Who Are the Kachin?
The Kachin (Jingpo, Jinghpaw) are a group of related ethnicities inhabiting Kachin State in northern Myanmar, adjacent areas of China (where they are called Jingpo), and India's Arunachal Pradesh. Total population is approximately 1.5-2 million. "Kachin" is an umbrella term covering six main groups: Jinghpaw, Rawang, Lisu, Zaiwa, Lachik, and Lawngwaw, who speak related but distinct Tibeto-Burman languages. The Kachin are known as fierce warriors—they served prominently in British colonial forces and fought effectively against Japanese invasion in World War II. Kachin State contains valuable jade and amber deposits, making resource control central to the ongoing armed conflict between Kachin forces and the Myanmar military.
Social Organization
Traditional Kachin society was analyzed in Edmund Leach's famous study "Political Systems of Highland Burma" (1954), which identified oscillation between two social models: gumsa (hierarchical, with hereditary chiefs) and gumlao (egalitarian, without chiefs). Kachin communities would shift between these models over generations. The gumsa system featured chiefs (duwa) who collected tribute and hosted great feasts (manau). The gumlao system emerged through rebellions against chiefly authority. This analysis influenced political anthropology broadly. Traditional religion involved spirits (nat) propitiated through animal sacrifice; ritual specialists (dumsa) mediated with the spirit world. Christian missionaries (Baptist and Catholic) converted many Kachin beginning in the late 19th century; Christianity is now the majority religion and central to Kachin identity.
The Manau Festival
Manau is the great Kachin festival, traditionally hosted by chiefs to celebrate victory, harvest, or other occasions, now an annual community celebration. The festival centers on group dancing around tall painted poles (manau shadung) depicting mythological journeys and clan symbols. Dancers in traditional dress—black and red with silver ornaments—follow prescribed patterns for hours or days, led by ritual leaders. The largest manau festivals gather thousands. Under British rule and continuing today, manau became a pan-Kachin celebration transcending clan and linguistic divisions. The festival demonstrates Kachin unity, maintains cultural traditions, and serves political purposes—manau celebrations have been occasions for Kachin political mobilization. Even in conflict conditions, communities organize manau, and diaspora Kachin hold celebrations worldwide.
Contemporary Kachin
Modern Kachin have experienced decades of armed conflict. The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and its army (KIA) have fought the Myanmar government since 1961, with a 17-year ceasefire (1994-2011) collapsing in 2011. Renewed fighting has displaced over 100,000 people internally. The conflict involves control over jade mines (worth billions annually), logging, and other resources, with the Myanmar military accused of systematic human rights violations including sexual violence. The 2021 coup intensified conflict; Kachin forces joined broader resistance to the junta. Kachin Christian churches provide crucial social services in conflict zones. Many Kachin have fled to China, Thailand, or Malaysia, or resettled in Western countries. The Kachin diaspora, particularly in the US (Dallas, Fort Worth), maintains strong community organization. Kachin language and culture remain vital; Jinghpaw serves as lingua franca. The Kachin struggle illustrates both the richness of highland Southeast Asian cultures and the devastating impact of resource conflicts and military rule.
References
- Leach, E. R. (1954). Political Systems of Highland Burma
- Sadan, M. (2013). Being and Becoming Kachin: Histories Beyond the State in the Borderworlds of Burma
- Smith, M. (1999). Burma: Insurgency and the Politics of Ethnicity