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Encyclopedia > Shan
Shan
Total population

6 million (est.) Shan could refer to a few different meanings: The Shan are a Southeast Asian ethnic group inhabiting Myanmar. ...

Regions with significant populations
Myanmar, Thailand
Language(s)
Shan, Burmese, others
Religion(s)
Theravada Buddhism, Animism

The Shan (Burmese: ရ္ဟမ္‌းလူမ္ယုိး; IPA: [ʃán lùmjóʊ]; Chinese: 掸族; pinyin: dǎn zú) are a Tai ethnic group of Southeast Asia. The Shan live primarily in the Shan State of Burma (Myanmar), but also inhabit parts of Mandalay Division, Kachin State, and Kayin State, and in adjacent regions of China and Thailand.[1]The Shan are estimated to number ~6 million; a reliable census has not been taken since 1935. The capital of Shan State is Taunggyi, a small city of about 150,000 people. Other major cities include Thibaw (Hsipaw), Lashio, Kengtong and Tachileik. Anthem Kaba Ma Kyei Capital Naypyidaw Largest city Yangon Official languages Burmese Demonym Burmese Government Military junta  -  Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Than Shwe  -  Prime Minister Soe Win  -  Acting Prime Minister Thein Sein Establishment  -  Bagan 849–1287   -  Taungoo Dynasty 1486–1752   -  Konbaung Dynasty 1752–1885   -  Colonial rule... The Shan language is related to the Thai language and is commonly called Tai-Yai, or Tai Long. ... Theravada (Pali; Sanskrit: Sthaviravada) is one of the eighteen (or twenty) Nikāya schools that formed early in the history of Buddhism. ... The term Animism is derived from the Latin anima, meaning soul.[1][2] In its most general sense, animism is simply the belief in souls. ... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... Tai peoples include: the Lao of Laos and Northeast Thailand the Northern Thai (Lanna or Thai Yuan) of Thailand the Thai of Thailand the Shan (Thai Yai) of Burma the Thai Lue of Laos and China (also called Dai) the Nung of China, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam the Black Tai (Tai... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... Shan State is a state located in Myanmar (Burma), which takes its name from the Shan people, the majority ethnic group in the Shan State. ... Mandalay Division is an administrative division of Myanmar. ... Kachin State (Jingphaw Mungdan), is the northernmost state of Myanmar. ... Kayin State is an administrative division of Myanmar and also known as Karen State. ... A view of Taunggyi Taunggyi (Burmese: ; MLCTS: ), is the capital of Shan State, Myanmar. ... Thibaw (Burmese: ; also known as Hsipaw), is a town in Shan State, Myanmar. ... Lashio is the capital of Shan, Myanmar. ... Kengtong (Burmese: ; MLCTS: , also spelled Cheingtung, Chiang Tung, Kyaingtong and Kengtung) is a town in Myanmar. ... Tachileik is a border town, located in Shan State, Myanmar. ...

Contents

Etymology

The Shan identify themselves as "Tai", which means "free men" while "Shan" is a Burmese language term.[2] The Shan share their creation myth with the Lao people and believe their race was founded by Khun Borom the first king to establish Sip Song Pan Na (12 thousand Fields) along the Mekong (Mae Nam Kong). The Burmese language is the official language of Myanmar. ... The Lao are an ethnic group of Southeast Asia. ... Khun Borom Rachathirath is the legendary progenitor of the Tai-speaking peoples, considered by the Lao and others to be the father of their race. ...


The Shan people as a whole can be divided into four major groups:

  1. The Tai Yai or "Shan Proper"
  2. The Tai Lue, located in Sipsong Panna (China) and the eastern states
  3. The Tai Khuen, the majority of Keng Tung (Thai:เชียงตุง)
  4. The Tai Neua, mostly in Sipsong Panna (Thai:สิบสองปันนา or สิบสองพันนา).

Xishuangbanna or Sipsongpanna is an autonomous prefecture in southern Yunnan Province, Peoples Republic of China. ... Keng Tung is the most extensive of the Shan States in the province of Myanmar. ... Xishuangbanna or Sipsongpanna is an autonomous prefecture in southern Yunnan Province, Peoples Republic of China. ...

Culture

The Shan are traditionally wet-rice cultivators, shopkeepers, and artisans. Most Shan are Theravada Buddhists and/or observe their traditional religion, which is related to animist practices. For other uses, see Rice (disambiguation). ... An artisan, also called a craftsman,[1] is a skilled manual worker who uses tools and machinery in a particular craft. ... Theravada (Pāli: theravāda (cf Sanskrit: स्थविरवाद sthaviravāda); literally, the Teaching of the Elders, or the Ancient Teaching) is the oldest surviving Buddhist school, and for many centuries has been the predominant religion of Sri Lanka (about 70% of the population[1]) and most of continental Southeast Asia (Cambodia... This article is in need of attention. ...


Language

The Shan language, which is spoken by about 5 or 6 millions is closely related to Thai and Lao, and is part of the family of Tai-Kadai languages. It is spoken in Shan State, some parts of Kachin State, some parts of Sagaing Division in Burma, parts of Yunnan, and Mae Hong Son Province in northwestern Thailand.[3] The two major dialects differ in number of tones: Hsenwi Shan has six tones, while Mongnai Shan has five.[4] Its written script is an adaptation of the Mon script (like Burmese), although several other scripts exist.[4] However, few Shan are literate, and many are bilingual in Burmese. The Shan language is related to the Thai language and is commonly called Tai-Yai, or Tai Long. ... The Tai-Kadai languages are a language family found in Southeast Asia and southern China. ... Shan State is a state located in Myanmar (Burma), which takes its name from the Shan people, the majority ethnic group in the Shan State. ... Sagaing Division is a division of Myanmar, located in the north-western part of the country between latitude 21° 30 north and longitude 94° 97 east. ... Yunan redirects here. ... Mae Hong Son (Thai แม่ฮ่องสอน) (also Mae Hong Sorn) is one of the northern provinces (changwat) of Thailand, and at the same time the westernmost. ... The Mon (Burmese: ) are an ethnic group in Southeast Asia. ...


History

The Tai-Shan people are believed to have migrated from Yunnan in China. The Shan are descendants of the oldest branch of the Tai-Shan, known as Tai Long (Great Tai) or Thai Yai (Big Thai). The Tai-Shan who migrated to the south and now inhabit modern-day Laos and Thailand are known as Tai Noi (or Tai Nyai), while those in parts of northern Thailand and Laos are commonly known as Tai Noi (Little Tai - Lao spoken) [2] The Shan have inhabited the Shan Plateau and other parts of modern-day Myanmar as far back as the 10th century AD. The Shan kingdom of Mong Mao (Muang Mao) existed as early as the 10th century AD but became a Burmese vassal state during the reign of King Anawrahta of Bagan (1044-1077). Note: the Mao people are considered a Shan subgroup. Tai peoples include: the Lao of Laos and Northeast Thailand the Northern Thai (Lanna or Thai Yuan) of Thailand the Thai of Thailand the Shan (Thai Yai) of Burma the Thai Lue of Laos and China (also called Dai) the Nung of China, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam the Black Tai (Tai... Yunan redirects here. ... Mong Mao was an ethnically Tai state that controlled several smaller Tai states or chieftainships along the frontier of what is now Myanmar and China in the Dehong region of Yunnan with a capital near the modern-day border town of Ruili. ... Look up vassal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Anawrahta (Burmese: ; IPA: ; reigned 1044-1077), also spelled Aniruddha or Anoarahtâ or Anoa-ra-htá-soa, was a ruler of the kingdom of Bagan and the first ruler of a unified Burma. ... Bagan (Burmese: ; MLCTS: ), formerly Pagan, formally titled Arimaddanapura (the City of the Enemy Crusher) and also known as Tambadipa (the Land of Copper) or Tassadessa (the Parched Land), was the ancient capital of several ancient kingdoms in Myanmar. ...


After the Bagan kingdom fell to the Mongols in 1287, the Tai-Shan people quickly gained power throughout South East Asia, and founded: For other uses, see Mongols (disambiguation). ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ...

  • Lan Xang (Laos)
  • Lanna (Chiang Mai)
  • Ayutthaya (Siam)
  • Assam
  • Ava by Burmanized Shan kings
  • Bago by Monized Shan kings
  • Several Shan states in the Shan hills, Kachin hills, Yunnan and parts of Vietnam.

Many famous Ava and Bago kings of Burmese history were of (partial) Shan descent. The Burmanized Shan kings of Ava fought Monized Shan kings of Bago for control of Ayeyarwady valley. Various Shan states fought Burmanized Shan kings of Ava for the control of Upper Myanmar. The Shan kingdom of Mohnyin (Mong Yang) defeated the Ava kingdom in 1527, and ruled all of Upper Myanmar until 1555. The Lao kingdom of Lan Xang or Lan Chang (Pali: Sisattanakhanahut, Lao: lâansâang, from Sinitic “vast number of elephants”) was established in 1354 by Somdetch Brhat-Anya Fa Ladhuraniya Sri Sadhana Kanayudha Maharaja Brhat Rajadharana Sri Chudhana Negara (otherwise known as Fa Ngum). ... Lanna (English One Million Thai Rice Fields, Thai: ) was a kingdom in the north of Thailand around the city of Chiang Mai. ... The kingdom of Ayutthaya (Thai: ) was a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767. ... , Assam (  ) (Assamese: অসম Ôxôm) is a north eastern state of India with its capital at Dispur, a suburb of the city Guwahati. ... AvA is a film in post-production directed by the rock group Angels and Airwaves. ... Bago is a division of Burma. ... The Irrawaddy (newer spelling Ayeyarwaddy) is a river that flows through the centre of Myanmar (formerly Burma). It is Myanmars most important commercial waterway. ... Upper Burma was a term used by the British to refer to the central and northern area of what is now the country of Myanmar. ...


Burmese king Bayinnaung (1551-1581) conquered all of the Shan states in 1557. Although the Shan states would become a tributary to Ayeyarwady valley based Burmese kingdoms from then on, the Shan Saophas retained a large degree of autonomy. Bayinnaung (Burmese: ; IPA: ; lit. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ...


After the Third Anglo-Burmese War in 1885, the British gained control of the Shan states. (The last Burmese king Thibaw was half-Shan.) Under the British colonial administration, the Shan principalities were administered separately as British protectorates with limited monarchical powers invested in the Shan Saophas. [5] The Third Anglo-Burmese War or just The Third Burmese war lasted from 1885 to 1887. ... King Thibaw Min of Upper Burma circa 1880 Thibaw Min (Burmese: ; born Maung Pu January 1, 1859 – December 19, 1916; or simply Thibaw, Theebaw, or Theobaw (referred to as Thibau by George Orwell in Burmese Days) was the last king of Burma, Konbaung Dynasty (now Myanmar). ... This does not cite any references or sources. ...


After World War II, the Shan and other ethnic minority leaders negotiated with the majority Burman leadership at the Panglong Conference, and agreed to gain independence from Britain as part of Union of Burma. The Shan states were given the option to secede after 10 years of independence. The Shan states became Shan State in 1948 as part of the newly independent Burma. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Panglong Conference (Burmese: ), held in February 1947, was an historic meeting that took place at Panglong in the Shan States in Burma between the Shan, Kachin and Chin ethnic minority leaders and Aung San, head of the interim Burmese government. ...


General Ne Win's coup d'etat overthrew the democratically elected government in 1962, and abolished Shan saopha system. This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...


List of Shan States and rulers

See List of Shan states and rulers. The Shan State of Burma (Myanmar) was once made up of a large number of traditional monarchies or fiefdoms. ...


Politics

The Shan have been engaged in an intermittent civil war within Burma for decades. There are two main armed rebel forces operating within Shan State: the Shan State Army/Special Region 3 and Shan State Army/Restoration Council of Shan State. In 2005 the SSNA was effectively abolished after its surrender to the Burmese government, some units joined the SSA/RCSS, which has yet to sign any agreements, and is still engaged in guerrilla warfare against the Burma Army. Guerrilla redirects here. ... A high-ranking generals villa overlooking the golf course in Kalaw. ...


During conflicts, the Shan (Thai Yai) are often burned out of their villages and forced to flee into Thailand. There, they are not given refugee status, and often work as undocumented laborers. Whether or not there is an ongoing conflict, the Shan are subject to depredations by the Burmese government; in particular, young men may be impressed into the Burmese Army for indefinite periods, or they may be enslaved to do road work for a number of months -- with no wages and no food. The horrific conditions inside Burma have led to a massive exodus of young Shan males to neighboring Thailand, where they typically find work in construction, at daily wages which run about 100-200 baht. However unsatisfactory these conditions may be, all of these refugees are well aware that at least they are being paid for their work, and that every day spent in Thailand is another day that the Burmese government cannot impress or enslave them. Some estimates of Shan refugees in Thailand run as high as two million, an extremely high number when compared with estimates of the total Shan population at some six million.


Independence and Exiled Government

His Royal Highness Prince Hso Khan Fa (sometimes written as Surkhanfa in Thai) of Yawnghwe) lives in exile in Canada. He is campaigning for the government of Burma to respect the traditional culture and indigenous lands of the Shan people, and he works with Shan exiles abroad helping to provide schooling for displaced Shan children whose parents are unable to do so. He hopes to provide Shan children with some training in life skills so they can fend for themselves and their families in the future. Nyaung Shwe Nyaung Shwe (Burmese: ; also known as Yawnghwe) is a town a few kilometers north of Inle Lake in the Shan State of Myanmar. ...


In addition, opinion has been voiced in Shan State, in neighbouring Thailand, and to some extent in farther-reaching exile communities, in favour of the goal of "total independence for Shan State." This came to a head when, in May 2005, Shan elders in exile declared independence for the Federated Shan States.


The declaration of independence, however, was rejected by most other ethnic minority groups, many Shan living inside Burma, and Burma's leading opposition party, the National League for Democracy led by Aung San Suu Kyi. Despite this dissenting opinion, the Burma Army has begun a crackdown on Shan civilians as a result of the declaration. Shan people have reported an increase in restrictions on their movements, and an escalation in Burma Army raids on Shan villages. This article is about the concept of a minority. ... The flag features a yellow dancing peacock, which has been a sign of freedom in modern Burmese history. ... Aung San Suu Kyi (Burmese: ; MLCTS: ; IPA: [6]); born 19 June 1945 in Yangon (Rangoon), is a pro-democracy activist and leader of the National League for Democracy in Myanmar (Burma), and a noted prisoner of conscience and advocate of nonviolent resistance. ...

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khun_Sa

Notes

  1. ^ Sao Sāimöng, The Shan States and the British Annexation. Cornell University, Cornell, 1969 (2nd ed.)
  2. ^ a b Nisbet, John. Burma under British Rule - and before. Volume 2. Adamant Media Corporation, 414. IISBN 1-4021-5293-0. 
  3. ^ Shan: A language of Myanmar. Ethnologue. Retrieved on 2006-12-02.
  4. ^ a b Dalby, Andrew (2004). Dictionary of Languages: The Definitive Reference to More Than 400 Languages. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-11569-5. 
  5. ^ Mackerras, Colin. Ethnicity in Asias. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-25816-2. 

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

  • Susan Conway, The Shan: Culture, Art and Crafts (Bangkok, 2006).

External links

  • H.R.H. Prince Hso Khan Pha of Yawnghwe
  • Shan Relief Foundation
  • Shan Human Rights Foundation
  • Shan Women's Action Network (SWAN)
  • Shan language page from Ethnologue site
  • Photos of Shan State Army-South (SSA-S) military outposts along the border of Thailand, Chiang Rai province
  • Help without Frontiers
  • Shan Tradition Rules in a Northern Thai Town Sai Silp, The Irrawaddy, April 5 2007
  • http://www.claudiawiens.com/englisch/vorlage_e.html Claudia Wiens, a photo essay about tribal people in Shan State
  • Antonio Graceffo films about training with the Shan State Army
  • Articles written by Antonio Graceffo about Shan State Army

  Results from FactBites:
 
Liu Shan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (3279 words)
Liu Shan (207 – 271) was the second and last emperor of the Kingdom of Shu during the Three Kingdoms era in ancient China.
As he ascended the throne at the young age of sixteen, Liu Shan was entrusted to the care of a group of veteran ministers, including the Chancellor Zhuge Liang and Imperial Secretary Li Yan.
Liu Shan himself was not harmed in the disturbance, although his crown prince Liu Xuan (劉璿) was killed in the confusion.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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