PROLOGUE
Kachins and Mission, two different words came to meet by the intended plan of
God over 120 years ago – a small kairos1 happened in Kachin History. That was,
actually, the Light in the Jungle – mountain-dwellers, Kachins had chance to see the
light from and within the darkness of uncivilized society. It was also one of the rapid
vertical interventions of God into the horizontal history of time line. Along with this
revelation of God, the interaction responded by Kachins, through laughter and pain,
could be found until today – to carry out the missio dei.2 Being a lesson for the future
mission of Kachin, at the same time, there are still some renovations which will be
found out in the following presentation – need to replenish and think from the corner of
modern mission perspectives retrospectively.
MISSION STARTED
Factually, there was no word, Kachin or Mission among them until and shortly
after 1830 A.D. Only after January 27, 1837 on which the American Missionary,
Eugenio Kincaid arrived in Bhamo and shortly after, about Kachins first turned up in
his Journal. It is said that:
... in the distant highlands are multitudes of Kakhyens [Kachins], a people who
from time immemorial have resisted idolatry. What a field this is for the
evangelist! What man, who feels for his fellowman, would not like to gird on the
armor of God, and labor for the establishment of Christ's kingdom here?
(February 9, 1837, in Baptist Missionary Magazine 1838:246).3
This was a very hopeful point for Kachins and, at the same time, something
very mournful as well. This is both the first step of a ladder to get gospel and the first
step to abandon the precious traditions that had been created and given to Kachin from
the prehistoric time. Actually, the first mission among Kachins was started by Albert J.
Lyon who arrived in Bhamo on February 13, 1878. Unfortunately, he had to lay down
in Bhamo soil after a few months later of his arrival.4 With undaunted effort, another
missionary was sent by God: who was William H. Roberts arrived in January 12, 1879
one year after the death of Lyon. On an on, just before the end of 1890, Ola Hanson
reached Bhamo, and in two years after the arrival of him, 1892, George J. Geis arrived
in Bhamo.5 With best regards, their committed lives were beautiful in the sight of God
due to their committed lives, undaunted efforts, sweats, pains, sufferings, and other
barriers that had been overcome in the initiative of their mission. In that way, the seed
of Gospel rooted in the soil of Kachin Land – in either right way or wrong way – and yielded fruits.
FRUITS OF MISSION
The Gospel is the most obvious fruit of mission received by Kachins. In
addition, the lives of new Kachin Christians were changed in every walk of life –
especially in economic, agricultural, educational and health aspects. According to the
presentation of Herman G. Tegenfeldt, the missionaries told new Kachin believers to
move down to the plain where they can get more money by doing plantation. In that
way, new Christian villages began to emerge. Moreover, also in agriculture, fruits trees
like peeches, oranges, pomeloes, guavas, and custard apples became the popular
planted fruit trees given by the missionaries. In this rural uplift, Schools opened by the
missionaries became the most effective means of evangelism since the schools became
the fellowship doors for the children and their parents for good relationship. Next,
medical outreach by the missionaries also made the lives of the Kachins saved. In such
ways, the new Christian community was formed gradually and surely and the churches
already became self-supported churches. In 1965, no foreign missionary totally left in
Burma, however, the Kachin Baptist Church still carried on her own.6 Even after the
return of foreign missionaries, the fruit of the mission could be found – in 1977,
Centennial Jubilee was successfully celebrated at which 200,000 pilgrims attended.
The most prominent fruit was the 3/300 Mission of Kachin Baptist Convention
accomplished by Kachins themselves.7 Today, Kachins are doing mission among Hills
regions, China frontiers, "Wa"s, Rahkaings, and other regions they can outreach. No
matter how much they have been transmitting Gospel through history, the traditions
they have been using is less alternative so as from the first time use. Since the world is
ever changeable in every aspect, those traditions received and applied through history
are necessarily needed to be changed.
TRADITIONS RECEIVED
Preaching the Gospel, Evangelizing, Casting way Evil Spirits, Destroying Nat
Symbols, and Witnessing were, perhaps, the crucial traditions received from the foreign
missionaries. Bertil Lintner said that the Kachins may well have been fierce warriors,
and they still considered themselves servants of the ji nat – the Evil One – and believed
themselves to be living in a state of ignorance.8 More or less, it was true that the
Kachins were under the control of the Spirits. When the Gospel came to them, then,
what encountered was Casting evil spirits and destroying the symbols of Nat
Worshipping. After having demolished all the nat-related things, what injected into the
blood of Kachins were the so-called prayer, sermon, western hymns, western music,
and all ritual things related with western traditions.
Under the banner of sowing gospel, unwittingly done was plugging out the
precious cultural heritages. As soon as a person becomes a Christian, s/he is no longer concerned with all the things done by the Nat Worshippers.9 Actually, Manau Dance,
Htawng Ka (Long Drum Dance), Kabung Dum (Funeral Dance), and others like such
dances are less influenced by the Nats. However, as the foreign missionaries claimed,
the dances were more or less affiliated with Nats but not absolutely. This is the culture
of the Kachins, the identities of the Kachins. If all these cultural things extinct, what,
then, be the identity and nationality of Kachin. In that way, some cultural values might
have been extricated from the history of Kachins. There had been a long period in
which no Kachin folk tune was allowed to conduct in the church. Only after
advocating and lobbying for some extent of time – several decades, Kachin folk tunes
and other festival like Manau Dance were allowed to be held by the Kachin Christians.
It was so close that the precious cultural traditions were nearly buried along with the
process of converting. On this view, J. Andrew Kirk also reminds that, more or less,
missionary work is often seen as involving the destruction of indigenous cultures and
the implantation of foreign ones.10
Next, not only in Kachin Mission but in contemporary mission trend also, the
word evangelizing played a crucial role in doing Mission. John Stott said that whether
they have heard gospel or not, whether even they have been baptized or not, people
must be evangelized.11 In this sense, in the concept of missionaries, when it comes to
Mission, only evangelizing is the first prompt. Therefore, the fruit of the mission, even
3/300 Mission of Kachin Baptist Convention also only emphasized on Evangelizing,
converting and casting Nats even though they called their work as mission.12 This
trend of mission has persisted for several decades and in the concept of Kachin, such
steps of evangelizing first, casting Nats second, and converting third were minted
miserably. In openness, there are quite relevant approaches which could have been
really effective in mission among Kachins for the foreign missionaries. There is a
saying goes "First know what kind of soil before you sow" likewise "First know what
the truth of the Kachins is before you implant the Gospel". In the following topic, the
real nature of Kachins is presented for the sake of God's will upon the precious culture and tradition of the Kachins which could be the basis for the further mission done in the
present and to be done in near future by Kachins.
and tradition of the Kachins which could be the basis for the further mission done in the
present and to be done in near future by Kachins.
BETWEEN TODAY AND TOMORROW
Today, not only Kachins but all other nationalities also are under the influence
of the third wave – information technology. In every aspect of life, new ones come in
and old ones go out.14 Even though the western traditions have been protested for a
long period, anyone cannot avoid this event. Jeans become global; Rock Music
becomes unifying music, and Burger and J-Donuts become world wide food, Fancy
things can be seen on every finger of ladies and men. At the same time, there are still
many poor people in the hill regions who are finding their fortunes by applying every
kind of job no matter what. They do not know what the consumerism is. They do not
care what is happening around them. What they care is to fill their stomach. Also
among Kachin Communities, these two kinds of layers can be seen. The elites group is
getting well-to-do more and more, on the other hand, the poor group is getting poorer
than ever. The balance between these two groups is not proportionate. This is what the
problem for the Missionaries today. Should they still use the traditions received from
the missionaries from the past century? Moreover, there are still many tomorrow that
will be carrying new more things. The gap between the have and have not is widening
day by day; it obviously spotlights that the missionaries under the third wave should be
fully flexible, adaptable and very serious in finding out what the truth of the
community, society is. So far, how the mission took place among Kachins has been
revealed. The enthusiastic efforts, perseverance, and committed lives are the corner
stones for the new missionaries who are going to fulfill missio dei to make prominent
kairos, at the same time, new methodologies, and approaches by finding the truth of the
target communities, societies must be searched out as well.15
EPILOGUE
" Ethnic and Cultural distinctiveness thus reflects the rich diversity of
human life and allows people a sense of security in being able to identify with a
group of people with its own history, customs and traditions. The loss of such
association (rootlessness) can lead to a crisis of selfhood and eventually to
personality disorders."
Even under the influence of the information technology age, important claim
from self-instinct of a person is his/her identity. Therefore, whether in the wealthy
community or poor society, trying to find the truth of that community is the main task
for today missionaries. The binding force of that society must be surely searched. Only
after the key point has been found, approaches and methodologies can be drawn out. At
the same time, missionaries today must find out the most necessary things for the target
groups – if poor group, encouraging message is needed. In this way of finding first the
truth – binding factors – of the focused group and then searching secondly the most
necessary thing in their lives would be true catalyst in making some more little kairos
in the history of time line in the light of re-disclosure of Mission among the Kachins.
By: Kevinson 2007
PS: special thanks to Maji Mung San for sending this article to me.
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