SHAN PEOPLE AND THEIR HISTORY

             SHAN is the Burman appellation for those races who call themselves Tai (wB;)    

They are probably the most numerous and widely diffused Indo-Chinese race and occupy the valleys and plateau of the broad belt of mountainous country that leaves the Himalayas and trends Southeasterly between Burma proper on the west and China, Assam and Cambodia on the east, to the Gulf of Siam.[1]   

The Origin of Shan   

Tai  are people of mainland Southeast Asia, including:

The Thai  or Siamese (in central and southern Thailand),

The Lao  (in Laos and northern Thailand),

The Shan  (in northeast Myanmar @ Burma),

The Dai  (in Yunnan province, China, Myanmar, Laos, northern Thailand and Vietnam) and

The Tai  (in northern Vietnam). 

Some historians claim that Tai   people are, in BC 3000, the inhabitants of Asia, central part of the land now known as China.[2]  Rev. William C. Dodd, a Christian missionary, stated that the Tai   settled in the land now known as China before Chinese arrived, based on Chinese annals of 2200 BC.[3]  The history of contact between the Tai and Han (Chinese) peoples dated back to 109 BC, when Emperor Wu Di of the Han Dynasty set up Yizhou Prefecture in southwestern Yi (the name used to signify the minority areas of what are now Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou provinces). The Tai, in subsequent years, sent tribute to the Han court in Luoyang, among the emissaries were musicians and acrobats. The Han court gave gold seals to the Tai ambassadors and their chieftain the title “Great Captain.” According to Chinese documents of the ninth century, the Tai had a fairly well developed agriculture. They used oxen and elephants to till the land, grew large quantities of rice and had built an extensive irrigation system. They used kapok for weaving, panned salt and made weapons of metal. They plated their teeth with gold and silver. [4] 

   According to Chinese annals, the “Ta Muong” (Great Muong) lived in the northwestern part of Szechwan province, in western central China, even before Chinese migrated from the west. Ta Muong would have been the ancestors of the “Ai Lao  ” or “Tai  ” race known as Pa, Pa Lao or PaYi in China who later founded the powerful “Nan Chao Kingdom  ” in Yunnan province. In BC 1558 the Tai had spread over a vast territory almost across the whole width of modern China. Tai have never been called Chinese, nor claimed to have any ethnic links with the Chinese race. Throughout Chinese historical records the Chinese name for the Tai has constantly been changed.[5]  According to American Missionary Rev. William W. Cochrane, Tai   means Free.[6] Sometimes it is also written as Dai   when refer to Tai in China. The Dai ethnic group in China, with a population of about 1.2 million, mainly lives in Dehong Dai-Jingpo Autonomous Region and Xishuangbanna (SipSongPanNa), which mean twelve productive rice fields, Autonomous Prefecture, in the southern part of Yunnan province. The main Dai groups in China are Dai Lu, Dai Nua and Dai Mao  . According to Travel China Guide, Dai   is the name of the nationality, which means “freedom”.[7]  Tai   or Shan   is now used as a generic word to cover the whole race spelled by French as Thay. The name is said to mean “The Free” or “Free Men.”[8]   Why do they call themselves “Tai  ” or “Free” or “Freedom” or “Freemen”? Most likely, according to the history of Tai people, they were under attack many times by many groups such as Monkhmer, Mongol and Chinese for centuries. Their Kingdoms   had been destroyed Kingdom   by Kingdom. They were dispersed to many places in Southeast Asia because of war. They ended up “people without country” in other countries such as China, Burma, India and Vietnam and became a minority group of people in those countries. They would long for freedom. The great Tai   race, who number today about 100 million, had established numerous Kingdoms   and States in the past and still govern the two nations of Thailand and Laos. Tai people consider Thailand and Laos as Tai countries existing today.[9]

            Why Tai  are also called Shan? One of the suppositions concerning the origin of the name “Shan” (oSsef;) is that, it derived from the word “Siam” (Hsian, Sein), which designates to a group of mountainous people who migrated from Yunnan in the 6^th century AD. Siam means agriculture or cultivating. Most probably because they were people of farming. Another supposition is, when Kublai Khan and his Mongol army conquered Nan Chao Kingdom in AD 1253 a second wave of Tai   migrating down south into many areas of Southeast Asia. Some migrating Tai became mercenaries for the Khmer armies in the early 13^th century AD as it was depicted in the walls of Angkor Wat. In those days the Khmer called Tai as Syam, the word derived from Sunskrit meaning golden or yellow. The Tai at that time had a yellow or golden skin color. Shan   can be a corrupt word of Syam, a name given to Kshatriya (warriors) (those warriors were said to be Shan) who were on duty for the Khmer Empire. A third supposition suggests that Shan   were the people named after the “Great Mountain Ranges of China” from where they had migrated. Shan in Chinese is “mountain” or “hill”.[10]

Tai   in Burma are called Shan. But Shan always call themselves Tai (wB;) . Shan   population in Burma is about 5 million (10% of Burma total population)[11]  

The Ancient Kingdoms

Shan   had their country and ruled by King since BC 2000 up to 16^th Century AD when the last Shan kingdom was overthrown by Burman King Anawrata. There were nine Shan   kingdoms recorded in early history.

1. Tsu Kingdom   (rldif;old0f) (BC 2000 - BC 222)

2. Ai Lao  Kingdom  (rldif;nBmjvm0f;) (AD 47 - AD 225)

3. Nan Chao Kingdom  (rldif;vmefhq0fj) (AD 649 - AD 1252)

4. Muong Mao  Lone Kingdom   (rldif;rm0f;vlif) (AD 764 - AD 1252)

5. Yonok Kingdom  (rldif;vmefheM;) (AD 773 - AD 1080)

6. SipSongPanNa (rldif;odyf;o.ifyef;eM;) (AD 1180 - AD 1292)

7. Waisali Kingdom  (rldif;wlefjo.ef;crf;) (AD 1227 - AD 1838)

8. Sukhothai (rldif;xB;) (AD 1238 - AD 1350)

9. Muong Mao Kingdom (rldif;rm0f;) (AD 1311 - AD 1604)

Muong Mao Kingdom was the last kingdom of Shan  .

The Kings of MuongMao were: 

Hsu Kan Hpa (old0fcmefbZMU) (AD 1311 - AD 1364) (founder of Muong Mao  )

Hsu Pem Hpa (old0fyArfbZMU) (q0fjyArfbZMU) (AD 1364 - AD 1366)

Hsu Wak Hpa (old0f0mufjZMU) (ckefwB;yArfb) (AD 1366 - AD 1367)

Hsu Hzun Hpa (old0fqkdefjZMU) (ildefjcA0fZMU) (AD 1367 - AD 1368)

Hsu Hom Hpa (old0f+rfbZMU) (ckefyl;auM;) (AD 1367 - AD 1371)

Hsu Yap Hpa (old0f,AyfbZMU) (wm0fhcmifbrldif;) (AD 1371)

Hsu Hum Hpa (old0f=rfbZMU) (AD 1372 - AD 1405)

Hsu Ke Hpa (old0fcDbZMU) (AD 1405 - AD 1420) 

Their Migration 

The first migration of Shan   was said to be taken place in 1^st century BC when wars in central China drove many Tai   people from that area. Those people moved South founded ancient Shan cities such as “MuongMao  ” (rldif;rm0f;) “MuongNai  ” (rldif;eBm;) “HsenWi XE "HsenWi" ” (oFefj0D) and “HsiPaw XE "HsiPaw" ” (oDDbayMU). All of them are in Burma today. The second migration took place in 6^th century AD from the mountain of Yunnan. They followed “Nam Mao   River” (erfhrm0f;) (ShweLi River) to the South and settled in the valleys and regions surrounding the river. Some continued west into Thailand. A second branch went north following the Brahmaputra River into Northern Assam, India. These three groups of Tai   migrants were; Tai Ahom (Assam), Siam (Thailand) and Shan   (Shan State  ), came to regard themselves as “Free People.”[12]         

Their Present Settlement

Shan live in Burma, China, India, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam under different names but always one and the same people in different countries. Tai   people in Burma are called Shan  . There are five million Shan in Burma. Their land is called Shan State  . Shan people in Burma are also known as Tai   Lone, Tai Lai, Dai   Nua, Dai Mao  , Tai Dome, Tai Ding, Tai Sa, Tai La, Tai Wan, Tai Hume, Tai Lamm, Tai Kwan, Dai Lu, Tai Sam Tao, Tai An, Tai Khun, Tai Ngam, Tai Hai Ya, Tai Yang, Tai Loi, Tai Leng, Tai Khamti.

In China about ten million Shan   live in Yunnan, Hainan and Canton. They are known as Dai  . There are three main Tai groups in China such as Dai Nua, Dai Mao   and Dai Lu. Other Tai groups in China are known as Dai Yangze, Dai Nam (Sue Dai) or Dai Nung, Dai Lai, Dai Lone, Dai Chaung, Dai Doi, Dai Lung, Dai Kai Hua Jen, Tuo Law or Pa Yi, Pu Tai, Pu Naung, Pu Man, Pu Yu, Pu Chia, Pu En, Pu Yai, Pu Sui, Dai Ching, Dai Pa, Dai Tu Jen, Dai Doi, Dai Tho, Dai Hakkas, Dai Ong Be, Dai Li or Dai Lo.

In India Tai   live in Assam State. They are known as Tai Ahom or Tai Assam or Tai

Khamti.

In Lao they are known as Lao-Tai,   include local groups such as Black Tai (Tai Dam) (Dai Lum) and Red Tai (Tai Deng) (Tai Leng) and Tai Nua.

In Thailand they are known as Tai Yai, literally means Great Tai.

In Vietnam they are known as Black Tai (wB;vrf@) and White Tai (Tai Khao) (wB;cm0f) numbering about five hundred thousand. Some other Tai in Vietnam are; Tai Tho (wB;xl0fb), Tai Nung (wB;ekif;), Tai To Tis (wB;xl0fbwdwfh), Tai Yang or Tai Nhang (wB;,mif;? WB;emif;), Tai Leng (wB;vFif@), Tai Pong Toa (wB;z.if;xl0fh), Dai Lu (wB;vkd0fh).

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the estimate total number of Tai   in the late 20^th century is about 75,760,000 (including 45,060,000 Thai   in Thailand, 3,020,000 Laotians in Laos, 3,710,000 Shan   in Burma, 21,180,000 Dai   in China, and about 2,790,000 Tai in Vietnam.)[13]  (Tai in India, Assam State, are not included in this statistic)

Shan State in Burma

                        Map of Burma                     Map of Shan States in Burma

 

Climate and Natural Resources

            The lands where the Shan   live today are called Shan States. There are three seasons in a year; summer, raining and winter. Normally summer begins in March and ends in June, raining season begins in July and ends in October and winter begins in November and ends in February. Shan   States has the most pleasant weather in Burma.

            There are rich natural resources in Shan States. The most produced agricultural product of the Shan States   is rice. Other important agricultural products include tea, cigar wrapping leaf, coffee, orange, potato, tomato and cabbage, garlic, indigo, wheat, strawberry, pear, pineapple, cotton, tobacco and a variety of vegetable. Among forest products, teak is the most important product. The principal cottage industry in the Shan States are weaving product. Shan do not grow opium. The mining resources in Shan   States produce jade, silver, lead, gold, copper, iron, wolfram, tin, tungsten, manganese, nickel, coal, antimony, mica, marble and zinc. It is even called “God’s Own Country”[14]

The most famous mines in Shan States are;

NamTu Mine

YaTaNaTheinKe Mine

HaeMawSai Mine

HaeGalaw Mine

HaeLoiMa Mine

HinKao Mine

HtanPaiNgak Mine

The great silver mine in NamTu (Bawdwin) was supposed to be the second largest in the world.[15]  There are forests in the areas with an altitude of 3,000 feet above sea level in Shan   States. Bamboo grows naturally in the forests with trees such as Kyun (teak), Pyingadoe, Padauk, In, Kanyin and other hardwood.  Shan States   have over 2,000,000 acres of forest reserve, over 1.5 million acres of cultivated areas consisting of over 500,000 acres for paddy and crops cultivation, about 200,000 acres for hill-side cultivation, over 8,000 acres of land formed by the process of silting for cultivation and over 200,000 acres for gardens.  

Political History

 After the last Shan   Kingdom, Muong Mao   Kingdom,   was overthrown by Burman King in AD 1560 Shan fragmented countries were governed by SaoPha   (Shan chief) appointed by Burman King. Burman King allowed SaoPha to rule their regions but they had to pay allegiance to the Burman central court. From the middle of 19^th century onwards the Burman authority imposed greater control through the stationing of military officers, sitke or bhomu, to impose regular payments of allegiance to the central treasury.[16] The holder of the authority over the town was known as MyoSa (literally means town eater). MyoSa was assigned to collect revenues on behalf of Burman king.[17]

In AD 1765 there were 12 Shan territories.

AD 1782-1819 there were 188 towns and 5,885 villages in Shan   territories.

Before Second World War there were 14 SaoPha ruling Shan territories.

AD 1824-26; First Anglo-Burmese war ended with the “Treaty of Yandabo”, according to which Burma ceded the Arakan coastal strip between Chittagong and Cape Negrais to British   India.

AD 1852 Britain annexed lower Burma, including Rangoon, following the second Anglo-Burmese   war. The defeat of the Burman troops in the second Anglo-Burmese war led to more significant political and administrative changes.

AD 1885-86; Britain captured Mandalay after a brief battle and Burma became a province of British India. Mandalay fell and King ThiBaw and his queen SuPhaYaLat were taken to Ratanagir near Bombay.

Britain annexed Shan States in 1887. The Shan   States were administered separately from Burma with SaoPha  .

The Shan  States under British   (1887-1948)

            After annexation of Shan countries by British   in 1887 the British sought to govern Shan countries and its people by SaoPha  . SaoPha had to acknowledge British supremacy, maintain peace and not oppress their subjects. Between 1887 and 1895 the SaoPha   pledged their allegiance to the British   crown and their domains were placed under the supervision of British Assistant Superintendents.[18]

The formal administrative entity known as the “Federated Shan   States” was not created until 1922. Under British   government, the 40 Shan   States were combined and then divided into three general sections: the Northern Shan State, the Southern Shan State and the Eastern Shan State; altogether they formed the “Federated Shan State  ”. Federated Shan   State was formed under British   colony on October 1, 1922. There are three Shan   States until today. All these Shan States   gained independence on January 4, 1948 together with other States but they all are now under Burma Military Government since 1962. 

PangLong Agreement [19] (vdufj=rfrBmymifvlif)

Before meeting with General Aung San, all the Shan leaders and peoples of the Shan States got together to adopt the Shan Flag and the National Anthem. February 7, 1947 was marked as Shan National Day. A conference held at PangLong, Southern Shan State, attended by General Aung San, members of the Executive Council XE "Council"  of the Governor of Burma, all SaoPha   and representatives of the Shan   States, Kachin Hills and Chin Hills on February 10, 1947.

General Aung San explained to the Shan SaoPha that he was going to London very soon and asking for independence. He also wanted Shan States to be independence at the same time.[20]  The Members of the conference believed that freedom would be more speedily achieved by the cooperation of Shan, Kachin and Chin with the Interim Burmese   Government.

Agreement [21]

(I) A representative of the Hill Peoples, selected by the Governor on the recommendation of representatives of the Supreme Council of the United Hill Peoples, shall be appointed a Counselor to the Governor to deal with the Frontier Areas.

(II) The said Counselor shall also be appointed a member of the Governor's Executive Council without portfolio, and the subject of Frontier Areas brought within the purview of the Executive Council by constitutional convention as in the case of Defence and External Affairs. The Counselor for Frontier Areas shall be given executive authority by similar means.

(III) The said Counselor shall be assisted by two Deputy Counselors representing races of which he is not a member. While the two Deputy Counselors should deal in the first instance with the affairs of the respective areas and the Counselor with all the remaining parts of the Frontier Areas, they should by Constitutional Convention act on the principle of joint responsibility.

(IV) While the Counselor in his capacity of Member of the Executive Council  will be the only representative of the Frontier Areas on the Council, the Deputy Counselor(s) shall be entitled to attend meetings of the Council when subjects pertaining to the Frontier Areas are discussed.

(V) Though the Governor’s Executive Council will be augmented as agreed above, it will not operate in respect of the Frontier Areas in any manner which would deprive any portion of these Areas of the autonomy which it now enjoys in internal administration. Full autonomy in internal administration for the Frontier Areas is accepted in principle.

(VI) Though the question of demarcating and establishing a separate Kachin State within a Unified Burma is one which must be relegated for decision by the Constituent Assembly, it is agreed that such a State is desirable. As first step towards this end, the Counselor for Frontier Areas and the Deputy Counselors shall be consulted in the administration of such areas in the Myitkyina and the Bhamo District as are Part 2 Scheduled Areas under the Government of Burma Act of 1935.

(VII) Citizens of the Frontier Areas shall enjoy rights and privileges which are regarded as fundamental in democratic countries.

(VIII) The arrangements accepted in this Agreement are without prejudice to the financial autonomy now vested in the Federated Shan States.

(IX) The arrangements accepted in this Agreement are without prejudice to the financial assistance which the Kachin Hills and the Chin Hills are entitled to receive from the revenues of Burma and the Executive Council will examine with the Frontier Areas Counselor and Deputy Counselor(s) the feasibility of adopting for the Kachin Hills and the Chin Hills financial arrangements similar to those between Burma and the Federated Shan States

Signatories of PangLong Agreement

The 23 signatories of the PangLong Agreement were consisted of 14 Shan  , 5 Kachin,

3 Chin and 1 Burman.

One from Burman Committee, 

(1) General Aung San

Five from Kachin Committee, 

(1) Samma Duwa Sinwa Naw (rep. from MyitKyiNa)

(2) Duwa Zau Rip (rep. from MyitKyiNa)

(3) Dingra Tang (rep. from MyitKyiNa)

(4) Duwa Zau Lawn (rep. from WanMaw a.k.a BhaMo)

(5) Labang Grong (rep. from WanMaw a.k.a BhaMo)

Three from Chin Committee, 

(1) U Hlur Hmung (rep. from FaLam)

(2) U Thaung Za Khup. (rep. from TidDim)

(3) U Kio Mang. (rep. from HaKa)

Fourteen from Shan   Committee, 

(1) Khun Pan Sing. (SaoPha Lone of TawngPeng State)

(2) Sao Shwe Thaike (SaoPha Lone of YawngHwe State)

(3) Sao Hom Hpa. (SaoPha Lone of North HsenWi State)

(4) Sao Num.  (SaoPha Lone of LaiKha State)

(5) Sao Sam Htun  (SaoPha Lone of MuongPawn State)

(6) Sao Htun E  (SaoPha Lone of HsaMongHkam State)

(7) U Phyu  (rep. of HsaHtung Saophalong)

(8) U Khun Pung  (SPFL) (Shan People Freedom League)

(9) U Tin E (SPFL)

(10) U Kya Bu (SPFL)

(11) Sao Yape Hpa  (SPFL)

(12) U Htun Myint    (SPFL)

(13) U Khun Saw (SPFL)

(14) U Khun Htee (PangLong) (SPFL) 

Based on this foundation, the Union of Burma was established.

February 12, 1947, the day of the signing of the agreement, is marked as Union Day.[22] 

Independence of Burma and Shan SaoPha  ( q0fjZMU )

 Shan   States together with Burma proper, gained independence from British   on January 4, 1948 and formed Union of Burma. The first President of Union of Burma was Sao Shwe Thaike, (q0fjolpfbwFufh) Shan SaoPha of YaungHwe.

In the past a Muong (rldif;) (Territory) was governed by a hereditary chief called “SaoPha  ” (q0fjZMU) literary means “Lord of the Sky.” The political and geographical situation of the Shan   States changed in 1886 when Burma became British   colony. The Shan States   with other “Hill States” were allowed to remain autonomous, which meant that in the Shan States the SaoPha would still rule over their States or Muongs. The British   Government respected and recognized the authority of the Shan SaoPha. Small States were absorbed into bigger ones, old States dismantled and new ones formed. A SaoPha  ’s salary was depending on a fixed fraction of the State revenue. Thus, a SaoPha with a bigger and more prosperous State earned a salary higher than one with a smaller and less prosperous State. About thirty-five per cent of the revenue was contributed to the Central Government and the rest was used for State Administration.

Before World War II, the Shan had been content to be ruled by the SaoPha. After the war SaoPha found themselves having to deal with activists in their own States, some were anti-SaoPha and others anti-British. The people’s demonstrations were putting pressure on the SaoPha to relinquish the power. In 1958 the SaoPha agreed to the demand of the temporary military government led by General Ne Win and relinquish their power and hereditary rights. No more ruling SaoPha since 1958.

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