Douyon et al, 2005). Our (humankind) cradle has great influence not only upon our (CKZ and STB) cultures but also upon the Mayans in America. No doubt, there is linguistic evidence of African influence even in the Malinke-Bambara “Loan Words”, z.B., “Zou” ='to entangle' (olmec98.net/yquiche.htm).

And, again a supplementary reasoning, I would like to add up that I am inclined to conclude that the CKZ term for religion “Sakhuo/Sakhua”(or Shakhuo/Shakhua) is also a derivation of the Mongoloid ‘Manchu-Tungu’ word “shaman” see also Image.5 ‘Map’. It comes from the verb scha/sha/xa/sa-, "to know", so shaman means someone who knows, is wise, a sage, knows well. To S. Krippner (1990), a “shaman” is: "Indigenous healer who deliberately alters his consciousness in order to obtain knowledge and power from the world of the spirits in order to help and cure the members of his tribe". According to ‘The Cambridge Encyclopedia (1990): "A person to whom special powers are attributed for communicating with the spirits and influence them dissociating his soul from his body. The spirits help him do his chores which include discovering the cause of sickness, hunger and any disgrace, and prescribing an appropriate cure. They are found among the Siberians and other Asiatic people; his activity also evolves among many other religions and with other names." On the other hand, the CKZ term “Siampu/Thempu/Thiampu” and “Puithiam/Puithiem” shared the exact literal meaning of the Tungu’s “Shaman”. “Thiampu” = wise/knowing/skilful person; and equally, “Puithiam” = wise/knowing/skilful guide (leader). Like the African ‘Zo’ and saman ritual culture, the CKZ’s Thiampu also practices necromancy. In sync, R.N. Walsh (1990) also defined the ‘shaman’ as this: "A guide, a healer, a source of social connection, a maintainer of the group’s myths and concept of the world." In fact, the CKZ Thiampu or Puithiam is a “2-in-1”, both a “Zo-cum-Shaman”!

Though it is hard, currently, to answer if our brethren Zou/Zo (“Yo” by Bertram S. Carey & H. N. Tuck) family members were descending from our “highest priest” or “spiritual leader” in our (b)“lost-past”; from all what has been pictured, it is not unreasonable to posit that “Zo” and “Sakhua” terms, and the “Python rites” are intact evidences of our origin from the Cradle of Humankind and our indigenosity where we are concentrating today and colonised by the Third World Nations, i.e., Indo-Bangla-Myanmar. Sure, even if the term “ZO” was not our primary collective designation, it unquestionably comes to light that it holds an august place and played a vital role in our (CKZ) ancient culture particularly, during the Paleolithic period and possibly, until we were naturally mutated and segmented with separate family names and tongues. Possibly, its ritual mores were preserved by the ‘Topa’ group and the ‘Zou/Zo’ family for a longer period than the rest of us in the (b)“vague-past”; and the name ‘Zo’ to this day. However, it may be worthwhile to note that, originally/historically, it doesn’t belong to the Topa and Zou groups alone but, the culture or status was equally shared (or practised) among us even during our tedious journey out of Africa to our present homeland Note: some social scientists reckoned: human ancestors moseyed out of Africa at a speed of 1km per year. Of course, it is most likely that other families of the CKZ eventually disowned the ‘Zo’ culture/term gradually due to cultural & language inter-mixing and modifications with the stemming out, arrival and migration of other STBs; besides the arrival of the Dravidians, Austro-Asiatics and the Aryans, to our abandoned marshy lowlands/valleys and river valleys — after they dried up to habitable conditions.

And again, it is also presumable that, as the CKZ’s ancient rituals were usually performed on top of a mountain, hill, or knoll; or, caves located on mountains, the term ‘Zo’ for high priest was also later used to indicate hills or mountains.

Image.5: Tentative map showing the origin, cultural evolution & spread of the CKZ people.

a-ckzpeople

Gist: To me, it seems, “ZO” is neither our primary collective appellation nor just simply a derivation from any STB languages for names/words such as rocks, mountain, temple, animal, water, Zhou/Chou dynasty, Yao tribe, So/Sho/Shou, Yaw, person/progenitor, etc but derived from a respectable cultural/ritual term — brought directly from (the) Africa(n) “Zo”, originally for “spiritual leader” or “high priest”; and, “Shakhua/Sakhua” (religion) evolved from the Manchu-Tungus “shaman”? Yet, I am rather tempted to suggest, the term “shaman” or “saman”, to have been an adoption of the CKZ “sa/sha” as used in “Pu-sa” or “Pu-sha”, literal meaning “ancestor maker”: a solemn ritual of worshipping and pacifying the spirit of one’s deceased ancestor(s), a form of ‘necromancy’ see Image.5:Map.

Albeit, what has all been illustrated quite clearly indicates that, our arrival into this realm, i.e., Indo-Bangla-Myanmar must be not later than 15KYABP. Of course, we are neither migrators, escapees (James C. Scott, 2009) nor refugees from China, Tibet, Bangladesh and Burma but “Sons of the Soil — We Are!” of these present day (c)neo-Colonial nations, viz, “India, Myanmar, and Bangladesh” (see also Joseph Suantak: Khulmi?...). Certainly, and thus beside our acquired identities from our neighbours and foreign scholars, z.B., Kirata, Cin, Kuki, Chin, Qiang/Ch’iang, Yi, Di, Mino and Tibeto-Burman the etymon of our primordial ritual term “ZO” is also more than enough to testify our indigenosity of being the embryo of all STBs; and our long historical journey on this blue planet.

(a) - earlier it was called “Bod” by the Tibetans; (b)- prehistoric time and life unmemorable to the human mind except by archaeological evidences and theories; (c)- it’s “understood”— in the post-British period we (CKZ) are still under the colonial rule of these Third World Nations.

Few Selected Bibliography & Accessed Links for more information:

 

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