The Kachin
State is what we in Myanmar call the
roof of the country: it's up there on
the far north, the area that looks like
a cosy hat at the very upper top of the
country. The region is inhabited by the
different Kachin races of Jainhpaw, Azi,
Rawang, Lashi. Mashu and Lisu. Their
land is swept by chilly breezes blowing
from the Himalayas that surround them;
their streams are crystal clear and icy,
flowing with waters of melted snow.
The races
live in villages by rivulets or in
valleys or on hill tops, each with their
own language, customs and culture. Like
all the other races of the Union of
Myanmar, they are proud of their roots.
For harvest or New Year festivals, they
gather for the Manau Pwe, celebrating,
feasting, dancing and sharing a good
time with all their clans. In daily life
they continue to wear their traditional
costumeS but fo festivals they Come oUt
in special clothes, Some So priceless
and rare that they are handed down from
generation to genera- tion. Many
costumes have designs or colours that
mean something, either about the family
or the rank and wealth of the wearer.
The northernmost town of Myanmar is
Putao, and one gets chills up the spine,
not from the cold, but at the sight of
spectacular peaks of ice on the east,
west and north. In clear weather the
jagged mountain ranges look allTIost
close enough to touch. The distance is
far more than that: Hkakaborazi, the
highest in SE Asia at 19316 ft is 180
miles away from Putao. It was first
conquered in 1996 bya Japanese
mountaineer Takashi Ozaki with his
Kachin guide Nyama Jonseng. Covered in
snow all-year round, it offers a
challenge to international mountaineers.
The nearest village to this mountain is
Tahawn Dam.
Other
mountains such as Phunganrazi, 9900 ft
high, are less steep and more acces-
sible. Orchid and butterflies
researchers with legal per- mission from
the Ministry of Forestry come as often
as they could, accompanied at times by
scholars looking for rare medicinal
plants.
The Kachin
region as re- searched by Frank Kingdon
Ward the famous botanist, has many; one
of them, the Ma Shawl (Euonymus
kachinensis Prain) is considered a
cure-all. It is not rare, but its medici-
nal properties are firmly held to be
powerful by traditional medicine
practitioners.
Another
plant is the bitter Kha Tauk (Coptis
teeta Wall) and the root is good for
hy- pertension. One fungus that is only
known as Ye Gai Hmo (Ice Mushroom) is
reputedly good for digestive problems or
as an antidote for poison.
Fourteen
miles away from Putao is Machan Baw, a a
quite, pretty town on the opposite bank
of the Malikha River, one of the two
rivers that gave birth to the
Ayeyarwaddy River. Manchan Baw is
reached by a rope bridge, but there are
many locals poling across or going up
and down river on dug-outs cut from
whole tree trunks.
Mulashidi
Stream is beautiful, a gentle flow of
One stone
inscription known as the Yadana Kon Htan
Inscription written in early Bama
(Burmese language) is at present in
Bagan in the collection of the
Archaeological Department.
The front
face of this 3ft-high stone is damaged
in the middle section. The reverse side,
better protected from the elements, has
the two words 'Myanmar Pyay' which means
Myanmar Country on the first line of the
inscription. The 'na' letter accent of
the sound of 'an' of the first syllable
'Myan' is written in the old script long
disused. Other letters of many words are
also in the old script.
This
is the earliest written record of the
name of the country. The date of the
inscription as read by scholars is 597
of the Myanmar Era, and adding 638 to it
turns it into 1235 of the Roman
calendar, a fact that testifies beyond
doubt that Myanmar is an Ancient name we
are still using to this day. Even during
the British era and beyond when the
English speaking world used the name
Burma as given by the British, to the
citizens of the country the official
name in the local language has always
been Myanmar.
clear
water that lies six miles from Putao
near a Lisu village. It comes from the
Himalayas and wanders into the wilder-
ness and finally into the great
Ayeyarwaddy after joining the waters of
Mai Kha River.
From the
Mulashidi suspension bridge one could
look down at the crystal waters flowing
over round river stones, silvery fish
bask- ing in the sun's rays sliding into
the ripples. On the opposite bank shaded
by thick trees, people bathe and wash
their clothes.
In
summer, wild flowers cover the lush
valley and in this clean and fertile
land, the fruits and vegetables are
unbelievably fresh and delicious. Juicy
grapefruits in Putao have a deep, sweet
taste that puts other citrus fruits to
shame. A black skinned fish from the icy
rivers the Kachin simply call Ice Fish
has a delicate and sweet taste unmatched
by more-expensive fish in the cities,
but then freshness may also be the key
to its sublime flavour.
The Kachin
region has un- told wealth apart from
the jade mines producing the best
Imperial Jade in large quantities,
priceless trea- sures such as strong
cultural values and customs, rare herbs
and magnificent moun- tains. .
(Most
of the data for this article was
provided by Maung Maung Latt,
photographer, and much appreciated by
the writer and the Enchanting Myanmar
Editorial Board)
