The Burman live in what is now the present country of Myanmar, (formerly known as Burma). Myanmar is located on the Southeast Asian peninsula that co-locates with the countries of Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. The Burmans have traditionally lived on the plain of the Irrawad Salween River as well as the valley and the delta of the Ayeyarwaddy River. The Burmans are the most dominant and the largest (68%) of the ethnic groups in the country. Other groups such as the Shan, Karen, Kachin, Arakanese, and the Chin are in the minority in the region. The majority of people practice Buddhism (95%). The people are tolerant of many religions but one they are not is Christianity. People who practice Christianity make up only 0.01% of the total population.
The Burmans had originated in southwest China 3,000 years ago. They populated the Ayeyarewaddy river area through migration and the conquest of the original people of the valley, the Pyu in the 7th century. Burma recently gained its independence from England on January 4, 1948 which is also the date of their Independence Day holiday. They have a military regime type of government. They have a constitution which was written in 1974, but has been suspended since 1988. Burma is also known as the Union of Myanmar. The capital of Burma is Rangoon.
The Burman diet is quite varied. The economy is primarily agricultural with wet-rice cultivation as the main crop. Rice is selected because of its productivity and endurance under local conditions. Animals such as the water buffalo and bullocks are used for plowing the fields. Animal dung, ashes, and paddy stalks are often used as fertilizer. The Tenasserim area of the region specializes in tree crops such as bananas, coconuts, guavas, tamarind, and sapodilla. The people in the hilly countryside grow peanuts, onions, and other crops. They also utilize slash-and-burn techniques. Other vegetables are grown as a supplementary crop. Animal food is often fish in fresh, dried, or salted forms. Red meat is found everywhere in local markets but it is not considered customary to be eaten.
The language of the Burman people is Burmese and is spoken by 80% of the present population of Myanmar along with 100 different languages and dialects. Spoken Burmese has a distinctive rhythmic character. Often, a word’s meaning can be differentiated only by the pitch of a certain syllable and for an untrained speaker is often quite difficult.
The Burman family structure is that of nuclear family: parents and their unmarried children. There is no tradition of extended family groups or clans. The society is mostly stratified according to royal ancestry, aristocratic background, or religious or military achievement. The role of religion in the society is very prominent in the form of Buddhism.
Buddhism’s influence is great which can be seen with the many pagodas, saffron-robed monks, and innumerable monasteries throughout the region. The religion also has a great influence on the lives of the people in the country. Each settlement usually has a Buddhist temple compound and in addition, a brick pagoda containing a religious relic. The theology that Buddhism exhibits is that a man undergoes a cycle of separate existences and that all animate life is endowed with individual souls. The moral and behavioral guidelines of a faith enable a devout Buddhist to progress toward his goal of nirvana by acquiring merit during his lifetime. One of the ways this can be done is through a monkhood which most of the males undertake. A young man will usually be initiated at 14 years old and remain in monkhood for several months to ½ a year. The initiation reenacts Buddha’s own renunciation of material wealth and assumption of monastic vows. Afterward the youth dons the monk’s robe. During the monkhood the youth obeys the same rules governing diet, celibacy, and material possessions. He lives in the temple monastery, begs for his morning foods in the community, and recites the sacred texts.
References:
Britannica Onlinehttp://www.britannica.com
Spring Board http://www.infomekong.com/p_group_Burman_1.htm
Myanmar-travel.com http://www.myanmar-travel.com/myanmar_people_burmans.htm
Burma travel.org http://burma-travel.org/guide/Myanmar/culture/language.htm
Written by: Eric Deimerly