The Shan settlements in Myanmar

shanmusic

The Shan settlements in Myanmar
Introduction
Ethnologically speaking, Myanmar is one of the richest countries in the world. More than a hundred ethnic peoples are presently scattered all over the country, making it their homeland and sharing their griefs and joys for centuries. When Myanmar was about to get its independence, a historic conference was held at a small town called Panglong in central Shan State which brought together representatives of the ethnic representatives of the ethnic people led by the Shan leaders and of the Myanmar Government led by General Aung San. At the conference it was agreed that the ethnic people would cooperate in all the activities for independence and than they would enjoy full autonomy in internal administration as well as fundamental rights and privileges. When Myanmar gained independence in 1948 the Union of Myanmar with three States of the ethnic minorities, viz Kachin State, Kayah State and Shan State came into existence. Subsequently other States of the ethnic minorities were created, so that at present there are Seven States1 of the ethnic minorities and Seven Divisions2 of different nationalities with Myanmar as the major unit. Of the Seven States of ethnic minorities, Shan State is the largest and is located in the eastern portion of Myanmar. The majority of its inhabitants are commonly known to the Myanmar people as "Shan".

The Shan are the most widely scattered of the ethnic people in Myanmar and they can be found in every part of the country. Their Mans (villages), Mongs (city-states) and settlements stretch from the northernmost region of Hkamti Long down to Tharrawaddy and then to southern Taninthayi (Tenasserim) and from the tip of Kengtung in the east to Hsawng Hsup, Kabaw valley and Ta-mu in the west. In central Myanmar many Shan settlements can be found around Ava, Pinya, Sagaing, Toungoo, Pyinmana and Pyi (Prome).

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