Page 385 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

MyanMar’s ethnic groups CONTEXTS 383
among the first converts to Buddhism in Southeast Asia as the new religion spread east
from India. Comprising around four percent of the national population (a little over
two million people), the Rakhine speak a distinctive form of Burmese (considered a
dialect by some, a separate language by others). A brief account of Rakhine history is
given in chapter 2 (see box, p.120).

Mon
Formerly the largest and most powerful ethnic group in southern Myanmar, the Mon
people have now been relegated to the status of an embattled minority. The last
independent Mon kingdom was toppled in 1757 (see p.364), and since then they have
been largely assimilated into the Bamar mainstream – only around two percent of
Burmese (roughly a million people) now class themselves as Mon, living mainly in the
south of the country, particularly in Mon and Bago states and the Delta region. As
with many other ethnic minorities, the Mon have periodically rebelled against the
central government in an attempt to gain independence – a series of insurgencies ended
only by a general ceasefire agreement of 1995.

Kachin
“Kachin” is an umbrella term used to describe some six ethnic groups living in far
northern Kachin State, with a total of just under a million people; the Jinpo are the major
subgroup. Core Burmese beliefs are less in evidence here – most Kachin are Christian,
and animist beliefs remain strong too – while traditional styles of Kachin dress (although
now rarely worn except on festive occasions; see box, p.348) are among the most
flamboyant in the country. The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has been involved in a
long-running conflict with the government (see p.348), with hostilities recommencing in
2011 following the collapse of a previous ceasefire and continuing to the present.

Kayah
Living in the remote hills of Kayah State are the Kayah people, also known as the Red
Karen or the Karenni (and sometimes classified as a subgroup of the Karen) – the name
“Red Karen” derives from their fondness for red clothing. Now numbering fewer than
half a million (with more over the border in Thailand), the Kayah can be divided into
numerous subgroups including the famous Kayan (Padaung) (see box, p.384). As with
other minorities, the Kayah have suffered repeated military persecution and human
rights abuses, which led to clashes between the Burmese army and the Karenni People’s
Liberation Front until the agreement of a ceasefire of 1995.

Chin
Forming the majority of the half-million inhabitants of remote Chin State in
Myanmar’s far west, the Chin people share many ethnic links with the Zo (aka Mizo)
people in the adjacent Indian state of Mizoram. Always remote from the Burmese
mainstream, the majority of Chin converted to Christianity during the colonial period
– and have suffered significantly for their beliefs since independence (see p.135). They
are perhaps best known to outsiders for their curious practice of tattooing the faces of
their women (see box, p.132).

Wa
Myanmar’s million or so Wa people (descended, according to one legend, from two
female tadpoles) live mainly in northern Shan and eastern Kachin states along the

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