something about tonsing

This is from my website http://tonsing.zomi.net

The Manipur Tonsings are part and parcel of the Paites, who reside mainly in the district of Churachandpur (Lamka) and number about 10000 to 15000. They are a small group of people who are an important constituent of the Paite tribe. Their customs and traditions are no different from that of the Paites. Infact, the traditions and practices of the Tonsings are the Paite traditions and usages.
There is no separate identity of the Tonsings outside of the Paite community. We inherit our traditions and customs/usages from and with the Paite and thus, those found at the Paite pages are those of the Tonsings too.
There are other Tonsings in parts of Mizoram and Burma (Myanmar). There is also an umbrella organization of all the Tonsings called the TONSING INPI (Inpi= main house) which as the name suggests, is the body which looks after and keeps record of all the Tonsings and their relations with other clans. The offices of the Tonsing Inpi is located at Lamka, Churachandpur, Manipur, India. This house is right now busy collating information about all the Tonsings in the contiguous areas of Manipur, Mizoram and Myanmar (Burma) to compile the genealogy in a book form. It is a big project and it is nowhere near completion. As soon as the editors think it is almost complete, some other Tonsings pop out from somewhere else and the process begins all over again. We are hoping it will be completed in as little time as is humanely possible.
It had been common knowledge among the Paites that the Tonsings are descended from the Guites(and the Paites are part of the Zomi/Mizo nomenclature). The Guites claim the Chief-ship among the Paites and that all the Paite sub-tribes are under them. There are some other stories and legends that try to explain the birth of the Tonsing clan.
A. One woman called ZUALNING, the wife of the chief of ZUANG village near Tiddim in Myanmar, was captured by the Guite chiefs and brought to their village. She was a captive and as was wont for war captives, she was kept at the courtyard. One of the Guite chief's sons clandestinely slept with this woman and she became pregnant. She was tied to the TONMUNG, which was the sacrificial pillar. The birthing of the baby coincided with the Ton of the Guite chief and since the baby was born in time for it, he was called TONSIM, literally meaning "one who partakes" of something (the TON festival in this case). It is said that TONSING is a corruption or modification of the word TONSIM and this boy's descendants came to be called TONSINGs.
B. Another source refutes this illegitimate child theory and say that the woman, ZUALNING, was already pregnant when she was captured. The birthing of the child was a public spectacle with all the villagers coming out to watch the birth of the baby. It was thus with much shame that the mother gave birth to this baby. It is said that the baby thus born was called BUANSING, descendants of whom are still are existent and are regarded close to the Tonsings genealogically. Since this woman, Zualning, was very beautiful, those who go by this theory say, that the Guite chief took her to be his wife. It is rather out of this legitimate relationship that Tonsing was born.
The exact origin of the TONSING family in Manipur (India) and Myanmar is ambiguous at best. As with the general history of the region, there are no records to refer to and everything has to be deduced from folktales, myths, legends and other 'un-historical' methods. It is even more confusing now with the knowledge of the existence of other Tonsings in Germany atleast from the 1800s. Though the shared family name could be a coincidence, it is however desirable to trace the roots of the TONSINGs.
The generally accepted theory that the Tonsings came from within the Guite family group might not be altogether true. As with other reigning Chiefs, the Guite chiefs might have come up with some sort of legitimacy to their supremacy and overlordship of the other Paite clans. This is a feasible explanation to the origin theories of the other Paite clans as well.
The Paites in general trace their origin to the Chin Hills of Myanmar and from thence to China. The people appear to have come from somewhere beyond China and came to China from the North western side to XO TLANG and through BAYANKAR to SIAN. From SIAN, these people again moved through CHINLUNG to SZECHWAN. From SZECHWAN, they were divided into two groups, one group moving almost straight south to YUNGCHANG and thence to YUNAN. The other group moved to Burma (Myanmar) and settled for extended periods at different places until finally settling in the Chin Hills region bordering Manipur in India. This region was a contiguous area extending into the present areas of Manipur (South), Mizoram and Chin Hills (Myanmar) which became divided into different regions and countries by the British when they left the area with the independence of India and the adjoining countries.
This traces the movement, not only of the Tonsings or the Paites, but rather the whole ZO nation. It is believed that the ZO tribes were slaves occupied in building the Great Wall of China. Due to the hardship there, they escaped from their overlords. The word Paite literally means ' people who walked' (Pai=walk). This theory has many loopholes and incongruities and presents many problems. But it needs further study and exploration.
I have some theories that say that the Tonsing ancestor could have been a German sailor who was captured in battle in high seas by Chinese ships and brought to China. This probably explains the slave status of the people there because prisoners and war captives usually become slaves and are not normally adopted into the mainstream culture or society even today, in parts of these areas.
My own theory, after all these is that the Tonsing ancestors, a German and a sailor, the father of all the Asian Tonsings, was captured by the Chinese naval forces since China was a strong maritime power then. (I cannot have dates). He was brought to China where with time he had off springs. The Chinese, being a highly constructed society could not accept half-breeds as full-fledged citizens. Thus the slave status before, during and after the construction of the great wall. Due to absence (relatively) of Caucasians, the Tonsings lost their 'white' features within a few generations and with inter-marriages. Then comes the migration from China to Myanmar and the adjoining areas.
Again, the Tonsings are never a big family (the present Tonsings in Manipur is approximately 30,000). Once in Myanmar and Manipur, maybe even before that, the Guite clan lorded over them. At that time, the Guites were looking for ways to legitimise their overlordship. Thus emerged the folklore of the birth of Tonsing as described above.
I know this theory does not stand the test of scientific historical research. But it is the only plausible I can come up with, given the sources with me, of the origin of the Tonsings in India and Myanmar. As already mentioned, there are no written records and I have very few resources at hand to research the histories of Burma (Myanmar) and China to trace the authenticity or otherwise, of this supposed migration. All I can say at this point is I need more time, more help and more finances to solve this puzzle. I hope help would be forthcoming. If you feel you can help, please contact me. I am sure you can help.