Myanmar National Races
The Kachin reside in
the northernmost region of Myanmar bordering India and
Tibet. The area contains some of the highest mountains
in South East Asia including the snow-capped Mt.
Kakaborazi, which is the Myanmar’s tallest peak. It is
believed the Kachins were among the last of the
Tibeto-Burman peoples to migrate into the country.
Kachin celebrate a number of fetes and festivals. But
the Manao Festival is the biggest and the most important
annual celebration in which all Kachin enthusiastically
participate. The highlight of the Manao Festival is
dancing around a bonfire in front of the multi-colour
painted poles and strings of small colourful flags.
There are more than a
dozen ethnic groups living in Kayah State numbering over
just 150,000. The Kayahs comprised the largest ethnic
group in the region. Although spirit worship is still
practiced, most Kayahs converted to Christianity in the
last century. The most important annual festival is the
Kutobo or Flag Mast Festival, held sometime between
March and May.
The Kayins were most probably among the
earliest inhabitants to descend from China down the
Ayeyawaddy, Sittaung and Than Lwin Rivers into Myanmar.
But over the centuries, they retreated into the
mountains of the south-east and the forests of
Ayeyawaddy Delta. The Kayins constitute the biggest
ethnic population in Myanmar after the Bamars and the
Shans. Myanmar is home to around 4 million Kayins, half
of whom live in the Delta region and the rest in the
Myanmar-Thai borderlands. Most are Buddhists, and quite
a number of them are Christians. Some in the eastern
mountains regions are still animists.
The Chins are the Tibeto-Burma people
inhabiting the great mountain chain running up western
Myanmar into Mizoram in north-east India. In the past
the difficult terrain meant there was little
communication between villages. The Chins had to rely on
their lowland neighbours for food and supplies in times
of emergency. Modern development and the establishment
of infrastructure have made their life easier. More than
forty sub-groups, many distinguished by their unique
facial tattoos and costumes, have been identified among
the 1.5 million Chins in Myanmar.
The Mon, a distinctive branch of the
Mon-Khmer peoples, were probably the earliest of modern
day inhabitants to settle in the plains of Myanmar. They
are believed to have founded the world-famous Shwedagon
Pagoda in Yangon, originally a Mon settlement.
Traditional Mon language and culture now survives mostly
in rural areas and the south-east borderlands.
The famous Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda, an extraordinary golden
rock perched precariously on a mountain outcrop is in
The upper and central plains of Myanmar
are the traditional home of the Bamar. They are a
Tibeto-Burman people who migrated from the north and
China-India borderland long before they established
their greatest capital at Bagan on the banks of the
Ayeyarwaddy River between 1044 and 1287 AD. Later,
capitals were built at Inwa, Amarapura, Sagging,
Mandalay and Taungoo.
Today, Bamas form the largest ethnic group in the
country with 30 million people (about 60%) of the total
population in Myanmar.
The rich cultures of the Bamars are staunch Buddhists
and reflect the influences of Indian civilizations.
These include Pali script (derived from Sanskrit),
cosmology, philosophy and statecraft, art, medicine and
The Rakhines are the majority ethnic
group in Rakhine State, and have long been influenced by
their proximity to India and have formed trading links
with the sub-continent. They claim a long history of
independence and ruled their own kingdom at Mrauk-U
until 1784 AD. The Rakhines speak a dialect of Bamar
that many scholars believe is the earliest form of the
language, and they are very similar to Bamars in culture
and dress. Other minority groups include the Thet, Khami,
Daignet and Maramagyi, who live in the hills.
The Shans are the second largest ethnic
group in Myanmar after the Bamar. They live mainly in Shan
State, which is the biggest state in Myanmar with a
population over 4 million, and is a melting pot of over
35 races and tribes. Most Shans are valley-dwellers.
They wee among the first migrants into the area and are
thought to have come from Yunnan, south-west China,
where related Tai peoples still live.