Kachin Hills

Last updated
Kachin Hills
Myanmar relief location map.jpg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Kachin Hills
Highest point
Peak Bumhpa Bum
Elevation 3,411 m (11,191 ft)
Coordinates 26°41′N97°14′E / 26.683°N 97.233°E / 26.683; 97.233
Geography
Country Burma
Region Southeast Asia
Borders onBurma, Arunachal Pradesh (India),
Tibet and Yunnan (China)
Geology
Type of rock Granite, limestone

The Kachin Hills are a heavily forested group of highlands in the extreme northeastern area of the Kachin State of Burma. They consist of a series of ranges running mostly in a N/S direction, including the Kumon Bum subrange of which the highest peak is Bumhpa Bum with an elevation of 3,411 metres (11,191 ft) [1] one of the ultra-prominent peaks of Southeast Asia. The Kachin Hills are inhabited by the Kachin people.

Contents

Geography

The country within the Kachin Hill tracts is roughly estimated at 19,177 square miles (49,670 km2), and consists of a series of ranges, for the most part running north and south, and intersected by valleys, all leading towards the Irrawaddy River, which drains the whole country. [2]

British administration

According to the Kachin Hill Tribes Regulation of 1895, administrative responsibility was accepted by the British government on the left bank of the Irrawaddy for the country south of the Nmaikha, and on the right bank for the country south of a line drawn from the confluence of the Malikha and Nmaikha through the northern limit of the Laban district and including the jade mines. The tribes north of this line were told that if they abstained from raiding to the south of it they would not be interfered with. South of that line peace was to be enforced and a small tribute taken, with a minimum of interference in their private affairs. [2]

On the British side of the border, the chief objects of Britain's colonial policy were the disarmament of the tribes and construction of frontier and internal roads. A small tribute was taken by the British. The Kachins were subject to many British "police operations" and two fighting expeditions: [2]

British incursion of 1892-93

The city of Bhamo was occupied by the British on December 28, 1885, and almost immediately, trouble began. Constant punitive measures were carried out by the military police; but in December 1892, a police column proceeding to establish a post at Sima was heavily attacked, and simultaneously the town of Myitkyina was raided by Kachin fighters. A force of 1,200 troops was sent to put down the rebellion. The Kachin fighters received their final blow at Palap, but not before three British officers were killed, three wounded and 102 sepoys and followers killed and wounded. [2] [ undue weight? – discuss ]

British incursion of 1895-96

The continued "misconduct" of the Sana Kachins from beyond the administrative border rendered punitive measures necessary, in the eyes of British colonists. No retaliation had taken place since the attack on Myitkyina in December 1892. Now two columns were sent up, one of 250 rifles from Myitkyina, the other of 200 rifles from Mogaung, marching in December 1895. The resistance was insignificant, and the fighting resulted in a complete victory for the British. A strong force of military police was stationed at Myitkyina, with several outposts in the Kachin hills. [2]

Pianma Incident

In 1910, during the very last year of Qing Empire, the British occupied Hpimaw [3] (Pianma) [4] in the Pianma Incident , as well as a part of what is now Northern Kachin state in 1926-27 and part of the Wa states in 1940. [5] [6]

Independent Burma

Map showing the areas ceded from Burma to China, including Hpimaw, Gawlam & Kangfang Burma-China border map.jpg
Map showing the areas ceded from Burma to China, including Hpimaw, Gawlam & Kangfang

Myanmar relinquished [3] [7] the eastern villages of Hpimaw (Pianma) and adjacent Gawlam (Gulang) [8] and Kangfang (Gangfang) [9] to the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1960, ending the political boundary dispute. Although Kachin Hills had been granted much autonomy under the 1947 constitution, the Myanmar government has since integrated it into the rest of the country, but not without the resistance of groups such as the Kachin Independence Organisation, which has fought the government since 1961. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

Jinghpaw or Kachin is a Tibeto-Burman language of the Sal branch spoken primarily in Kachin State, Myanmar; Northeast India; and Yunnan, China. The Jinghpaw(or Kachin) peoples, a confederation of several ethnic groups who live in the Kachin Hills, are the primary speakers of Jinghpaw language, numbering approximately 625,000 speakers. The term "Kachin language" may refer to the Jinghpaw language or any of the other languages spoken by the Jinghpaw peoples, such as Lisu, Lashi, Rawang, Zaiwa, Lhawo Vo, and Achang. These languages are from distinct branches of the highest level of the Tibeto-Burman family.

The Kam–Sui languages are a branch of the Kra–Dai languages spoken by the Kam–Sui peoples. They are spoken mainly in eastern Guizhou, western Hunan, and northern Guangxi in southern China. Small pockets of Kam–Sui speakers are also found in northern Vietnam and Laos.

Bit is an Austroasiatic language spoken by around 2,000 people in Phongsaly Province, northern Laos and in Mengla County, Yunnan, China.

Lüchun County is located in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, in the south of Yunnan province, China, bordering Vietnam's Lai Châu Province to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lushui</span> County-level city in Yunnan, China

Lushui is a county-level city in and the seat of Nujiang Prefecture, western Yunnan Province, China. It borders Myanmar's Kachin State to the west and occupies the southern fifth of Nujiang Prefecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malipo County</span> County in Yunnan, China

Malipo County is under the administration of the Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, in the southeast of Yunnan province, China, bordering Ha Giang Province to the southeast.

Mảng is an Austroasiatic language of Vietnam, China, and Laos. It is spoken mainly in Lai Châu Province, Vietnam and across the border in Jinping County, China. It was first documented only in 1974.

The Nisoish or Yi languages, which contains both the Northern Loloish and Southeastern Loloish branches, are a branch of the Loloish languages proposed by Lama (2012). Northern Loloish and Southeastern Loloish were established by Bradley (1997), while the Nisoish group combining Bradley's two branches was proposed by Ziwo Lama (2012). Lama (2012) refers to Northern Loloish as Nisoid or Nisu–Lope, and Southeastern Loloish as Axi–Puoid.

Lhao Vo, also known as Maru (မရူ) and Langsu, is a Burmish language spoken in Burma and by a few thousand speakers in China.

Blang (Pulang) is the language of the Blang people of China and Myanmar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Min Zhuang language</span> Tai language spoken in Yunnan, China

Min Zhuang is a recently described Tai language spoken in the Langheng (郎恒) area of Funing County, Yunnan, China, and possibly also southwestern Guangxi province. All speakers are reportedly bilingual in Yei Zhuang, which is classified as Northern Tai. The language was first described in 2011 by Eric C. Johnson of SIL International, though it had been earlier mentioned in Kullavanijaya and L-Thongkum (1998).

Pela or Bola, is a Burmish language of Western Yunnan, China. In China, Pela speakers are classified as part of the Jingpo ethnic group. Pela may also be spoken in Burma.

Muangphe is a Lolo-Burmese language spoken by about 300 people in Guangnan County, Yunnan, China.

Laopin is a Loloish language of Menghai County, Yunnan, China. Laopin is spoken in Manpin, Manhong Village (曼洪村委会), Mengzhe Town (勐遮镇), Menghai County.

Chashan is a Burmish language spoken in Pianma Township (片马镇), Lushui County, Yunnan, China, in Xiapianma (下片马), Gangfang (岗房), and Gulang (古浪) villages. It is closely related to Lashi, and has 56.3% lexical similarity with Lashi of Lushui County out of a sample of 1,000 vocabulary words.

Woni is a Southern Loloish language spoken in Zhenyuan Yi, Hani and Lahu Autonomous County and Xinping Yi and Dai Autonomous County of Yunnan, China. The most extensive description of Woni to date is that of Yang (2016).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–Myanmar border</span> International border

The China–Myanmar border is the international border between the territory of the People's Republic of China and Myanmar. The border is 2,129 km (1,323 mi) in length and runs from the tripoint with India in the north to the tripoint with Laos in the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jiangxinpo</span>

Jiangxinpo was an area currently in Kachin State, Myanmar, located between the N'Mai and Mali Rivers, west of the Gaoligong Mountains of Yunnan, China. It was previously under the rule of the Qing dynasty of China.

Alu is an unclassified Loloish language of Yunnan, China. It is spoken in Jinping Miao, Yao, and Dai Autonomous County, Lüchun County, Jiangcheng Hani and Yi Autonomous County, and Yuanyang County, Yunnan. The Alu are also referred to by other ethnic groups as Luwu 鲁乌 or Luowu 倮乌. There are also 500 to 600 Alu people in two villages of Ou Tay District, Phongsali Province, Laos.

The Pianma Incident began in 1910, from a dispute in the Pianma Kachin Chiefdom under Qing China suzerainty, between Pianma's Tusi and other local leaders, and the subsequent British Burman occupation of the Qing Empire's territories.

References

  1. ↑ "Bumhpa Bum - Peakbagger.com". www.peakbagger.com.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Wikisource-logo.svg One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain :  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Kachin Hills". Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 626.
  3. 1 2 "International Boundary Study No. 42 – Burma-China Boundary" (PDF). US DOS. 30 November 1964. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  4. ↑ "Lúshuǐ Xiàn Piànmǎ Zhèn Piànmǎ Cūnwěihuì Xiàpiànmǎ Cūn" 泸水县片马镇片马村委会下片马村 [Xiapianma Village, Pianma Village Committee, Pianma Town, Lushui County]. ynszxc.gov.cn (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2015-04-02.
  5. ↑ Gillogly, Kathleen (2006). "Transformations of Lisu Social Structure Under Opium Control and Watershed Conservation in Northern Thailand" (PDF). evols.library.manoa.hawaii.edu. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-21. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
  6. ↑ "Yunnan | province, China". Encyclopedia Britannica . Retrieved 2023-10-30. In 1910 the British, then established in Burma, induced the tusi of Pianma (Hpimau) to defect from the central Chinese government, and they then occupied his territory in northwestern Yunnan. Britain also forced China to give up a tract of territory in what is now the Kachin state of Myanmar (1926–27), as well as the territory in the Wa states (1940).
  7. ↑ "International Boundary Study No. 42 – Burma-China Boundary" (PDF). USDOS. 30 November 1964. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020. Agreement on the Question of the Boundary signed on January 28, 1960...(b) the villages of Hpimaw, Gawlum, and Kangfang would be Chinese;...(d) the Panhung-Panlao tribal area would be exchanged (for Namwan); and (e) with the exception of d, the 1941 boundary in the Wa states would be accepted...
  8. ↑ "Lúshuǐ Xiàn Piànmǎ Zhèn Gǔlàng Cūnwěihuì" 泸水县片马镇古浪村委会 [Gulang Village Committee, Pianma Town, Lushui County]. ynszxc.gov.cn (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2015-04-03.
  9. ↑ "Lúshuǐ Xiàn Piànmǎ Zhèn Gǎngfáng Cūnwěihuì" 泸水县片马镇岗房村委会 [Gangfang Village Committee, Pianma Town, Lushui County]. ynszxc.gov.cn (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2015-04-02.
  10. ↑ Fuller, Thomas (11 May 2009), "Ethnic Groups in Myanmar Hope for Peace, but Gird for Fight" , The New York Times, archived from the original on 30 Jan 2013
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.