Dai History

Geographical Features of Dai Land
Dai Land is situated on the west of Mindat town, the northwest of Kanpetlet town, the
northeast of Paletwa town and the southeast of Matupi town. The Dai land is located in the
southern part of the Chin land (Chin state), Myanmar. It is also located between north latitude
20° 30' and 21° 30' , and between east longitude 93° 10' and 94° 10'. The longest part of its
land is about 120 miles (193.08 km) and the narrowest part is roughly 60 miles (96.54 km).
The Dai land is situated between 800 mto 3200 m above the sea level. The highest mountain in
Dai land is Khawnusuum(Mt.Victoria). Its has got slope ranges of mountains and a few plains
near the Laymyo river and Moun river.
Climate
Dai land has got three climates which are summer, winter and rainny season. The Dai land is
located in temperate zone. The temperature is between 5° C to 20° C. Especially the rainy
season is started the end of May and finished at the end of October.
Environment Current Issue
Cut and burn methods of plantation or slashing methods makes deforestation. Widely
searching of natural resources such as wild orchid species, faunas and floras are worried natural
resources largely losing. Myanmar military government’s well known cutting and selling of
teaks and timber is the majority of destroying the Dai land. Cutting and selling of the pine
wood is the most dangerous deforesting in near Mt.Khawnusuum areas. Generally hunting,
electrical fishing, searching, digging and cutting all natural resources are vanishing our useful
resources.
Natural Resources
In Dai land there are many kinds of faunas and floras. The Dai land is the most plentiful of
natural resources in Chin state.
(a) Fauna
Tiger, bear, elephant, monkey, leopard, barking deer, fox, cat, snake, reptiles, amphibian,
birds and so on.
(b) Flora
Verities of wild orchid species, cherry, rhododendron, teak, timber, pine, bamboo species,
rattan and so on.
Population
In Dai land there are about 60,000 native people are inhabitants, within the original main
tribe there are many small minor ethnics. They are the original residents of Dai land. The
overall Dai population is estimate to be 90,000. The population of Dai people is the biggest
ethnic tribe of southern Chin state. Some of Dai people live in around Myanmar and all over
the world. By history researcher Dai people are derivative from Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto - Burma,
Kuki - Chin - Naga, Kuki - Chin, Chin - Dai.
Political Division
By Myanmar (Burma) government system Dai land is divided into four parts within
southern Chin state of Kanpetlet, Mindat, Matupi and Paletwa townships. Today Dai land is
comprises within Chin state, Myanmar. So the local government made to be separated of Dai
land and they used to called Kanpetlet Dai, Mindat Dai, Matu Dai and Paletwa Dai. In Chin
state Dai population is 10 percentage of Chin people. The biggest forest of Chin state is
situated in Dai land. There is no town, high school, hospital in Dai land. The military
government ruling systems make Dai people to be poor and not to be educated. Regrettably
there is no modern transportation system such as road, railway and air port in Dai land. Along
with it there is also neither of telecommunication nor internet system in there. So the Dai land
is one of the poorest development places of Myanmar and of the world.
Cuisine
Daipeople used to cook and eat their cuisine within their festivals , ceremonies and every
day. The curry of Guuk Booi (cooking with as filtered water or lye) is the famous traditional
curry. The main component of Guuk Booi is produced from filtering water passing through
banana tree, straw, bamboos and medicinal herbs ash. Chicken with Dai coriander salad is the
favorite dish of Dai people. Roselle soup is the most popular soup of Dai people. Other cooking
methods are boiling, baking, roasting and barbecuing the vegetables and meats. The local
people make Khai Peh (boiled pack of snack, making by sticky rice with banana leaf) and
share to every body and neighbors within the days of harvesting and thanks giving day.
Medicinal herbs such as turmeric powder, ginger, mints, garlic, lemon grass, coriander, chives,
cinnamon, pepper, chilly are the most useful spices of Dai curry. Yaw Leng (cooking curry in
bamboo) is the most delicious dish of Dai traditional curry.Religion
Recent thirty years ago Dai people are animist. Most of Dai people converted to Christian
within the previous two decades. Nowadays absolutely 99 percentage of Dai people are
Christian. In Dai land there are many Christian denominations such as roman Catholic, babtist,
Methodist, Brethren, Presbyterian and so on. Because of Christianity Dai people well
developed of social and spiritual knowledge.Costumes
Dai people adorably used to wear traditional hand woven cotton clothes. Ladies and
women are found of wearing Phyang (look like shirt), Nghi Le(skirt), Yisa Sen, Yi Sa Pauk
(sewing towel for wearing waist to ankle). Prvious time men used to wear only Khyu
(underwear), Mengpem, Ng’ae, Nghai( ear lobe), L Pung (turban), Lu Sui (topknot), KKhum
Loi (two long tail of drongo), Aai Loi (long tail of cock). Women commonly dress Sungphui,
Myakang, Phui Song (Dai belt), Mole (colorful beads), Htae (bracelet), Ngthaen (ear lobe) Lu
Keh (hairpin). Only ladies tattoo on their faces, arm, calf (especially on their faces have fully
decorated tattoo style). There are many kind of faced tattoo styles, depend on their small
minor ethnic. Dai hand woven styles are high standard and quality until today. Women wave
blanket themselves for their family using.
Languages
Dai languages is the mother tongue of all Dai tribes, There are slightly different styles of
using their ethnic tongue those minor ethnic groups who live in Kanpetlet township and
Matupi township. Even though slightly different styles of using dialect each minority group
understand the other tongue. Dai literature is developed the year of around 1990s by the help
of German people. The alphabets are based on German alphabets. Dai language code is dao
and international standard organization number is 639-3. Part of the Christian bible, new
testament translation is finished on the year of 1996. Dai literature is widely used in Christian
religion. Dai people can speak other languages those ethnic groups who live near their region
such as Mün, Ya, Ubü, Matu and Burmese. There are trying to prepare for the publication of
Dai - English dictionary.
Education
In Dai land there are only basic education middle schools (from 5 years to 14 years
students). Basic primary school is nearly open in all villages but the local people can not learn
properly and functionally. Attached basic education high school is opened in a few villages of
Dai land. There are around 1000 educated people (Bachelor degree). Nowadays Dai people are
studying for their further education in various Christian colleges such as many capital cities of
Yangon, Falam, Mandalay, Kalay, Maymyo. So many of Dai people can not study for their
further education, only one percentage of Dai people can go to colleges or universities. So the
99 percentage of Dai people can not study other educations such as computer training, internet
training, polytechnic school and human resources training.
Health
There are some government clinics and dispensaries in some villages, but there is no medicine
in that dispensaries. People to the nearest Burmese villages and the cities to buy some drugs.
There are no doctors in Dai land. Sometimes the medical staffs and nurses visit to Dai land.
There is rarely found vaccination to Dai people by the help of government. Most commonly
facing diseases in Dai land are malaria, dengue fever, flu, gastric pain, bronchioles, diarrhea
and hepatitis.Agriculture , Animal Husbandry and Economy
(a) Agriculture
Dai people cultivate paddy, corn millet ,beans, peas, cucumber, pumpkin, gourd, egg plant,
sweet potatoes, tomatoes, ginger, mint, garlic, onion, chives, lemon grass, water melon, celery,
turmeric, chilly, lady finger, white pumpkin, coriander, cinnamon, sesames and cotton in their
gardens or farms. Banana, orange, lime, lemon, avocado, pine apple, papaya, tamarind, grape,
grapefruit, mango, cane, pear, and strawberry can be found in Dai gardens. Some people plant
many kind of flowers in their gardens too. Dai farmer cultivate the seed in the beginning of
monsoon period (the middle of April to June) and harvest the crops in the middle of October to
November. Traditional cultivation method is much depend on raining.
(b) Animal Husbandry
Mithan or gayal is the popular breeding animal in Dai land. Dai people used to breed their
mithans in the wild forest. Along with it you can see cow, buffalo, goat, pig, chicken and duck
in their fields or homes. Dog and cat are the domestic animals of Dai people.
(c) Economy
Generally Dai land is one of the most using remote mountainous land system (slashing or
shifting cultivation) that the least developed regions habitants by indigenous hill tribes of
Myanmar. Dai people earn livelihood by practicing of widely substances shifting cultivation
(Taung Ya) and a common farming for their daily food for them. Plantation and gardening are
only for their survival and diet food because there is no transportation systems and markets in
Dai land. Wild orchid searching and selling, among with it searching and selling of natural
faunas and floras are smuggling for getting the black incomes of some Dai people. There is a
few income generation for Dai people that is waving beautiful hand woven materials for
women and making attractive baskets and mats for men. Besides that Dai people get some
money by cultivation of castor seed, Polynesian arrow root (Tacca) and pumpkin seed.
Festivals, Ceremonies and Dances
Saak Thai Suuk Ei Cün (Thanksgiving days), Sang Leh (Winnowing festival), Pung Yu
( praying for blessing the seeds), Soot Su (praying for fruitful the crops), Khai Mdeh (the first
eating for new vegetables), Lung Süm (Stonehenge ceremony for monument), Im Kaai (new
home ceremony), Im Leh (engaging with bride’s parents), Ca Püm (wedding ceremony), Vok
Ng’yoh (giving material and mithans to birde’s parents), Phya Saak (go fishing), and Sa Haut
(hunting) are the most popular festivals and ceremonies.Within the traditional festival and
ceremony Dai people used to dance and sing songs.The most famous dacings are Püi Lam
Siing, Ak Noi Siin, Saat Siing, Keat Siing and Se Lu Siing.The local fluting songs are popular
among Dai people. There are Leng La, Pi Lim, Phi Phät, Khing Khäng.The musical intruments
are gongs, cymbals, flutes, drums, bamboo claps and so. Dai people used to sing folk songs
during ceremonies and everyday life.