The Country of the Shans Author(s): R. G. Woodthorpe Source: The Geographical Journal, Vol. 7, No. 6 (Jun., 1896), pp. 577-600 Published by: geographicalj Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1774150 Accessed: 26-06-2016 05:02 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://about.jstor.org/terms JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Wiley, The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Geographical Journal This content downloaded from 178.250.250.21 on Sun, 26 Jun 2016 05:02:42 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms The Geographical Journal. NO. 6. JUNE, 1896. VOL. VII. THE COUNTRY OF THE SHANS.X By Colonel R; G. WOODTHORPE, C.B., R.E. I sx not going to-night to tell you tales of stirring adventure, or of lengthy travels pursued under trying conditions, of hardships so cheer- fully borne and privations so gallantly endured that we feel proud, not only of our countrymen, but also of our country-women. Such tales you have lately listened to; and the adventures of Mrs. J. G. Scott, who has accompanied her husband in all his travels, would make a thrilling narrative. I cannot tell you of visits to hitherto quite unknown peoples; nor, except in trifling matters of detail, has our recent work on the Mekong (Mekawng is the correct spelling) added to our geographical knowledge. The country I propose to describe to-night has been traversed by others, and de,scriptions of the tribes inhabiting it are to be found in the writings of many previous travellers. Francis Garnier, whose adventurous career is full of fascination; M. Pavie, the distinguished e2rplorer to whom the iE5rench colonial party owes so much, and whose acquaintance I had the pleasure of making on the Mekong last year, with M. Lefevre Pontalis, his able lieutenant; Prince Henri D'Orleans, whose late wonderful journey must excite our warmest admiration (though, as a patriotic e2rplorer, I may perhaps be: permitted a passing regret that success did not crown my repeated endeavours to have some of the problems on our own frontier, which the Prince claims to have solved, solved by British explorers instead); my brave friend, Lieut. Otto Ehlers, whose untimely death, it is feared from starvation, geographical societies, as well as his friends, deeply deplore; Mr. J. G. Scott, well known in the literary as in the political world; * Paper read at the Royal Geographical Society, March 9, 1896. Map, p. 688. S85TO. VI. JUSEX 1896-] 2 R This content downloaded from 178.250.250.21 on Sun, 26 Jun 2016 05:02:42 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 578 THE COUNTRY OF THE SHANS. Lord Lamington; Captain G. J.Younghusband, whose adventurous journey to Reng Tung at the critical period when we first occupied Mandalay, showed him to be a true chip of the old block; all these have written eloquently about the Shans and the hill tribes of Indo-China. All I can do is to open for you the gate into this fertile field, and to endeavour to attract your attention to this most interesting corner in the iE ar East. The Shan States under British protection form the easternmost portion of our Burmese possessions, and may be said to lie approncimately between the l9th and 24th parallels of latitude, and the 96th and 102nd of longitude. They do not, however, by any means cover the whole of the area included between these parallels, but, presenting a broad base towards the Irawadi, narrow down considerably towards the east, forming a rough triangle. To the west lie the great plains of Burma proper, traversed by the Irawadi. To the north and east we have the province of Yunan, with the Chinese Shan districts of Mung Lem and Reng Hung immediately on our borders. To the south are the Raren hills and Siam. These states present a remarkable variety of natural features. The country to the west of the Salwin is a series of elevated plateaus- great rolling grassy downs separated by deep valleys and intersected by lofty parallel ranges, the general direction of which is north and south. These ranges, in contrast to the yellow downs, are beautifully wooded, and attain to great heights, some of the peaks rising to nearly 9000 feet above sea-level, the general elevation of the plateaus lzeing from 3000 to 5000 feet. Along the valleys flow swift rivers, now tbrough dark and narrow gorges, pent between mighty clifEs, now through alluvial hollows with terraced rice-fields, among which they wind with many a curve. To the east of the Salwin the country is much broken up; no clearly defined range of mountains presents itself, but the eye wanders over a confused sea of forest-clad hills and narrow valleys, relieved here and there only by sluall oases till Keng Tung plain is reached, beyond which the mountains rise again range upon range irl tangled masses to the Mekong. Across the Mekong we have similar features, flat fel tile valleys, or terraced uplands lying amid intricate mazes of hills, the drainage system of which is the despair of the reconnoitrer who, limited as to time, and hampered by the encigencies of a boundary commission, endeavours to solve the puzzle from two or three coigns of vantage. In this, however, he is much assisted by the mist which lies in all the valleys in the early morning, clearly marking the courses of the rivers and larger streams, whioh are difficult to distinguish when garish day destroys all atmospheric perspective. The Shan States are watered by many considerable streams, but there are only two drainage basins those (1) of the Salwin or Nam Rong * and (2) of the Mekong, or river of Cambodia. The Menam, the * Nam Kong is the Shan 1lame; naqn = a " river." This content downloaded from 178.250.250.21 on Sun, 26 Jun 2016 05:02:42 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms iC t je. - SX {v0-,;0;.,t. V -.<iS A.<000 < >XS ... 5G. v,0>,4 iD W }fW. i. 00 }S f:00. 0 9. tit:: :1rm '9::.0000. < A000Dfr Sk > 00 7..........@ , 70 -0.; .: , tE... 00. it * . >- .0.i=<* ;.0:i-j;fis5;,j S....... 0l Ad: 29i ..4,etr ..FB. S, . 0 ->i ; iw0<): 0 0 -Xr- 00 l- ; 0 3 - 000000; D00Da; 0 000 0 00 - 4 THE COUNTRY OF THE SHANS. 579 river of Siam, of which we have heard somewhat lately, lies between these two, and rises just south of the Shan States. In the northern Shan States, the streatns :ilowing into the Salwin are few and insignificant, the main drainage being into the Irawadi; but in the southern Shan States we find the reverse is the case, and the drainage into the Irawadi is ineonsiderable, whlle sereral fair-sized streatns ilowing south and followint, more or less parallel courses, empty theluselves into the Salwin. These are the Balu Chaungs or Nam Lak, the Nam Pawn, Nam Teng, and the Ben Chaung or Nam Pang. The first is the rivel of Fort Stedman. It rises to the north of this Di - tSAt< * , fs 00 fS iV EE lD-,, :!i S-E i li i i TI1E M13:RONG ABOV13: TANG A W. place, and fowing at first through forest loses itself in a huge swarap ulerging into the Inle lakes a vast expanse of water 13 miles long and about 4 miles wide at its upper end, but narlowing towards the south. It is nowlnere very deep, and the bottozn is overgrown with long and tangled weeds, which rise nearly to the surface. The lake dwellings of the Itlthas, an anlphibious tribe said to have been originally brought as sla+res from the province of TavoJ,-, rise on piles out of the water in gloups near the edge, and foating gardens, on which are grown tDleatoes, water-melons, gourds, and the pan-leaf vine7 dot the surface of tlle lake around them. Many large villages are seen on either shore; monasteries and elusters of white pagodas, built on the extremities of the spurs running into the lake, are reflected in its placid depths; and on the eastern shore, lvying back froin the water on some rising ground, are the llouses and barracks of Fort Stedman. * 'l he Burme#e aame; chaurbg = " strearn." 2 R 2 This content downloaded from 178.250.250.21 on Sun, 26 Jun 2016 05:02:42 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 580 THE COUNTRY OF THE SHANS, The Inle lake is well worth a visit, and the method of rowing adoptedl by the Inthas is peculiar. Men and women are equally e2rpert. They stand one at the bow and the other at the stern of the boat. The rower holds the paddle lightly in one hand to guide it, and, balancing himself on olle leg, he works the paddle with the other by hooking the foot round the upper portion of the blade. Thesr complicate matters further by frequently carrying a spear in the hand not occupied with the paddle, with which they transfi2z any passing fish.