Chin-Cumtu (Sumtu) — Sumtu (Ahmyo) Scripture Portions (Myanmar)
Overview
Chin-Cumtu (Sumtu) is the Gospel of Luke in the Sumtu Chin language of Myanmar, published by Dhamma Mate Swe Association (DMS) and available via YouVersion/Bible.com (ID 4159). Known by speakers as Ahmyo, Sumtu is one of the Cho-Asho sub-group of Kuki-Chin languages. DMS translated Luke into Sumtu as part of its batch translation of multiple related Asho/Cho Chin varieties (YouVersion IDs 4155-4161), which also includes Ekai/Lawktu (cey), Laitu (clj), Songlai (csj), and Danau (dnu). The alternate spelling "Cumtu" in the title reflects a phonological feature of the language's affricates. The Ekai entry elsewhere in this catalog notes that Sumtu shares approximately 77% lexical similarity with Asho Chin — enough relatedness to be in the same sub-branch, but not enough for mutual intelligibility.
Language and People
Sumtu Chin (ISO 639-3: csv; autonym: Ahmyo; also spelled Cumtu) is a Tibeto-Burman language: Sino-Tibetan → Tibeto-Burman → Kuki-Chin → Cho-Asho branch. Within the Cho-Asho branch, Sumtu is distinguished by its palatal/affricate-initial reflex that appears as "C-" (Cumtu) in the title rather than "S-" (Sumtu) in the scholarly name. Sumtu is closely related to Asho Chin (csh), Ekai (cey), Laitu (clj), and Songlai (csj).
The Sumtu community inhabits:
- Rakhine State and/or southern Chin State, Myanmar — the same Asho/Cho geographic zone as Ekai and neighboring Chin varieties
- Specifically in the interior hill zone of Rakhine State or the Kaladan River corridor
Estimated speakers: approximately 5,000–20,000 (Sumtu-specific census data is limited; like other small Asho/Cho varieties, it exists within a cluster of related languages totaling ~100,000–180,000 speakers).
Cultural Context
Sumtu communities, like other Cho-Asho Chin groups in the Rakhine-Chin border zone, are predominantly Buddhist, reflecting the lowland religious influence on these southernmost Chin populations. The DMS simultaneous translation campaign for multiple Asho/Cho varieties in 2024 acknowledges that these closely related communities nonetheless require their own distinct translations to receive scripture in their specific heart languages.
Publishing and Organizations
Published by Dhamma Mate Swe Association (DMS), a Myanmar-based Christian translation ministry active in producing scripture portions for minority languages of Myanmar and Bangladesh.