The Transformation of Weaving in Myanmar from the Tradition to the Modernity and Its Impact
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The Transformation of Weaving in Myanmar from the Tradition to the Modernity and Its Impact Yan Naing Lin1 Abstract Myanmar traditional handicrafts such as silversmith, goldsmith and weaving suffered eclipse under the penetration of the western culture, especially, the weaving experienced the great challenge by the domination of the western textiles under the Luissez Faire policy practiced by the British. Together with the exhortation of Myanmar nationalist leaders of YMBA in order to uplift the traditional weaving, Saunders Weaving School came to be emerged under the endeavor of Mr. Saunders. He intended to produce more clothes by means of modernized looms in order to uplift the social life of the weavers and therefore he attempted to transform the conventional weaving craft and to spread it to the whole country. As a result of this effort, many weaving schools came to be developed alongside many private weaving factories throughout the country. Also the Saunders Weaving Institute helped to the development of Lun-yar-kyaw Acheik by combination of traditional methods and modernized instruments. This paper is intended to explore how the weaving in Myanmar continued to develop, survive and how the traditional method was transformed into the modernity. Introduction The weaving craft which had been existed since the Pyu period in Myanmar came to be developed successively throughout the ages and then it was prosperous together with the combination of the weaving craft of Manipur. Together with the development of Lun-yar kyaw Acheik , Amarapura Township became a centre of weaving industry from the Amarapura period to the Yatanabon Period. During the British colonial period, Myanmar weaving industry faced the great challenge by the foreign textiles which were imported under the policy of free trade. And therefore the Myanmar weavers had to struggle for their survival to compete these foreign textiles. Under the momentum of nationalism, Myanmar nationalist leaders made demands to up-lift the traditional weaving and loans for weaving. Mr. L.H. Saunders, Mandalay District Commissioner, who came to be aware of the hardships of weavers attempted to upgrade the traditional weaving through from Amarapura as a core and founded a weaving school there. Research Question How much the transformation have an impact upon the Myanmar traditional weaving? How did the Myanmar weaving evolve from the conventional tradition to modernity? Research Methods Data analysis and quantitative methods are used in this research paper. 1 Lecturer, Dr, Department of History, University of Mandalay 286 University of Mandalay, Research Journal, Vol.11, 2020 Literature Review Than Than Win ( 1998) states that under the British rule in 1890, the flying shuttle was firstly introduced into Myanmar. Mr. Barkal, an Indian Civil Servant, brought Mr. Benton, a mechanist of flying shuttle from England, and let him to teach the techniques of flying shuttle at some prisons and missionary schools in Taungoo and Kyi-myin-taing, but in vain. These flying shuttles were repaired and reinstalled for Saunders Weaving Institute in 1910. (Than Than Win, 1998, p-21) Sein Win (1996) argues that the measures were taken for wiping out the Myanmar traditional cultural heritages by the British government during their rule, Myanmar traditional weaving craft which had been developed under the rule of Myanmar kings had come to be faded out due to lack of encouragement and led to the extinction of it. The British did not write and compile any books and papers on the Myanmar traditional weaving craft though they had ruled Myanmar for years and they also purposely banned the modern weaving crafts into Myanmar, the flying shuttle which had been invented in England since in 1732 by John Kay, came to introduce into Myanmar only in the year of 1914 and so it is obvious that the British had intentionally banned the modern technologies not to reach Myanmar.(Sein Win, 1996, p-23) The appearance of weaving under the feudalism in Myanmar The cotton had not been grown during the period of the Pyu and then in Bagan period. During that period, the people used Lè silk cotton tree (Ceiba penandra) for weaving clothing. The cultivation of cotton had to start during the Inwa period in 14th century and it was imported from India. During the Konbaung period, cotton was grown by broadcasting system and the people lived on the self-sufficient production. In every village in the country sides, the people produced their necessities and therefore hand looms were put on in most of the homes of rural community and produced home-spun clothing. In the mid Konbaung period, cotton was mostly grown as single crop. Two main kind of cotton namely Wagalay and Wagyi were grown. Myingyan District and the Lower Chindwin District were the main areas of cotton cultivation during the Konbaung period. Cotton became one of the principal cash crops since in the reign of King Badon and he had put it under the royal monopoly as an important item. Myinmu, Pindale, Sagaing, Myingyan, Meikhtila, Taungtha. etc were gathered in Sagaing for export to China. Sagaing continued to exist as a centre of cotton trade under the reign of King Badon and Sagaing Min. King Mindon had also put the cotton under the royal monopoly. The king appointed agents to buy cotton and they had to carefully check on the quality of cotton. ( Soe Soe Khaing, 2017, p-1-6) The importing of cheap yarns in abundance led to the thoroughly extinction of cotton and silk cultivation in Myanmar. The availability of cheap yarns led to the leave out of many former weavers to the business. (Fraser Lu, 1994, p-269) In Myanmar, silk wares were imported from China since in the Pyu period and the weaving craft also seemed to spread from China. (Than Than Win, 1998, p-4) It is noted that since the Pyu period, the skill of weaving garments has already existed in Myanmar. According to the record of a Persian, the costumes of the Pyu artisans sent on a mission to China during the Pyu period were finely woven cotton wares. Similarly, according to the Chinese records, the Pyu men had worn the cotton longyis while women wore hta-mein (nether garment) dyed in various colours. It states that they did not weave and wear as they did not want to kill the lives of the silkworms. Thus, the Pyus had already known the craftsmanship of weaving silk wares.(Dr. Than Tun, 1969, p-59) According to the evidences of the mural paintings, as well as the terms of garments mentioned in the inscriptions of the Hle-htauk Pagoda (A.D, 1110), that of the University of Mandalay, Research Journal, Vol.11, 2020 287 Saw Hla Wun (A.D 1236) and that of the Phwar Sqaw inscription (A.D 1301), belonging to Bagan period, it is noted that there had already developed the craft of weaving during the Bagan period. (Aung Nyein Chan, 2007, p-241-2) Starting from the reign of King Anawrahta (A.D 1044), the dress style and craftsmanship of weaving of the Myanmar people had come to progress in standard. They made innovations on the original weaving craft by combining with the crafts of Mons and Indians. Observing on the statues and the dress styles drawn in the mural paintings of Bagan period indicates that the dress style of this period was more bent on the Indian culture during the early Bagan period. Moreover, according to the inscriptions of Bagan period (the Shwe Kun Khyar Inscription A.D. 1301), (Queen Phwar Saw Inscription, A.D. 1329)(the Inscription of the Sutaung-Pyayh Pagoda, East Bagan), there mentions some weaving terms, as well as the terms associated with the dress styles. (Sein Win, 1998,p-17-8) During the Pinya period, in the reign of king Thiha Thu, who succeeded to the throne in A.D 1312, some evidences related to embroidery were found. After the fall of Bagan Dynasty, three Shan Brothers established the Pinya Dynasty by backing Phra Mangrai of Chiang Mai from northern Thailand. King Phra Mangrai asked Thihathu, the youngest one of the three Shan Brothers, for some gold smiths, silver smiths and weavers to be used in his palace of Chiang Mai. Although the weavers from Pinya were brought together with the gold smiths and silver smiths under the compliance of Thihathu , they were left out by Mangrai at Kyaing Tong. The culture of Shan and Bamar including the weaving craft came to be combined during this period. It can be said that the weavers from Trans-Than Lwin area and northern Thailand were to be of the descendants of Myanmar weavers who were deported into these areas during the 13th century. (Soe Soe Khaing, 2017, p-30) During the Taungoo Period, King Tabin Shwehtee had deported the weavers as war captives from Siam to Taungoo. It is assumed that the weaving craft came to be more developed during the king Bayintnaung's reign through from the innovations resulted from the combination of The Myanmar weavers and the Siamese weavers. During the Nyaung-yan period or the Restored-Taungoo Period (1599-1752), there developed the craftsmanship of weaving, as can be observed on the mural paintings of the Culamani Pagoda of Nyaung-yan period located in Bagan. According to the mural paintings belonging to the Nyaungyan period (A.D 1599-1752), which can be observed in the U-Pali Ordination Hall (Sima) of Bagan, as well as the verses and Pyo verses such as Koe-khan pyo by Shin Maha Rahttathara ,Thu-zar pyo by Wungyi Padetha-yaza and Nay-mi Bon-khan pyo (A.D 1642) by Shin Aggasami, there developed weaving and silk ware weaving very well during the period.