IDEOCOLOR - ideocolor

WHERE CHRISTIAN SYMBOL ‘CROSS’ DOES ORIGINATE.

For centuries, Cross has been used by Christian as their symbol. Generally, what has been accepted for the origin of cross is related to the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. Around 30A.D. a man called Jesus from Nazareth was crucified by the Romans on the Calvary Hill outside the Jerusalem City. He was also, from the Christian view, the savior of all the creation. However, in the sense of Jewish people, to die on the cross is a death of curse and shameful. Only the sinful were crucified on the cross. Some assumed that only after this crucifixion, Cross started to be used by the apostles, followers and lately the Christians. When they see the cross, they envision Jesus on the cross and remember Jesus as their savior. But another version some scholars accepts is closely related to the Roman Emperor Constantine. In 313 A.D. Emperor Constantine had dominion all over the Roman Empire and he declared Christianity as a national religion. Some Christians today believe that was a miracle done by God. It may be true to some extent. But, this declaration was also related to the cross. Before he announced Christianity as a national religion, he had a dream that a sign of cross was seen and he was told if he used that sign, he would surely win battle. So, he also did as the dream told him. When he used the cross sign in battle, he surely won. That is why Constantine saw that symbol of Christians was strong enough to strike down all other symbols. Then, he declared Roman Empire was Christian Empire at all. These two hypotheses make sense to some extent. Some sees the first one more plausible. But some still strongly believes the second one but some argues that this is only a trick of pagan Emperor. However, there is another hypothesis intact. It is solely related to the Lost Tomb of Jesus. In 1980, When Tobiad (a place between Jerusalem and Nazareth) was to make construction, a significant family tomb was found by the constructionists. Later, archaeologists came and scrutinized the tomb and all the limestone coffins were taken to the Hebrew Antiquity Warehouse by the government authorities. Among the limestone coffins, the coffin which was inscribed “Jesus the son of Joseph” was found significantly with a symbol Cross before the name. That was mysterious at all. How come this cross inscribed on this coffin? So, there was surely one conception of the use of Cross before Jesus’ crucifixion. Tacking back some religious traditions, it can be seen that Cross symbol had been used before. Actually, this Cross was not cross at all. It is the last letter of Hebrew alphabets – tau – similar with English alphabet “t”. When someone was righteous he was sealed with cross “tau” sign. It truly means, “You are the last one, sealed one, and chosen one.” So, this cross only belongs to those who are righteous. (May be Jesus was so righteous that he needed to die on the cross – a symbol of righteousness). On a whole, this cross symbol of Christians may be related to crucifixion or Emperor Constantine or other mysterious event; but, this last hypothesis is also authentic enough to be taken into account. © WOODSSAN

Actually, to know the authentic history of one national or race is quite difficult, even impossible. However, one thing people cannot deny is the help of archaeological evidences, indeed, which can make one's oral history or conjectural history more to be confirmed and accurate. Also for the Kachin people, who are living in the northern part of Burma, Southwest China and Southeast India, their history has been vague for centuries. Just hypothesis as Kachin came from Majoi Shingra Bum has been influencing the Kachin people's minds until this moment. Some says that Kachin came from Himalayan Mountain ranges, which might be cradle for all the proto-Tibetan tribes. James A. Matisoft, Paul K. Benedict, other foreign and native scholars had been trying to find the root of Kachin people. Dr. Leach, among them, falsely mentioned about the origin of Kachin, unwittingly or wittingly. Their researched findings, somehow, cannot identify what Kachin people's traditional generations-related oral history and other aged-stories tell. However, starting from a couple of years ago, some Kachin cultural leaders under the leadership of Duwa Manam Tawng had launched a research trip within and around China. After rounding the Republic of China, several evidences that research team have found marvelously. Nevertheless, Chinese archaeologists excavated all the evidential things. Some of them (carbon test) points out their dates back to around 500 BCE, and a bronze musical instrument back to around 3000 BCE. The excavated evidences are musical instruments, bell, pot, coffin, warfare equipments like spearhead, and other bronze made things. Among them, a bronze Kachin house is very significant. According to Kachin oral history, Kachin people came to know how to build a house by observing the ribs of a Buffalo that can speak human language. What it says is identical with that bronze house. Moreover, the bronze house still have buffalo's head in front of it, domestic herd (cows, pigs, dogs) tied under the house. It shows and proves that it is a real Kachin house at all. In addition, another most likely theory for how Kachin got their name Jinghpaw can be observed from this research. This research says that Kachin were once owners of salt (Jum). They owned a place where salt can be fetched. In Kachin, it says Jumhpaw meaning A Start of Salt. All other tribes around them had to get salt from that salt-own-people Jumhpaw ni. Therefore, the Kachin people gradually and eventually, are named Jinghpaw from Jumhpaw after many years. Of places where salt were fetched, a lake named Jahka Nawng was very prominent (still intact). The name Jahka is still used in country dwellers to mention kitchen. Here, Jahka Dap is the same with Shat Dap (modern usage). Salt got from that Jahka Nawng was like food to them – their vitality – and the place where they kept salt came to be named Jahka Dap. In this sense, this hypothesis is more plausible than any other hypothesis. Looking at the warfare equipments like spearhead, knifes, and other tools, they show that Kachin people had been very ferocious and aggressive warlords even the Chinese dynasties had to give them freedom and make peace with them for generations. After all, Chinese government has to recognize the past great civilization of Kachin and that they are not minority at all. But, one question that the researchers still cannot answer is "What made the Kachin (Jumhpaw-Jinghpaw) people almost disappeared?" Unnecessarily, this question seems not very important. What important is that today, the world can no longer veil what Kachin people had been, were, has been and are all about and one last task for Kachin is to claim their status of not-minority – finally, there is no border between Burma, China, and India at all. © WOODSSAN Credit to: Duwa Manam Tawng (Research Team Leader), Marip Bawk San (Authorized contributor)