 Shan woman fromLai-Hka,Shan State | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| c. 5 million + (est.)[1][2] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Myanmar(mainly  Shan State) | 5 million[a][2] |
| Languages | |
| Shan,Burmese,Northern Thai,Thai | |
| Religion | |
| Majority:Theravada Buddhism,Tai folk religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Zhuang,Chinese Shan,Tai Lao,Nung,Bouyei,Dong,Tai Thai,Tai Ahom, | |
TheShan people (Shan:တႆး,pronounced[taj˥], orBurmese:ရှမ်းလူမျိုး,pronounced[ʃáɰ̃lùmjó]), also known as theTai Long (တႆးလူင်,[taj˥.loŋ˨˦]) orTai Yai, are aTai ethnic group ofSoutheast Asia. The Shan are the biggest minority ofBurma (Myanmar)[3] and primarily live in theShan State, but also inhabit parts ofMandalay Region,Kachin State,Kayah State,Sagaing Region andKayin State, and in adjacent regions ofChina (Dai people),Laos,Assam andMeghalaya (Ahom people),Cambodia (Kula people),Vietnam andThailand.[4] Though no reliable census has been taken in Burma since 1935, the Shan are estimated to number 4–6 million,[1] withCIA Factbook giving an estimate of five million spread throughout Myanmar[2] which is about 10% of the overall Burmese population.[3][5]
'Shan' is a generic term for allTai-speaking peoples within Myanmar (Burma). The capital of Shan State isTaunggyi, the fifth-largest city in Myanmar with about 390,000 people. Other major cities includeThibaw (Hsipaw),Lashio,Kengtung andTachileik.
The Shan use the endonymTai (တႆး) in reference to themselves, which is also used in Chinese (Chinese:傣族;pinyin:Dǎizú).[6]
Shan (ရှမ်း) is anexonym from theBurmese language; the term itself was historically spelt သျှမ်း (MLCTS:hsyam:), and is cognate with the term "Siam," the former name of Thailand.[7] The term is extant toOld Burmese, first attested to aBagan era inscription from 1120, where it referred to Tai-speaking populations east of the kingdom.[7] "Shan" has also been borrowed into Chinese (Chinese:掸族;pinyin:Shànzú).
InThai, the Shan are calledTai Yai (ไทใหญ่,lit. 'Great Tai')[8] orNgiao (Thai:เงี้ยว) inTai yuan language. The Shan also have a number of exonyms in other minority languages, includingPa'O: ဖြဝ်ꩻ,Western Pwo Karen: ၥဲၫ့, andMon သေံဇၞော်listenⓘ (seṃ jnok).[9]
The major groups of Shan people are:
The speakers of Shan, Lue, Khun and Nua languages form the majority ofDai nationality inChina.
There are various ethnic groups designated asTai throughoutShan State,Northern Sagaing Division andKachin State. Some of these groups in fact speakTibeto-Burman andMon-Khmer andAssamese languages, although they are assimilated into Shan society.[10]
The majority of Shan areTheravada Buddhists, andTai folk religion. The Shan constitute one of the four main Buddhist ethnic groups in Burma; the others are theBamar, theMon and theRakhine. The Mon were the main source of early Shan Buddhism andShan scripts.[13] Among the Shan Buddhists in both Burma andYunnan are theZawti sect, an austere sect ofTheravada Buddhism whose practitioners are distinguished by their use of palm leaf texts in home altars instead of Buddha images.[14]
Most Shan speak theShan language and are bilingual inBurmese. The Shan language, spoken by about 5 or 6 million, is closely related toThai andLao, and is part of the family ofTai languages.[15] It is spoken inShan State, some parts ofKachin State, some parts ofSagaing Division in Burma, parts ofYunnan, and in parts of northwestern Thailand, includingMae Hong Son Province andChiang Mai Province.[16] The two major dialects differ in number oftones:Hsenwi Shan has six tones, whileMongnai Shan has five.[17] TheShan alphabet is an adaptation of theMon–Burmese script via theBurmese alphabet.[17] However, only a few Shan can read and write in their own language. Shan state is the most illiterate state with over a million illiterates in Myanmar due to lack of basic infrastructures andlong ongoing civil war.[18]
The Shan are traditionallywet-rice cultivators, shopkeepers, andartisans.[19]
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TheTai-Shan people are believed to have migrated fromYunnan inChina. The Shan are descendants of the oldest branch of the Tai-Shan, known asTai Luang ('Great Tai') or Tai Yai ('Big Tai'). The Tai-Shan who migrated to the south and now inhabit modern-dayLaos andThailand are known asTai Noi (orTai Nyai), while those in parts of northern Thailand and Laos are commonly known asTai Noi ('Little Tai' – Lao spoken)[20] The Shan have inhabited theShan Plateau and other parts of modern-dayBurma as far back as the 10th century CE. The Shan kingdom ofMong Mao (Muang Mao) existed as early as the 10th century CE but became a Burmesevassal state during the reign of KingAnawrahta ofPagan (1044–1077).
After thePagan Kingdom fell to theMongols in 1287, the Shan chiefs quickly gained power throughout central Burma, and founded:
| State | Peak territory | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myinsaing–Pinya Kingdom (1297–1364) | Central Burma | 1297–1364 | Founded by three Shan brothers namedAthinkhaya,Yazathingyan andThihathu, and the minor kingdom was a predecessor toAva Kingdom |
| Sagaing Kingdom[21] | Central Burma | 1315–1364 | Thihathu was a co-founder of the Myinsaing Kingdom and the founder of the Pinya Kingdom, and the minor kingdom was a predecessor to Ava Kingdom. |
| Confederation of Shan States | Upper Burma | 1527–1555 | A group of Shan States led bySawlon,Saopha ofMohnyin conquered the Ava Kingdom in 1527 and ruled Upper Burma until 1555 |
| Shan States (Princely states) | Shan States | 1215–1885, 1948–1959 | Princely Shan States |
| British Shan States /Federated Shan States | Shan States | 1885–1922, 1922–1948 | Princely Shan States ofBritish Burma were nominally sovereignprincely states, but they were subject to British Crown.[22][23] |
ManyAva andPegu kings of Burmese history between the 13th–16th centuries were of (partial) Shan descent. The kings of Ava fought kings of Pegu for control of theIrrawaddy valley. Various Shan states fought Ava for the control ofUpper Burma. The states ofMonyhin (Mong Yang) andMogaung were the strongest of the Shan States. Monhyin-ledConfederation of Shan States defeated Ava in 1527, and ruled all of Upper Burma until 1555.[24]
The Burmese kingBayinnaung conquered all of the Shan states in 1557.[25] Although the Shan states would become a tributary to Irrawaddy valley based Burmese kingdoms from then on, the ShanSaophas retained a large degree of autonomy. Throughout the Burmese feudal era, Shan states supplied much manpower in the service of Burmese kings. Without Shan manpower, it would have been harder for theBurmans alone to achieve their victories inLower Burma,Siam, and elsewhere. Shans were a major part of Burmese forces in theFirst Anglo-Burmese War of 1824–1826, and fought valiantly—a fact even the British commanders acknowledged.[26]
In the latter half of the 19th century Shan people migrated intoNorthern Thailand reachingPhrae Province.[27] The Shan population in Thailand is concentrated mainly inChiang Rai,Chiang Mai,Mae Hong Son,Mae Sariang,Mae Sai andLampang, where there are groups which settled long ago and built their own communities and temples. Shan people are known as "Tai Yai" in north Thailand, where the wordShan is very seldom used to refer to them.[28]
After theThird Anglo-Burmese War in 1885, theBritish gained control of theShan states. Under the British colonial administration, theShan principalities were administered separately as British protectorates with limited monarchical powers invested in the ShanSaophas.[29]
AfterWorld War II, the Shan and other ethnic minority leaders negotiated with the majorityBamar leadership at thePanglong Conference, and agreed to gain independence from Britain as part ofUnion of Burma. The Shan states were given the option to secede after 10 years of independence. The Shan states became Shan State in 1948 as part of the newly independent Burma.
GeneralNe Win'scoup d'état overthrew the democratically elected government in 1962, and abolished Shan saopha system.
| Shan conflict | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theMyanmar conflict | ||||||||
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| Belligerents | ||||||||
|  SSA(1964–1975) SURA(1960–1966) MTA(1985–1996) SSNA(1995–2005) Shan State Army – South PNAPNLA LDU | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | ||||||||
| ||||||||
A Shan independence movement has been active and engaged in armed struggle, leading to intermittentcivil war within Burma for decades. Currently two main Shan armed insurgent forces operate within Shan State: theShan State Army/Special Region 3 andShan State Army/Restoration Council of Shan State. In 2005 theShan State National Army (SSNA) was effectively abolished after its surrender to the Burmese government. Some SSNA units joined the SSA/RCSS, which has yet to sign any agreements, and is still engaged inguerrilla warfare against theBurmese Army.[30]
During conflicts, Shan civilians are often burned out of their villages and forced to flee into Thailand. Some of the worst fighting in recent times occurred in 2002 when the Burmese army shelled the Thai border town ofMae Sai, south ofTachileik, in an attempt to capture members of theSSA'sSouthern Faction who had fled across theNam Ruak.[31][32] While in July of that same year, in the Shan Township ofMong Yawng, the killing of a member of anNGO by theBurmese Tatmadaw, and the subsequent closure of the border to Thailand, caused an evacuation of the surviving members across theMekong River toLaos.[33] This evacuation was aided by members of the Shan State Army, and in turn brought tighter measures restricting foreign aid in the area as violence increased.
Due to the civil war, males typically find low-paid work in construction, while many Shan females fall in the hands ofhuman trafficking gangs and end up in the prostitution business or bride trafficking.[34][35] Despite the hardships, Shan people in Thailand are conscious of their culture and seek occasions to gather in cultural events.[36]
A major Shan militia called theMong Tai Army had fought theTatmadaw as well as theUnited Wa State Army (UWSA) for a separate state up until their surrender in 1996. Since then, the UWSA has given support toShan State Army – South andShan State Army – North out of hope that the two serve as buffers against Tatmadaw encroachment on Wa territory.[37]
Following the arrest ofSao Shwe Thaik ofYawnghwe in theBurmese coup d'état in March 1962 by the Revolutionary Council headed by GeneralNe Win,[38] his wifeSao Nang Hearn Kham fled with her family toThailand in April 1962 and Sao Shwe Thaik died in prison in November the same year. In exile, his wife took up the cause of the independence struggle of theShan State. In 1964 Sao Nang Hearn Kham with her son Chao-Tzang Yawnghwe helped to form theShan State War Council (SSWC) and theShan State Army (SSA), becoming chair of the SSWC,[39] and taking the Shan rebellion that started in 1958 to a new phase.[40]Sao Nang Hearn Kham died on 17 January 2003 in exile inCanada at the age of 86.[39]
The declaration of independence was rejected by most otherethnic minority groups, many Shan living inside Burma, and the country's leading opposition party,Aung San Suu Kyi'sNational League for Democracy. Despite the domestic opposition to the declaration, theBurmese Army is rumoured to have used it as a reason to crack down on Shan civilians. Shan people have reported an increase in restrictions on their movements and an escalation inBurmese Army raids on Shan villages. The October 2015 Burmese military offensive in Central Shan State has displaced thousands of Shan people, as well asPalaung,Lisu andLahu people, causing a new humanitarian crisis.[41][42] Shancivil society organisations are concerned about the lack of international response on the recent conflict.[43]
| Sino-Tibetan |
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| Austroasiatic | |||||||||||
| Austronesian | |||||||||||
| Hmong-Mien | |||||||||||
| Mongolic | |||||||||||
| Kra–Dai | |||||||||||
| Tungusic | |||||||||||
| Turkic | |||||||||||
| Indo-European | |||||||||||
| Others | |||||||||||
| Related | |||||||||||
Underlined: the 56 officially recognised ethnic groups ranked by population in their language families according to2020 census | |||||||||||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
