Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1888-06-02
euRMAh,s PEOPLES.


eURMAH's PEOPLES.
laeseesting Data Concernlng their Oxiein, |
Hat,its and Customs.
Mr.. J. A. Bryce gives the proceedings
Of the Royal Geographical Society an
interesting account Of the country and
peoples Of Burmah. The various
peoples who inhabit the last addition to
the British Empire appear to be all of
Monaghan affinities. but they differ
from each other as widely as do the
racesof 1ndo-European stock. Out Of
the total population, which may be
placed at seven millions and q quarter.
the true Burmese are about one-half,
the rest belonging to the races known
~ Karens. Kakhyens, Khyens. Shans
and Talaing. The whole Of these races
have, in common with the remainder
of the peoples who are not dominant in
in Indo-China. descended at various
periods either from China or from
Tibet, and may be considered for the
most part as more or less Sinicised ab0-
riginal peoples who have fed south
ward to escape the political power of
China. No two authorities seem to
agree respecting the relative dates at
which all these various peoples entered
the peninsula. The Talaing was Ger.
tainly in possession Of Pegu and Ar.
racan before the Burman, and the Tai.
aing race still forms the bulk Of the
population in the delta of the Irrawadi
and the Sittang. The Talaing is usually
considered to be related to the Kolarian
Of Hindustan. In person he is smaller,
plumpcr, fairer and less Manufactured
than his Burmese conquerors.
Less seems to be known about the
Karens than the Talaing, but Lacou-
perie believes that thay were dominant
in Indo-China previous to the irrup-
ton Of the various races of Shans. Mr..
Bryce believes that in Burmah they
post-date the Tibetans. There are at the
present time two very different races
within Burmese territory who bear the
name Of Karens. One Of these IL the
Karennees or Red Karens, so-called
from the color Of their breeches-a
tribe Of untamable head-hunters, own.
ing allegiance to no one; and the white
Karens, quiet and inoffcnsive race in.
habiting some districts Of Lower Bur-
NAH, especially the mountains Of Ten
asserim.
The Burmese proper are among the
Oldest people Of the country. Over
whelmod by the Shans they after awhile
arose again. and imposed their yoke
upon their former masters. As race
they have shown great vitality; while
as individuals. though habitually indo-
lent, they are capable Of great displays
Of energy when sufficiently aroused.
The Burman is the Partisan Of Asia.
None can excel him in all the graces Of
politeness. The good-humored. hard
working but less courteous Shan APP
pears to him a savage. In stature the
Burmese are inferior to the Shan,
though taller than the Talaing The
great Shan race, though less numerous
in Burmah than the Burmese them
eslves. is now preponderant in the
peninsula. The Siamese are Shan, MS are
the peoples to the north of them,
whether paying tribute to China, Bur-
nah, AMMAN or Siam. Some defect in
the Shan character seems to prevent
their agglomeration into large masses,
and thus it has come to pass that most
OF their Princes are tributary, though it
can not be disputed that the northern
Shans Of Burmah and the Laos States
are the most energetic peoples of the
peninsula.
The Kakhyens are rude people,
when compared with the Shans or the
Burmese. They inhabit the billy dis
tricts of Assam and northwestern Bur-
NAH. and have recently, owing to the
weakness Of the Burmese power, en-
Tcroached toward the south. In Assam
they are known as Singphos. The
khyens are settled in the mountains
between Burmah and Bengal. The
Burmese proper are chiefly settled in
the upper part Of the Irrawadi delta,
in narrow belt on each side Of the
lrrawadi in Upper Burmah, the upper
valley OF the Sittang, and the Moo val
ley, between the Irrawadi and its tribu-
t:ay, the Kyendwin.
The total area of Burmah Is about
$4,000 square miles. and is thus nearly
equal to the State of Texas. The
greater part of this area is uncultiyated
, -, Hnnpa forest, and Mr.. Bryce
states that not above % even
Of Lower Burmah is cultivated. The
lower part Of the combined delfas of
the Irrawadi and the Sittang receive
one hundred inches of rain annually,
but this is diminished one-half at the
apex Of the delta, and the plain Of the
Upper Irrawadi is deficient in rainfall,