Dai History by English version

8/14/2019 Dai History by English version

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Geographical features of Dai Land

Dai land is situated on the west of Mindat township, the north - west of

Kanpetlet township, the north - east of Paletwa township and the south - east of

Matupi township. The Dai land is located in the southern part of the Chin land(Chin state), Myanmar. It is also located between north latitude 20 30' and 21 30,

and between east longitude 93 10' and 94 10'. The longest part of its land is about

120 miles (193.08 km) and the narrowest part is roughly 60 miles (96.54 km). The Dai

land is situated between 800 m to 3200 m above the sea level. The highest mountain

in Dai land is Khawnusuum (Mt.Victoria).Its has got slope ranges of mountains and

a few plains near the Laymyo River and Moun River.

ClimateDai land has got three climate summer, winter and rainy season. The Dai land is

located in temperate zone. The temperature is between 5 C and 20 C. Especially the

rainy season is started the end of May to the end of October.

Environment Current Issue

Cut and burn methods of plantation or slashing methods makes deforestation.

Widely searching of natural resources such as wild orchid species, faunas and floras

are worry natural resources largely losing. Myanmar military governments well

known cutting and selling of teaks and timber is the majority of destroying the Dai

land. Cutting and selling of the pine wood is the most dangerous deforesting in near

Mt.Khawnusuum areas. Generally hunting, electrical fishing, searching, digging,

cutting all natural resources are vanishing resources.

Natural Resources

In Dai land there are many kinds of faunas and flora. The Dai land is the richestof natural resources in Chin state.

(a) Fauna

Tiger, bear, elephant, monkey, leopard, barking deer, fox, cat, snake, reptiles and

amphibian, birds and so on.

(b) Floral

Varieties of wild orchid species, cherry, rhododendron, teak, timber, pine,

bamboo species, rattan.., and so on.


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Population

In Dai land about 60,000 native people are inhabitants, within the original tribe

there are many small minor ethnics. They are original residents of Dai land. The

overall Dai population is estimately 90,000. Some of Dai people live in around

Myanmar and all over the world. By history researcher Dai people are derivative

from Sino - Tibetan, Tibeto - Burma, Kuki - Chin - Naga, Kuki - Chin, Chin - Dai.

Political Division

By Myanmar (Burma) government Dai land is divided into four parts within

southern Chin state of Kanpetlet ,Mindat,Matupi and Paletwa township. Today Dai

land is comprises wintin Chin state, Myanmar. So the local government made to be

separated of Dai land and they used to called Kanpetlet Dai, Mindat Dai, Matu Dai

and Paletwa Dai. In Chin state Dai population is 10 percentages of Chin people. The

biggest forest of Chin state is situated in Dai land. There is no town, high school,

hospital in Dai land. The military government ruling systems make Dai people to be

poor and not to be educated. Regrettably there is no modern transportation system

such as road, railway and air port. Along with it there is also neither of

telecommunication nor internet system (World Wide Web). So the Dai land is one of

the poorest development places of the world.

Cuisine

Dai people used to cook and eat their cuisine within their festivals,ceremonies

and every day. The curry of Guuk Booi (cooking with ash filterd water or lye) is the

famous traditional curry. The main component of Guuk Booi is produced from

filtering water to passing through banana tree, straw,bamboos and medicinal herbs

ash. Chicken with Dai coriander salad is the favourite dish of Dai people. Rosellesoup is the most popular soup of Dai people. Other cooking methods are boiling,

baking,roasting and barbecuing the vegetables and meats. The local people make

Khai Peh (boiled pack of snack making stickery rice with banana leaf) and share to

every body and neighbors within the days of harvesting and thanks giving day.

Medicinal herbs such as turmeric powder, ginger, mints, garlic, lemon grass,

coriander, chives, cinnamon, pepper and chilly are the most useful spices of Dai

curry. Yo Leng (cooking curry in bamboo) is the most delicious dish of Dai ethnic

cooking.


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Costumes

Dai people adorably used to wear traditional hand woven cotton clothes. Ladies

and women are wearing such as phyang (look liked shirt), nghi Le (skirt),yisa sen,

yisa pauk (sewing tower for wearing waist to ankle). Previous time men used to

wear only khyu (underwear), mengpen, ngae, nghai(men ear lobe),lupung(turban),lu sui(topknot),kyum loi(two long tails of drongo),aai loi (long tail of cock). Women

commonly dress sungphui, mya kang,phui song (Dai belt),mole (colourful beads),

htae(braclet), ngha thaen (ear lobe), lu keh (hairpin). Only ladies tattoo on their

faces, arm, calf (especially on their faces have fully tattoo style). There is much kind

of tattoo styles, depend on their small minority ethnic. Dai hand woven styles are

high standard and quality until today. Women wave themselves blanket for their

family using.

Languages

Dai language is the mother tongue of all Dai tribes. There are slightly different

styles of using their ethnic tongue those minor ethnic groups who live in Kanpetlet

Township and Matupi Township. Even though slightly different styles of using

dialect each minority understand the other tongue. Dai literature is developed the

year of around 1990s by the help of German people. The alphabets are based on

German alphabets. Dai language code is dao and international standardorganization number is 639-3. Part of Christian bible, New Testament translation is

finished on the year of 1996. Dai literature is widely used in Christian religion. Dai

people can speak other languages those ethnic groups who live near their region

such as Mn, Ya, Utb, Matu, Zotung, and Burmese. There are trying to prepare for

the publication of Dai - English dictionary.

Education

In Dai land there are only basic education middle schools (from 5 years to 14

years students). Basic primary school is nearly open in all villages but the local

people can not learn properly and functionally. Attached basic education high

school is opened in a few villages. There are around 1000 educated people (Bachelor

degree). Nowadays Dai people are studying for their further education in various

Christian colleges such as many capital cities of Yangon, Falam, Mandalay, Kalay,

Maymyo. So a lot of Dai people can not study for their further education, only 1

percentage of Dai people can go to colleges or universities. So the 99 percentages ofDai people can not study other educations such as computer training internet

training, polytechnic school and human resources training.


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Health

There are some government clinics and dispensaries in some villages, but there is

no medicine in those dispensaries. People go the nearest Burmese villages and the

cities to buy some drugs. There are no doctors in Dai land. Sometimes the medical

staffs and nurses visit within Dai land. There is rarely found giving vaccination to

Dai people by government. Most commonly facing diseases are malaria, dengue

fever, flu, gastric pain, bronchioles, diarrhea, and hepatitis.

Villages

There are more than 170 villages in Dai land. Among them large villages are

Kuuiimnu, Kaaiimnu, Khengimnu, Hmnuntunu, Khengsanu, Thaiimnu, Lungimnu,

Dukimnu, Msangimnu, Yngimnu, Bawisanu, Thounu, Mhukhimding, Khayaing,

Chan Pyan,Ram Thein,Mhang Taung, Madu, Masatui and Hman Taung villages and

so on.There are more than 100 houses in large villages and around 20 houses in

small villages.

Festivals,Ceremonies and Dances

SaakThai Suuk Ei Cn(Thanksgiving days),Sang Leh(Winnowing festival),Pung

Yu(praying for blessing the seeds),Soot Su (praying for fruitful the crops),Khai

mdeh(the first eating for new vegetables),Lung Sm(Stonehenge ceremony for

monument), Im Kaai (new home ceremony),Im leh(engaging with bridesparents),Ca pm(wedding ceremony) Vok Ngyoh(giving material and mythans to

brids parents), Phya Saak(go fishing),and Sa Haut(hunting) are the most popular

festivals and ceremony. Within the traditional festival and ceremony Dai people

used to dance and sing songs. The most famous dacings are Pi Lam Siing, Ak Noi

Siing,Saat Siing, Keat Siing and Se Lu Siing. The local fluting songs are popular

among Dai people. There are Leng La,Pi lim,Phi Pht,King Khng.The musical

instruments are gongs, cymbals, flutes, drums, bamboo claps and so. Dai people

used to sing folk songs during ceremonies and everyday life.

Religion

Recent thirty years ago Dai people are animism. Most of Dai people are

converted to christinity within two decades. Nowadays absolutly 99 percentages of

Dai people are Christian. In Dai land there are many christian denominations such

as Roman Catholic, Babtist, Methodist,Brothern,Presbyterian and so on. Because of

christinity Dai people are well developed of social and spiritual knowledge.


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Agriculture, Husbandry and Economy

(a)Agriculture

Dai people cultivate paddy, corn, millet, beans, peas, cucumber, pumpkin, gourd,

egg plant, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, ginger, mint, garlic, chives, onion, lemon grass,

water melon, turmeric, chilly, lady finger, white pumpkin, coriander, cinnamon,sesames and celery in their garden or farm. Banana, orange, lime, lemon, avocado,

pine apple, papaya, tamarind, grape fruit, mango, cane, pear, grape and strawberry

can be found in Dai land. Dai farmer cultivate the see in the beginning of monsoon

period (the middle of April to June) and harvest the crops in October to November.

The cultivation method is only depending on raining.

(b)Animal Husbandry

Mythan is the popular breeding animal in Dai land. Dai people used to breed

their mythans in the forest. Along with it you can see cow, goat, buffalo, pig,chicken and duck. Dog and cat are domestic animals of Dai people.

(c) Economy

Generally Dai land is one of the most using remote mountainous land system

(slashing or shifting cultivation) that the least developed regions habitants by

indigenous hill tribes of Myanmar. Dai people earn livelihood by practicing of

widely substance shifting cultivation (Taung Ya) and a common farming for their

daily food for them. Plantation and gardening are only for their survival and diet

food because there are no transportation systems and markets in Dai land. Wildorchids searching and selling among with it searching and selling of natural faunas

and flora are smuggling for getting the black incomes of some of Dai people. There

is a few income generation for Dai people that is waving beautiful hand woven

materials for women and making attractive baskets and mats for men. Besides that

Dai people get some money by cultivation of castor seed and pumpkin seed.

Judiciary System and Local Government

The former judiciary systems are decided by the head of each minority leader,

shaman (prophet) and village leader. Adultery case is the most grateful crime for

Dai people. If the judge can not draw conclusion the case the accused person or the

complainants have to oath in various methods in front of civilians. Previous time

each group of tribe has their leaders and only the governor leads his people.

Recently the government system is in the hand of local authorities, their followers

who are working under military government system. In Dai land there are some

people who collect the taxes from the civilians or villagers is CNF soldier (ChinNational Front). Dai people have to give regularly their taxes not only to the

military government but also to the CNF soldiers.

Documents

Dai History by English version