Mon People : May 2014

Mon Music

Music of the Mon People

Traditional music from Burma is melodious, generally without harmony, and usually in 4/4 time (na-yi-se) or 2/4 (wa-let-se) or 8/16 (wa-let-a-myan). There are "the segments combined into patterns, combined into verses, combined into songs [that] make Burmese music a multileveled hierarchical system...The Burmese musician manipulates the various levels of the hierarchy to create the song..." (Becker 1969, p. 272)

Popular Musical Instruments of the Mon People

Musical instruments include the brass se (which is like a triangle), hne (a kind of oboe) and bamboo wa, as well as the well-known saung, a boat-shaped harp. Traditionally, instruments are classified into five classes, called pyissin turiya

The Burmese harp is of special significance. It dates back to the 9th century, though it has changed quite a bit since then, expanding, for example, from three strings to sixteen

Kyei - brass instruments

Thayyei - leather-covered drums

Kyo - string instruments

Lei - wind instruments

Letkhout - percussion instruments

Famous Mons

King Anawrahta - the first king of all of Myanmar, (reigned 1044-77), who introduced his people to Theravada Buddhism. His capital at Bagan on the Ayeyarwaddy River became a prominent city of pagodas and temples. Considered the father of the Burmese nation, Anawrahta turned a small principality in the dry zone of Upper Burma into the first Burmese Empire that formed the basis of modern-day Burma (Myanmar). Historically verifiable Burmese history begins with his accession to the Pagan throne in 1044.

King Wareru - was famous king of Hanthawaddy (Hansavadi, or Bago), who ruled over the Mon people of Lower Myanmar. He was also called Magado or Chao Fa Rua. The greatest achievements of his reign were his initiative to appoint a commission for the compilation of the Dhammathat, the earliest surviving law code of Burma; and the founding of the Mon kingdom which would prosper for another two and a half centuries.

Diet of the Mon

Traditionally, Burmese eat their meals from dishes on a low table, while sitting on a bamboo mat. Dishes are served simultaneously. A typical meal includes steamed rice as the main dish and accompanying dishes called hin, including a curried freshwater fish or dried/salted fish dish, a curried meat or poultry dish instead, a light soup called hin gyo, called chinyay hin if sour, and fresh or boiled vegetables to go with a salty dish, almost invariably a curried sauce of pickled fish (ngapi yayjo) in Lower Burma. Fritters such as gourd or onions in batter as well as fish or dried tofu crackers are extra.

Mon-Inspired Food

Thingyan htamin - fully boiled rice in candle-smelt water served with mango salad
Htamane – dessert made from glutinous rice, shredded coconuts and peanuts
Banana pudding – dessert made from banana boiled in coconut milk and sugar
Wet mohinga – like mohinga but vermicelli is served while wet
Durian jam – also known as Katut jam
Nga baung thohk - Mixed vegetables and prawn, wrapped in morinda leaves and then banana leaves outside
Sa-nwin makin – dessert cake made from semolina, sugar, butter, coconut

Attire of the Mon

Mon Attire

Mon men wear red checkered longyis, shirts without collars and traditional jackets. Mon women wrap their long hair around a comb and wear longyis and open-fronted blouses that button in the centre.

Mon Quick Facts

Country: Burma

Region: South

Capital: Mawlamyaing

Area of the Mon State 12,155 km

Population (2002)

• Total 2,672,000

• Density 220/km2 (570/sq mi)

Demographics

• Ethnicities Mon, Bamar, Anglo-Burmese, Chin, Kachin, Kayin, Rakhine, Shan, Burmese-Thai

• Religions Buddhism, Christianity

Time zone MST

The State Flag

Extra Credit Famous Mon Locations

Famous Mon Locations

(Source: Wikipedia)

Kyaiktiyo Pagoda (Golden Rock) - It is a small pagoda built on the top of a granite boulder covered with gold leaves pasted on by devotees. According to legend, the Golden Rock itself is precariously perched on a strand of the Buddha's hair. The balancing rock seems to defy gravity, as it perpetually appears to be on the verge of rolling down the hill. The rock and the pagoda are at the top of Mt. Kyaiktiyo. It is the third most important Buddhist pilgrimage site in Burma after the Shwedagon Pagoda and the Mahamuni Pagoda. A glimpse of the "gravity defying" Golden Rock is believed to be enough of an inspiration for any person to turn to Buddhism.

In the Mon language, the word 'kyaik' (ကျာ်) means "pagoda" and 'yo' (ယဵု) means "to carry on the hermit's head". The word 'ithi' (ဣသိ in Mon (from Pali ရိသိ, risi) means "hermit". Thus, 'Kyaik-htiyo' means "pagoda upon a hermit's head".

Bagan - Was the capital of the first kingdom to unify Myanmar. During the kingdom's height between the 11th and 13th centuries, over 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas and monasteries were constructed in the Bagan plains alone, of which the remains of over 2200 temples and pagodas still survive to the present day. The Bagan Archaeological Zone is a main draw for the country's nascent tourism industry.

(Source: National Geographic)

Mon Migration

(Source: Wikimedia)

The Mon was one of the earliest distinct groups to occupy Burma, moving into the area possibly as early as 1500 BC. The first Mon Kingdom, Suwarnabhumi, was founded around the port of Thaton in 300 BC. The desires of the ruling Burmese were forcefully imposed on the Mon people and resulted in a civil war. The Mon revolted against the central Burmese government in 1962 through the New Mon State Party (NMSP).

A partially autonomous Mon state, Monland, was created in 1974 covering Tenasserim, Pegu and Irrawaddy. Mon people jostruggle for democracy and the preservation of human rights in Burma while the military continues to terrorize all people in Burma. The majority of the Mon people still live in Burma and Thailand and have not moved anywhere else.

Birds of the Mon

I searched for birds that are important to the Mon culture and the one that stood out wasn't a real bird but a mythological goose which is the symbol for the Mon state. It is said to eat pearls and separate milk from water from a mixture of both. In many texts it is extolled as the king of birds in the Mon folklore.

(Source: Wikipedia )

Mon Cultural Survival

Mon People Survival

Illegal logging and deforestation are two major issues with a tremendous impact upon the Mon. They not only rob the Mon people of viable economic opportunities, but the process of cutting down trees and the constant deforestation endanger the natural habitat as well as animals and wildlife, which are main sources of food and nourishment for many Mon people. The creation of oil pipelines through Monland is also a serious issue, greatly disrupting the natural habitat and land of the Mon people, and causing various security concerns.

(Source: The Irrawaddy)

Mon and their Neighbors

The Mon was one of the earliest groups to occupy Myanmar moving to the area around 1500 BC. The Mon fought the Burmese and Thai during this time until the Mon fell to the Burmese in 1757. In 1824 the Mon people aided the British in the overthrow of Burmese with a promise by the British that the Mon people would get sovereignty but that never materialized. In the 20th century the Mon have been a repressed in Burma and continue to face issues as refugees. In Thailand although camps have been set up, there has been evidence that Thai officials in the camps harass and in some cases evict thousands of Mon refugees and force them back into Burma.

(Source: All Myanmar)

Mon Cosmos

The predominant religion among the Mon is Buddhism, and they are believed to have brought Buddhism to Burma. The Mon have their own distinct language, dance, music, art and stories, but they are often forbidden to speak or instruct in Mon language and are not allowed to publicly celebrate National Mon day.

(Source: History of China)

A majority are ethnic religionists, practicing a mixture of spirit worship and Buddhism. The others are Theravada Buddhists. Those who are traditional animists believe that good and evil spirits inhabit non-living objects. Their beliefs have been partly influenced by Hinduism, where spirits known as tewatao are associated with trees and fields. Other spirits, such as ancestral spirits, spirits that cause illness, and spirits that have magical influence, are called kalok.

World of the Mon

In the Mon homeland orchards and rubber plantations are found in the mountainous areas while in the flat lands there are paddy fields and salt fields. Another big thing for the Mon people is fishing which is the traditional occupation for the Mon people. In Myanmar the fishermen that fish in the lakes use one leg paddling. The reason for this way of paddling is because there are many reeds and water plants in the lake, and if they row sitting down in the boat they can’t see them. Standing on the end of the boat they have a great view and can lead the way better. Also, they have their hands free to collect the net whilst propelling the boat.

(Source: Steppes Travel)

Mon State has a cultivated area of nearly 4.5 million acres (18,000 km²), mostly under rice. The major secondary crop is rubber. Orchards and rubber plantations are found in the mountainous areas while Coastal fishing and related industries such as production of dried fish, fish sauce and agar-agar are in southern part, Ye district. Production of Betel nut is also a sustaining business of Mon state, as the Mon peasants preserved their heredity land onwards along with the government regulations, however, there are some many parts of uncultivated crude land in the area closed to neighbour Karen state

Homeland of the Mon

Swamps and Hills of South Myanmar: Homeland of the Mon

In Myanmar the majority of the Mon people live in the southern part of the country. There are 8 million Mon in Myanmar and 114,500 in Thailand. There are about 800,000 people who claim Mon ancestry and retain their culture and language but the majority are absorbed into Myanmar language and society.

(Source: NY Times)

The Mon land covers three regions in Myanmar stretching over lower Myanmar namely Tenasserim, Pegu and Irrawaddy. The Mon State borders Thailand to the east and Andaman Sea to the west including many small islands along the coast. The Mon state is mountainous in some areas but most of the Mon people live in the flat lands or next to the Andaman Sea.

(Source: history extra)