Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
skilled weavers and are known in Myanmar for their eye-catching and intricately pat-
terned
longyi.
Rakhine State also has a minority population of Muslim Rakhine, as well as the Ro-
hingya, another Muslim people not recognised as citizens of Myanmar by the govern-
ment.
Myanmar's constitution has set aside 'self-administered zones' for the Naga, Danu, Pa-
O, Palaung, Kokang and Wa peoples.
Shan
The biggest ethnic group in Myanmar after the Bamar, the Shan account for around 8.5%
of the population. Most Shan are Buddhists and call themselves Tai ('Shan' is actually a
Bamar word derived from the word 'Siam'). This name is significant, as the Shan are re-
lated ethnically, culturally and linguistically to Tai peoples in neighbouring Thailand,
Laos and China's Yunnan Province. In fact, if you've spent some time in northern Thail-
and or Laos and learned some of the respective languages, you'll find you can have a ba-
sic conversation with the Shan.
Traditionally, the Shan wore baggy trousers and floppy, wide-brimmed sun hats, and
the men were known for their faith in talismanic tattoos. Nowadays Shan town-dwellers
commonly dress in the Bamar
longyi,
except on festival occasions, when they proudly
sport their ethnic costumes.
In former times the Shan were ruled by local lords or chieftains called
sao pha
(sky
lords), a word that was corrupted by the Bamar to
sawbwa
. Many Shan groups have
fought the Bamar for control of Myanmar, and a few groups continue a guerrilla-style
conflict in the mountains near Thailand.
In recent years there's been a massive influx of Chinese people into northern Burma,
evident in Mandalay and certainly in border towns such as Mong La, where the yuan is
the local currency.
Wa
The remote northeastern hills of Shan State - the homeland of the Wa - are off limits to
tourists. During British colonial times, these tribal people - living in fortified villages,
speaking dozens of dialects and having a reputation for being permanently unwashed and
frequently inebriated - were hated and feared: a status they have yet to throw off.
