The people of Mizoram are known as Mizos. The term 'Mizo' is made of two words, mainly Mi and Zo. 'Mi' means people and 'Zo' means Hill. Thus Mizo menas "hill people" and gives them a racial and distinctive ethnic identity. The Mizos are simple, literate, happy, carefree, contented, generous, social, hospitable, fun loving and freedom-loving people. They lead a life of close friendship in their place with pleasant climate and dense green forests abounding in diverse flora and fauna. The Mizos are known as the songbird of the North east and considered to be one of the finest choir singers in North east India.

The Mizos do not consider any difference between men and women who rank equal in their society. Ninety percent of them are cultivators and a village exists like a big family. Birth of a child, marriage in the village and death of a person in the village or community feast arranged by a member of the village are important occasions in which the whole village is involved. Their guiding code of ethics is known as "Tlawmngaihna", which means that everyone should be unselfish, hospitable, kind and helpful towards each other. "Tlawmngaina" to a Mizo means that compelling moral force which finds expression in self-sacrifice for the service of others. The Mizos are blessed with a rich culture and beautiful environment and love to dance and sing. They have a rich variety of community dances, which have been handed down for generations. The dances expresses the gay and carefree spirit of the Mizos. These dances are not performed on stage, and have been evolved for community involvement and participation. Every major Mizo village now has an YMA (Young Mizo Association) centre, dedicated to infuse society with its traditional lifestyle and customs.

The Mizos also believed that mountains, big trees, huge rocks, swamps and caves were haunted by the spirits and demons which caused suffering to human beings in their own different ways. The Mizos still use 'Pathian', the old belief to call the God. Under the British rule, western missionaries brought about changes in the life of the people from the 19th century. The Mizos were so enchanted by their new faith in Christianity that their entire social life, sense of values and thought processes were transformed and guided by the Missionaries directly or indirectly. The main aim of the Missionaries were not directed at changing the basic customs of the Mizo society. The customs and traditions which they found meaningless and harmful were abolished by persistent preaching. Despite of external influences which threatened Mizo culture during the turbulent period after Indian independence, the Mizos tried to continue with great enthusiasm and vigour. Although Christianity brought about changes in the Mizo lifestyle and outlook, but still some customary laws have stayed on. The tea replaced ZU as a popular drink among the Mizos. The Zawlbuk was replaced by modern education. Animal sacrifices on ceremonial occasions, which were once an integral part of Mizo religious system, are now considered anathema. But various customs and community traditions like the payment of bride price were still continued and encouraged. The dowry, known as thuam, that a girl gets for her marriage from her parents is exclusively her own property. However, a written 'will' formally executed, now confers woman the right to inherit the family property. These changes are now made in the traditional customary laws.

In the Mizos, property is inherited by men. The family property is owned by the youngest son although the father may leave shares to other sons, if he desires. If a man has no sons, his property is inherited by the next kin on the male side. If a man dies leaving a widow and minor children, a male relation, who usually happens to be a brother of the deceased takes charge of the family and looks after the property until one of the sons comes of age. If no such male relative is around, then the widow acts as a trustee of her husband's property until his son or sons are old enough to inherit it. However, although the youngest son of the family is the natural or formal heir to his father under the Mizo customary laws, but actually, the paternal property is generally divided among all sons. The youngest of them gets a preferential treatment in that he would get the first choice of the articles, and he would get two shares of the cash in case of one each for the other brothers. A daughter or a wife can inherit property only if the deceased has no heir on the male side.

A Mizo lady wears the 'Puan' and is more fond of it than any other dress. The Puan consists of a colorful and breathtaking display of intricate designs. 'Puanchei' is one of the most beautiful dress worn by the Mizo girls. This is worn on weddings and festivals such as Chapchar Kut and Pawl Kut. In earlier times, these were all hand woven but nowadays these are mostly machine made. They are made from cotton and the colors are made by a thing called 'Ting'. Along with this, a blouse which is of the same pattern is usually worn. Ngotekherh is worn in all festivals such as 'Chapchar Kut', 'Mim Kut' and 'Pawl Kut'. The colours used in this cloth are black and white. These are also hand woven and are made of cotton. The black portion of the handloom is made from some kind of an artificial fur.

Puandum is one of the most important traditional handloom of the Mizos. These are made from cotton and are handmade. Puandum is wrapped over the shoulders while performing 'Khuallam', one of the famous traditional dances of the Mizos. A Puandum consists of black, red, yellow and green stripes. Puandum is an indispensable item which every girl has to take along with her when she gets married. It is used to cover her husband's body when he dies. This is an integral part of the Mizo marriage and failure to bring the cloth entails punishment leading to a reduction in the bride price. Hmaram, also known as 'Kawkpui zikzial' is mostly worn by the children and girls. They are worn on the occasions such as 'Chawn Day', 'Chhawnghnawh Day' and 'Chapchar Kut'. Kawrchei is worn on every 'kut' such as 'Chapchar Kut', 'Mim Kut' and 'Pawl Kut'. It is one of the most beautiful blouses worn by the girls. These clothes are hand-woven and are made from cotton. This are usually worn along with 'Puanchei' and while performing the various dances of the Mizos.