Lushei, The a small ethnic community living in the chittagong hill tracts. They belong to the Tibeto-Burman group of the Cino-Tibetan community and speak the Kuki-Chin dialect. They live in the hilly regions of rangamati and bandarban districts. According to the 1981 census, the number of Lusheis was 1,098, but the 1991 census showed the number as 662 and the number of Lushei households as 124. The number may have gone down due to their exodus to neighbouring Mizoram State where their ancestors still live. In 1961, the Lushei population in Mizoram was 2,11,807.

Historical Background:

Many Lushei people also went to Myanmar, not so much to settle there but to do hunting. Some people regard Lushei and Lushai as synonymous but in fact Lushei is the name of an ethnic community, while Lushai means a group of ethnic communities living in Mizoram. Once upon a time, the Lusheis hunted for human skulls. This is why they were dreaded by others.

At present, they are Christians and are no longer known to be head hunters. In the 19th century, hordes of Lusheis used to plunder villages in Kachar, sylhet, noakhali, chittagong and Chittagong Hill Tracts and kidnap other people and force them to work in their farm, and to do other work. In 1871, two British generals led an expedition against Lusheis. This is known in history as the Lushei Expedition.

Social System:

Family Structure:  Lusheis have a patriarchal society. In the past, Lusheis did not have a king of their own. Every village used to have a chief and he was known as Lal. [Sadat Ullah Khan]