(ꓖꓪ ꓙꓱ ꓘꓶꓽ ꓕꓱ ꓟ ꓔꓯ ꓡꓲ-ꓢꓴ꓾ ꓲ-ꓖ-ꓡꓲꓼ ꓐꓰ ꓟꓬ-ꓟ ꓥꓳꓽ ꓫꓵꓽ (3) ꓫꓵꓽ ꓗꓪ ꓐꓰ ꓕꓲ ꓫꓵꓽ ꓑꓶꓸ ꓝꓸ ꓕꓲꓽ ꓫꓵꓽ ꓐꓳ ꓔꓸ ꓡꓳ= ꓵꓺ ꓐ ꓡ ꓟ ꓕꓲꓽ ꓥꓳꓽ ꓗꓪ ꓐꓰ ꓵꓺ ꓪ ꓓ ꓠꓹ ꓟ ꓥ ꓡꓳ= This proposal article is written in three languages: Lisu, English, and Burmese in sequence so that readers can read it in the language of their preference. ဤအဆိုပြုချက် ဆောင်းပါးကို လီဆူ၊ အင်္ဂလိပ်၊ မြန်မာ (၃) ဘာသာဖြင့် အစဉ်လိုက် ရေးသားထားပါသည်။ စာဖတ်သူများ အဆင်ပြေရာ ဘာသာစကားဖြင့် ဖတ်ရှုနိုင်ရန် စီစဉ်ထားခြင်းဖြစ်ပါသည်။)
The Three heartfelt Lisu National Pledge: (1) We shall cherish our Lisu language and cultural identity (2) We shall stand united, beyond borders, as one people. (3) We shall secure a futre of love, wisdom and prosperity.
The Lisu people possess a profound cultural heritage and collective experiences, yet we lack a dedicated day to celebrate our identity, unity, achievements, and to inspire future generations. Among our historical milestones, one significant achievement is the creation of the Lisu writing system by J.O. Fraser and Thara Ba Thaw in the early 20th century. This transformative event changed the Lisu history forever.
To honor this collective achievement, we propose establishing “Lisu National Day” on the anniversary of the Fraser script’s completion. This day will serve as a symbol of pride, commemorating our past while committing to a brighter future for the Lisu language and culture. It will celebrate our identity, strengthen our unity, and declare to the world that the Lisu people are here to stay.
3 Reasons to Recognize the Fraser Script completion event as Lisu National Day
1. Our Identity: Language is the hallmark of a people’s identity, and the Fraser script preserves the Lisu language. It helps document our history, express our thoughts, and pass down traditions. Without it, our stories, songs, and wisdom might have been lost to time. The Fraser script embodies the essence of our identity.
2. Our Unity: Lisu people reside in China, Myanmar, India, Thailand, and beyond. Despite geographical differences, the Fraser script unites us as one people. It is a shared heritage that transcends borders, fostering unparalleled unity.
3. Our Empowerment: The Fraser script opened the doors to literacy, education, and self-determination. It enabled the Lisu people to engage with the modern world while fostering comprehensive empowerment and awareness across the Lisu nation.
Proposed Date for Lisu National Day
J.O. Fraser and Thara Ba Thaw collaborated to develop the Lisu script in the early 20th century, and the current form of the Lisu script (The Old Lisu Script, Fraser Script) was completed in 1917. In 2017, it was marked as 100 years and celebrated collectively in Myitkyina, Kachin State, Burma (Myanmar). While there is no exact recorded date, the start of the new year symbolizes the awakening of literacy, culture, and educational advancement. Therefore, we propose January 15th as The Lisu National Day. This date closely marks the period when Fraser and Ba Thaw finalized the Fraser script, a new start, a time that forever transformed Lisu history.
Objectives for Celebrating Lisu National Day
1. Honor the Works: Recognize and celebrate the remarkable work of J.O. Fraser and Thara Ba Thaw, ensuring their contributions remain central to our identity and unity and education.
2. Strengthen the Unity: Foster solidarity and collaboration among Lisu communities worldwide to build a cohesive, supportive global network.
3. Promote the Lisu Culture: Actively safeguard and promote the Lisu language, traditions, arts, music, and oral histories through educational programs, cultural events, and digital platforms.
4. Promote Collaboration: Inspire collective efforts towards sustainable development, education, and community empowerment to improve the quality of life for Lisu people globally.
5. Empower Future Generations: Equip youth with pride in their heritage while encouraging innovation, leadership, and adaptive strategies to address modern challenges, paving better ways for the Lisu people.
When celebrating Lisu National Day, we should form a committee and choose programs that reflect these objectives and tailor them to the time and place of the celebrations.
Proposed Flag for National Day
We propose using a flag recognized by various Lisu cultural groups as the national flag. The meaning of each part of the flag is as follows:
1. Red Color: Represents bravery and boldness.
2. Blue Color: Signifies a love for peace and tranquility.
3. Book: Symbolizes the pursuit of knowledge.
4. Chibi (Guitar): Represents all traditional Lisu musical instruments, proverbs and songs.
5. Cross-bow: Symbolizes all traditional Lisu tools and accessories.
Therefore, the overall meaning of the Lisu national flag is: “The Lisu people cherish peace, pursue education, value and preserve their ancestral arts and tools, and are brave and active individuals.”
Call to Action
We call upon all Lisu leaders, organizations, scholars, and community members to unite behind this historic initiative. Let us stand together and declare that our language, culture, and people deserve recognition, celebration, and preservation.
By establishing Lisu National Day, we honor our ancestors, inspire our youth, and secure our rightful place in history. This day will be a testament to our resilience, a celebration of our unity, and a promise to future generations that the Lisu people will continue to thrive.
Let us unite and make Lisu National Day a reality! Let us take this step toward a brighter, prouder future.
Long live the Lisu people! Long live our shared heritage!
I completely agree with the confirmation of 15 January as Lisu National Day, as there is a very good reason to designate that date.