#kachin

Irene - unreleased solo Kachin

Wanted to draw my DBZ gang hanging out together!

異世界美少女受肉おじさんと

#176: Kachin

From: Fancharacter (Dragon Ball Z)

Burma is considered a culturally diverse country. The complexicity of the diversity is interesting and it is also fascinating. Once you dive into a domain of diversity, multiple sub-element emerges.

We encompass different values, beliefs, norms and beauty.

There are 8 main ethnicities in the country; Kachin, Kayah, Karen, Chin, Mon, Burmese, Rakhine and Shan. Wait, that is not all. There are many different sub-ethnicities. Shan, for example, was historically ruled by 33 different Saopoa (a term in Shan language meaning local governors), therefore can be seen as 33 sub ethnicities; Kokang, Danu, Ta'ang, Palong, Lahu, Wa, MawShan, Pao to name a few.

You think this is alot of sub-ethnicities. What about if I say that up to 53 sub-ethnicities can be seen in Chin; Salai, Naga, KlinKaw, Kumi, Tedim, Matu to name a few.

Lets talk about Kachin. Depending on who we ask we get the answer between 6 to 12 sub-ethnicities. To name a few, they are Jainhpaw, Rawan, Rongow, LaChit to name a few.

Karen and Rakhine are also pretty diverse. To name a few; Arakan, Myo, Tat for Rakhine and S'gaw, Poe, P'Ku for Karens.

What about majority Burmese? It also have some diversities. Nine different sub-burmese ethnicities are known so far. Burmese, Yaw, Salone, DaWay, Gadu, Taung Tar, GaNan, Myate, Poan.

Mon, however, has one sub-ethnicity only which is Mon :)

Ok. This is as far as we can wrap out heads around 🥸🥵😶😭😶🤯🤯🤯. Let's move onto the fun part. Let's see some of the ethnic costumes that we can get our hands on.

Source

image: Reuters

On Monday morning Myanmar woke up to the news that State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, regional lawmakers and human rights defenders throughout the country had been detained and that the Tatmadaw, Myanmar’s military, had seized power. They declared a State of Emergency for one year, imposed a nightly curfew and intermittently cut telecommunications. (At time of publication, telecommunications have been restored).

The military coup follows November’s elections in which Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), won in a landslide. Following the election, the military, led by General Min Aung Hlaing, denounced the results, claiming counts of voter fraud.

In the days leading up to February 1st when the first session of the NLD-led parliament was set to start, the nation’s Union Election Committee denied voter fraud claims, stating that the Tatmadaw’s claims were “exaggerated” and “absurd”.

The History

After achieving independence from British rule in 1948, Myanmar (then Burma) began the process of forming its own government. Since independence, attempts to unify a multi-ethnic state under one government have led to one of the longest-running ongoing civil wars between the Tatmadaw forces and various ethnic groups oppressed by the regime.

In 1962, general Ne Win and his military forces took Burma through a coup d’etat. The military’s direct rule would extend for decades but would be challenged in 1988 during the 8-8-8-8 pro-democracy uprising, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of protestors and a second coup which placed another Tatmadaw general, General Saw Maung, in power.

Aung San Suu Kyi was a driving force for the 8-8-8-8 Uprising and was placed under house arrest following Saw Maung’s declaration of martial law. During her time in house arrest, Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD won a landslide election in 1990; however, power was never ceded to the winners, and the military junta continued their rule.

Democratic reforms slowly edged into Myanmar’s government, and a new constitution (drafted by the military) was passed in 2008.

Then in 2015, after decades of military rule, an openly-contested election resulted in an absolute majority for the NLD in both houses. Aung San Suu Kyi took the role of State Counsellor in 2016, and the country seemed to further inch towards a liberal democracy.

Key Characters

State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, despite her domestic popularity, is a complicated leader. A year ago she was ushered to the International Court of Justice at the United Nations to respond to accusations of genocide against the Rohingya.

The Tatmadaw is responsible for the slaughter, rape, oppression, and genocide of ethnic groups across Myanmar, notably the Karen, Shan, Kachin, and Rohingya people.

The National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi, won a majority of parliament seats in 2015 and again in 2020. In spite of the party’s popularity, the military has retained indirect power through ministerial appointments and a guaranteed 25% of parliament seats for military appointees.

History Repeats Itself

And just like that, Myanmar takes a big leap backwards. Aung San Suu Kyi, government and student leaders were detained Monday morning and the election results from last November ignored. The military coup in Myanmar is a disappointing blow to a nation with a slow and tenuous bend towards democracy after decades of stifling military rule. The devastation of these events is exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis, which has ravaged a nation where many already struggle with food security and basic health issues.

Our friends and colleagues are safe and none have been detained but it’s sad to see the smallest bit of democratic progress lost. Our concern as always is with the impact on the communities we support and especially the children and their families who face the long-term impact of oppressive regimes.

Our staff from Myanmar have expressed their concerns:

“It reminds us of the past, when we saw and felt it very clearly that the military has the authority to lead the country and harm ethnic minorities. They force them to leave and kill them even now. So if they have full power again, it will not be good for ethnic minorities.”

“At the beginning I had a little hope that my country would get better... but with this coup, my hope is already gone.”

“With this coup situation it feels like back to the old days. It makes me feel worried about my relatives in Myanmar because they are facing COVID-19 and facing this coup, I don’t know how they can survive in this condition.”

Since 1994, Partners has responded to the immediate needs of civilians displaced in and from Myanmar as a result of conflict in the region with a particular emphasis on the well-being of innocent children caught in the crossfire. When the immediate conflict subsides, Partners comes in to work with local communities to support dignity-building sustainable development initiatives, including the delivery of lifesaving supplies, as well as providing long-term support for education and health care for families and children.