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Burma is the western most and largest country on the
Mainland South East Asia. It is surrounded by India, China, Vietnam, Laos,
Thailand and, the Bay of Bengal.
Burma
today is still tectonically and seismically active, due to three major faults
that bypass it’s terrain. Besides the tectonic activities that occur everyday,
be it subtle or colossal, Burma is also well-endowed with gem-quality minerals,
such as ruby, sapphire, spinel and jade.
Besides the geographical richness, Burma is also the
home for more than thirty ethnic groups such as Paluang, Pa-O, Akha, Wa, Padaung
and Mon. These people live deep into the mountains and forests and as a means of
survival, they adopted the agriculture as their primary need. The Mons and the
Burmans practised wet-rice cultivation, while other minority groups practise
shifting cultivation.
As a result of migration over the years, every
ethnic group actually forms their own unique cultures and languages. As
Richard K.Diran, author of “The Vanishing Tribes of Burma”, observed, that
Chin state alone boasts forty-four different languages.
Figure 1 shows the location of Burma. It also show the different states of Burma where the vast collection of ethnic groups, dwell.
Let
us now take a look at what the Padaung Tribe is
like as well as the their myths and legends
behind the mysteries of their rings.
