Burmese Animism Animism in Kengtung State, Tnesis for degree

305 Pages·2014·7.5 MB·English

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.