Burmese Animism Animism in Kengtung State, Tnesis for Degree
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I. Burmese Animism or Animism in Kengtung State, BURMA. J. H. Telford, B.D., F.R.G.S, Tnesis for degree of Ph. D. II, Animism in Kengtung State, BURMA. James Haxton Telford. III. Animism in Kengtung State, Burma. By James Haxton Telford. Contents. Preface I, Introduction 1. The Geography of Kengtung State. 2. The Peoples of Kengtung State. 3. The History of Kengtung State. Ij.. Kengtung ! s Relationship with Other States and Peoples. 5. Social Aspects of the Races. 6. The Opportunity to Study Religion in Kengtung State. 7. The Writer's Experience and Preparation. 8. Animism and Its Relationship to the Necessities of Life, II. Animism Functioning In the Life of These Races. 1. Birth and Naming. 2. Eating and Drinking. 3 Working. 1].. Mating. 5» Playing - Dancing. 6. Travelling - Trading. 7. Hunting. IV. 8. Hating-Fighting. 9. Judging. 10. Divining. 11. Ailing. 12. Sacrificing - Offering. Praying. Healing. Dying - Burying - Life Beyond. III. Conclusion. Bibliography. Illustrations PREFACE. The material for this thesis I have collected during thirteen years of residence in Kengtung State, Burma. In the gathering of my materials I have "been fortunate to have the co-operation of intelligent nationals, whose thorough knowledge concerning animistic beliefs and customs as found in Burma has fitted them in a peculiar way, to furnish reliable data. While some books have been written about the Shans and Kachins, no books have been written concerning Animism as found among the Lahus and Kaws. This lack of written sources has perhaps made the task more difficult but none the less interesting. I hope that this thesis may be a helpful contribution to a fuller understanding of animistic religion. 1. Introduction* 1* The Geography of Kengtung State. The State of Kengtung is the largest of that group of states known as the Southern Shan States,Burma, with an area twice as large as that of North and South Wales. It is situated in the extreme eastern section of Burma; its northern border is Yunnan Province, China; its southern boundary is Siam; east and west it is bounded by the Mekong and Salween rivers respectively. In the centre of the State is the capital, Kengtung town, in which quaint community is located the palace of the Sawbwa (Prince) who, under British supervision, is the sole ruler of this isolated but exceedingly interesting country. Kengtung town is 2700 ft .above sea level, where as at precisely one hundred miles west, on the banks of the Salween river the altitude is Just about 800 ft. Between the Salween and the capital city there are alti tudes of over 6000 ft. Approaching Kengtung from the Burma side, the one and only road to the heart of the State leads through the tremendous mountain passes. The town of Kengtung is three hundred miles distant from the nearest Burma Railway station. Sixteen years ago when I travelled for the first time those three hundred miles 2. the journey had to be made by pony and the distance seemed even longer. Stage by stage, it took three weeks to complete the trip, but now as the result of better communi cations, with motor cars, it is possible during the dry season to complete the journey in two or three days. Kengtung however, is more accessible from Slam. Lampan is reached from Bangkok by train in about twenty-four hours, and from Lampan to the border of Kengtung State there is a splendid motor road. Prom the Kengtung - Siam border to Kengtung town the distance is about one hundred miles, but as the motor road on the British side is not so good it takes a whole day for a motor car to cover the ground. Much of the Kengtung - Siam road lies through flat country at low levels. There are very few if any great mountain passes to be negotiated, whereas the road from the railway terminus in Burma to Kengtung, and especially the trans- Salween part of the road, leads through some dangerous mountainous country, where the slightest mistake might precipitously hurl the car from the narrow road into a ravine hundreds of feet in depth. As to the topography of Kengtung State as a whole, the country is a succession of high mountains and 3* of extensive plains. The fertile and expansive valleys, most of which are cultivated, are very beautiful when the rice is ripening. Some of the highest mountains of the State are found in the South and South-West districts, but there is no part of the State without its wooded or cultivated hills. Kengtung State is bounded East and West by two of the world's great rivers, the Mekong and the /^ Salween. These as well as the Yangtze river, are said to have their sources very near to each other in the deserts of Tibet. There is an abundance of smaller rivers through out the State, which make it possible for the Shan farmers, who occupy the lowland fields, to introduce crude systems of irrigation for the cultivation of their rice crops* The rock surfaces indicate that the level of some of these rivers was once fifty to two hundred feet above the present level. Pine clad mountain ranges, peaceful but sometimes turbulent rivers, and expansive and fertile valleys, make Kengtung State one of the most beautiful countries of the world. 2. The Peoples of Kengtung State. The predominant race of Kengtung State is the Shan. The Shans are sometimes called ttTaitt , but the Chinese call them "Bai-yeeH . There are many tribes of Shan such as, Hkun, Lem, Lao, Leu and Yoon. They are the most numerous people of Kengtung State, and also the ruling race in all the Shan States of Burma* Moreover, there are many Shans in Yunnan, China, especially in the south-western section of the province, and in Kwang Hsi« Again, the Haut-Laos country of French-Indo-China is predominantly Shan, and northern Siam is mostly peopled by their stock* Thus widely scattered, and without a country which they can call their own, it is not surprising that the Shans have no sense of national unity* The Shan has his own type of civilization* He is permanently and happily settled in the village community or township. He has definitely passed the nomadic stage, though it may be said that his roving instinct comes periodically to the surface, when, after the harvest of his crops, he starts off with mule or bullock caravan, more frequently the latter, on some trading expedition which may take him from his home for three or four months. In religion the Shan is a Buddhist, and the Shan literature is almost wholly if not entirely of a 5- religious character. Throughout the State, there is in almost every village a Buddhist temple to which are attached Buddhist priests who are the religious leaders of the community, and also the instructors of the boys who daily attend the temple-school. Some of these temples are very ornate. The influence of a Chinese type of architecture is noticeable to the most casual observer. Many of the temples beautifully and worthily express the religious feel ing and faith of the people, and the Shans love their temples, for to their places of worship they have not only given of their time, their labour, their money, but have even found in them a home for their souls. Since the Shans are Buddhists, we shall not have much to say about their religion. It should, however, be kept in mind that the Shan is manifestly a convert from animistic belief and practice to Buddhism, and despite the fact that for centuries he has been a Buddhist, the inheritance from animism is still very much in evidence among his race. The break from animism was never complete. To the Shan there is no apparent inconsistency in his maintaining the two forms of religious faith; for to this present day the Shan is a Buddhist when he is well and an Anlmist when he is ill. 6. In addition to the Shans, who live in the fertile plains of Kengtung State, there are numerous hill tribes the most prominent of which are the Lahus and the Kaws; In addition there are the Talloi or mountain Shan as they are sometimes erroneously designated. The Talloi are in fact a branch of the Wa tribe, and are sometimes and correct ly called "Kut Watt . The Shan word "Kut*1 means to be "left behind, " The Tailoi are the remnants of the Wa tribe that were left behind in Kengtung State, when the Hlcuns from Slam came and occupied the Kengtung country and drove the earlier inhabitants, the Wa, into the Chinese province of Yunnan. The Tailoi though a hill people are Buddhists. With this exception all the other hill tribes of Kengtung State, such as the Wa, En, Lisu, Kachin, Lahu and Kaw are animists. The hill tribes are cultivators of highland fields. The technical term for this form of cultivation is "Taungya", In their search for food, those hill tribes are gradually denuding the timber forests of the mountains throughout the State. New tracts of virgin forest are cut down by them every year. When the giant trees have been felled, the trunks and branches are allowed to dry and wither in the sun and when thoroughly dry the mass of 7- timber is set on fire. The ash of the burned tree trunks and branches makes an excellent fertilizer which is dug in when the farmer prepares the soil on which he later sows his rice seed. It is with the religious beliefs and customs of the Lahu, Kaw and Kachin tribes that we shall be con* cerned.