September 17, 2024 | Penelope Singh

The Khun People


A Long History

The Tai Khun people live mostly in eastern parts of Myanmar (once called Burma), with their early history linked to the Tai people of China’s Yangtze River in the first century AD.

Mostly In Myanmar

Today there are around 130,000 Tai Khun in Myanmar, a few thousand in Thailand, and a very small number in southern China and northern Laos. Some Khun communities in Thailand had their beginnings with people captured by Thai forces in conflicts of the early 19th century.

Young Shan girlsUniversity of British Columbia Library, Picryl

Buddhist Traditions

Most Tai Khun follow Theravada Buddhism combined with local practices of spirit worship and ancestor veneration.

Shan manUniversity of British Columbia Library, Picryl

Spirit Of The Land

The Tai Khun traditionally want to keep the spirit of the land on their side, and so they offer food and beverages at the community spirit house every day.

Khun peopleWikimedia Commons, Picryl

Remembering The Ancestors

And on the full moon in June, family members honor their ancestors by leaving offerings of food and flowers on their household altar.

Khun peopleWikimedia Commons, Picryl

Men’s Fashion

Shan men often wear turbans, sometimes plain white, plaid, or with colorful stripes and squares, along with baggy khaki jackets and loose trousers that are particularly a mark of the Tai Khun. 

Both men and women wear a long folded fabric longyi that hangs from the waist.

Shan manUniversity of British Columbia Library, Picryl

Women’s Wear

Shan women wear colorful long skirts or sarongs, and a form-fitting blouse that comes down to their waist. For headwear, women often wear a towel turban, straw hat, or folded head scarf. Both men and women tend to wear sandals fastened by two straps.

Shan womanUniversity of British Columbia Library, Picryl

Gentle Smiles

Shan artwork often shows an image of a sitting Buddha who’s pointing towards the earth with his right hand. Shan sculpture differs from neighboring styles by tending to show oval faces, gentle smiles, and closed eyes that appear tranquil.

Young Shan boysUniversity of British Columbia Library, Picryl

Heartland Of Kengtung Valley

The Tai Khun’s cultural and geographical heartland is Shan State’s Kengtung Valley, where the Khun have lived and ruled for centuries, sometimes in the face of battles and invasions throughout the region.

Young Shan girlsUniversity of British Columbia Library, Picryl

Capital Of The Golden Triangle

The Kengtung area, long a major trading route, is sometimes called the “Capital of the Golden Triangle,” as it’s so close to the frontier regions of neighboring China, Thailand, and Laos.

The Golden TriangleChainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The Kingdom Of Kengtung

Although accounts vary, some histories say the Kingdom of Kengtung was founded in 1243 by a delegate of King Mangrai, ruler of northern Thailand’s Lanna kingdom.

King Mangrai Thanyakij, Wikimedia Commons

A River Runs Through It

The Khun River, which runs through the Kengtung area, likely provided the name of both the Tai Khun people and the language they speak.

Mali Hka RiverEricwinny, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More Than A State

Shan is the name not just of a state, but also of the Tai-speaking ethnic subgroups living there. The Shan are the largest ethnic minority in Myanmar.

Golden PagodaKhun Hans Photography, Flickr

Blurry Boundaries

It’s sometimes hard to distinguish these subgroups, so we’ll look at both the Tai Khun and the Shan culture they belong to.

Tabu, Myanmar, Family In The Kitchen, Village Life In Rural Remote Area Of Shan HillsVyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Regional Tension

Shan State was once part of the British Empire, and is now controlled by Myanmar’s central government, though there is ongoing tension in various areas.

Shan MonasterySaisanmyint, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Generation To Generation

Historically, Shan State was made up of autonomous districts ruled by a hereditary prince called a chao pha, saopha, or sawbwa, but this tradition was banned in 1962 by the country’s military rulers.

Shan peopleDANIEL JULIE, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Colorful Interiors

Interiors of Buddhist monasteries include red-and-gold wall paintings accompanied by banners that hang from the inner roof.

Buddhist monastery Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Competition

Shan arts and crafts have a rich tradition, but nowadays materials are harder to obtain and cheap imported goods have reduced the demand for local creations. Traditionally the Shan have used bamboo to make baskets, mats, and even furniture.

Shan womanDANIEL JULIE, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Impermanent Art

Much artistic effort is directed to decorating offerings to Buddha, including making carved fruit that is offered to monks or placed before Buddha images.

Traditional Khun fruit carving has recently gained popularity thanks to social media apps like TikTok and Instagram.

Food offering to BuddhaHermann Luyken, CC0 , Wikimedia Commons

Christian Missionaries

Although the region is overwhelmingly Buddhist, Christian missionaries first arrived in the 19th century when Kengtung was part of the British Empire, with evangelicals in more recent decades bringing the number of Christian Tai Khun to around 2,000.

Christian missionsDennis, James S., Wikimedia Commons

Tourists Welcomed Again

Foreigners were barred from Shan State and its Kengtung region for many years, but since 1993 tourists have once again been allowed to visit.

Loi Leng The Highest Mountain In Shan State Saosukham, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Importance Of Rice

Much of Kengtung’s countryside is filled with rice paddies, an important source of food and income in the region. Most Shan grow rice and other crops. Until the 1950s a brutal feudal system ruled the lives of farmers, who even now often do not own the land they till.

Shan woman caring basketDANIEL JULIE, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Shan Cuisine

Many meals in Kengtung follow Shan traditions with some Chinese influences. A typical meal might consist of fish or meat prepared with onion and garlic.

Shan NoodleMyominkyaw93, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Salad Balls

One Shan dish is htamin jin, a fish or potato salad shaped into round balls along with fried onion, often with garlic added. Another dish is lahpet thohk, a salad made from pickled tea leaves. 

Myanmar is one of the few places in the world where tea is both a drink and a meal.

Tofu SaladWagaung, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Tea For Two

Shan State produces much of Myanmar’s tea, so it’s customary to offer visitors tea leaves, either dry or pickled.

Tea Leaves DryingChristophe95, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Crossing The Border

As Kengtung is in the eastern part of Myanmar, it’s often easiest for tourists to cross the Thai border and travel three-and-a-half hours by road.

Myanmar - Thailand Border-01Uwe Aranas, Wikimedia Commons

Hotel Accommodation

The New Kyaing Tong Hotel is one option for travelers in an area that still feels largely untouched by tourism. 

Family Of Saopha Of WunthoFelice Beato, Wikimedia Commons

Demolished Palace

The hotel replaced the Kengtung or Sawbwa Palace, demolished in 1991, where the region’s royal family used to live, a demolition that upset the local population.

The Palace of the Saophas of KengtungLetboonwaat, Wikimedia Commons

The Spoken Tongue

The Tai Khun speak the Khun language, a member of the Tai group of languages. Khun is written in the Tai Tham script, also known as the Lamma script, unlike most other Shan languages, probably because Kengtung is so close to northern Thailand.

Woman on a boatVyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Reading And Writing

In Myanmar, around 95% of the language’s male speakers and 50% of female speakers can read and write in Khun. Although gender inequality is fairly low in Shan culture, there are still disparities, as can be seen in these figures.

Shan womanVyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Also Heard

Besides its base in Kengtung region, Khun is spoken in China’s Yunnan province, Thailand’s Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces, and Laos’s Luang Prabang province.

Shan WomanDamien Halleux Radermecker, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Similar Sounds

The Khun language is related to the Thai and Lao languages, a reminder that the Tai Khun people historically have often had stronger connections to the east than to Burmese culture to the west.

A Shan CeremonyR. W. Marshall, Wikimedia Commons

Official Burmese

Myanmar’s central government favors the Burmese language, the country’s official tongue, over local Shan and indigenous languages. 

As a result, it’s Buddhist temples that often provide instruction in the Khun language rather than local schools. 

Shan-Shan Market & Museum Gary Todd, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

Filled With Monasteries

The town of Kengtung has around thirty Buddhist temples, referred to by the Shan word wat. The golden pagoda of Zom Kham Temple, dating to the 13th century, is particularly imposing.

Myanmar templesKhun Hans Photography, Flickr

Standing Tall

Ya Taw Mu is a giant standing Buddha that overlooks Naung Tung Lake. It’s 20 meters tall (66 feet), and is very recent, completed in 2000.

Dambulla Golden Buddha StatueNadeeshan Thabrew, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

On The Hill

Standing on Kengtung’s tallest hill is the Catholic Sacred Heart Cathedral, offering a great view of the town.

Shans At Home With Two Chapters On Shan History And Literature 1910University of British Columbia Library, Picryl

Village Life

Shan villages range from ten to hundreds of households, usually situated near a river or stream and close to a Buddhist temple.

Kalaw, Shan State, MyanmarReflectedSerendipity, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Melting Pot

Kengtung is a melting pot for both Shan and other ethnic groups. Besides the Tai-speaking Shan, there are minority tribespeople who mainly live in hill country. 

Shans At Home With Two Chapters On Shan History And Literature 1910University of British Columbia Library, Picryl

Convergence

All these groups converge on the town’s colorful central market, where even water buffalo for sale can be seen. Tourists might be particularly interested in Tai Khun textiles on display.

Shans At Home With Two Chapters On Shan History And Literature 1910University of British Columbia Library, Picryl

Challenges And Efforts

Teaching the language reflects broader efforts to preserve Tai Khung heritage, honed over many centuries, even as regional complexities add pressure on Tai Khun culture and society.

Shan State, MynmarGo-Myanmar, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons


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