Minyaks

The Minyaks (Minyak: Miñak; Burmese: မ္ိဉာက Miñaka, French: Mignacois) are an ethnic minority found primarily in the country of Burma. The Minyaks are distinct from their neighbors in their practice of Eastern Rite Syriac Christianity. The Minyaks are widely acknowledged to be the direct descendants of the Tanguts, the ancient peoples who at one period ruled China under the Qiang Dynasty. The Minyaks themselves have largely ceased using the Minyak Language, though it is documented as a language of Christian vernacular writing up until the mid 18th century. Many Minyaks also speak French, as the language was widely popular with them during the Ferengi Raj as their Christianity gave them some special status over the largely Buddhist population of Burma. Post Colonization, the Minyaks were targeted due to being perceived as a 5th column of Burmese society, and many were killed in mass pogroms against them. Many Minyaks fled to France and the Americas, particularly to Quebec and Alaska. There is a sizable Minyak diaspora in Paris, Lyon, Montreal, Chicago, New Archangel, and New Kharkov. In Alaska, they are largely found in "Japantowns", as they integrated well into fellow Nestorian communities.