Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1888-06-08
BuRMAH's psop, &c
intsfesting Data Conccrp,n.
Habits and Custn,n. ''s"

iafefesting Data coneerp,ng ,.~ 49,
Habits and Customs.
Mr.. J. A. Bryce gives the proceed;no.
OF the Royal Geographical Society a.
interesting account of the country and
peoples Of Burmah. The yarion.
peoples who inhabit the last addition to
inc British Empire appear to be al, ~
Mongolian afiinities, but thew d;osr
from each other as widely as 40 ~
races OF indo-European stock. Out ~
inc total population, which NAV no
placed at seven millions and a Quarter
the true Burmese are about one-balt
inc rest belonging to the races known
az harens. Kakhyens, Khyens, SLans
ana laiaing. The whole Of these races
nave IN common with the remainder
OF the peoples who are not dominant in
IN lndo-China, descended at various
periods either from China or fror
Tibet, and may be considered for the
most part as more or less Sinicised abo.
r'einai peoples who have fed soutb-
maru 10 escape the political power of
emma. No two authorities seem IN
agree respecting the relative dates at
which all these various peoples entered
the peninsula. The Talaing was cer-
tainly In possession Of Pegu and Ar.
racan before the Burman, and the Tai.
alng 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 Hlndustan. In person he is smaller.
plumper, fairer and less hard-featured
than his Burmese conquerors.
Less seems to be known about the
harens than the Talaing, but Lacou-
perle believes that thay were dominant
IN lndo-China previous to the irrup.
ton OF the various races of Shans. Mr..
Bryce believes that in Burmah thew
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 is 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
whelmed by the Shans they after awhile
arose again, and imposed their yoke
upon their former masters. As a 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
politencss. The good hard
working but less courteous Shan APP
pears to him savage. In stature the
Burmese are inferior to the Shan,
though taller than the Talaing. The
great Shan race, though less numerou,
in Burmah than the Burmese them
eslves, is now preponderant in tht
peninsula. The Siamese are Shan, as arr
the peoples to the north of them
whether paying tribute to China, Bur
nah, AMMAN or Siam. Some defect il
the Shan character seems to prevent
their agglomeration into large masses
and thus it has come to pass that mos
of their Princes are tributary, though il
can not be disputed that the northern
5hans of Burmah and the Laos State!
are the most energetic peoples of the
peninsula.
The Kakhyens are rude people
when compared with the Shans or thu
Burmese. They inhabit the billy dis
tricts Of Assam and northwestern Bur
nah. and have recently, owing to thu
weakness of the Burmese power, en-
croached toward the south. In Assam
they are known as Singphos. TIL
Khyens are settled in the mountain
between Burmah and Bengal. Th
Burmese proper are chiefly settled il
the upper part of the 1rrawadi delta
in narrow belt on each side of thu
, Irrawadi in Upper Burmah, the uppe
!, valley of the Sittang. and the Moo val
: lev. between the Irrawadi and its tribu
, t;.y, the Kyendwin.
, The total area of Burmah is abou
$50. 900 square miles, and is thus neari.
equal to the State of Texas, HI
greater part of this area is uncultivate'
mountain and forest, and Mr.. Bryc
states that not above one-seventh evel
of Lower Burmah is cultivated. Th
, lower part of the combined deltas o
the Irrawadi and the Sittang receiv
one hundred inches of rain annually
, but this is diminished one-half at tn
apex of the delta, and the plain of tn
, Upper Irrawadi is deficient in rainfall
and depends for its water supply upo
the river.-M. Y. Independent.
How the Japs Measure Time.