Tai or Shan from it’s origins to present (Part one)

Who are the Tai?

• Mongoloid stock of Tai ethnic group
• Spread over southwester china, Hainan, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and northeast India in Assam. 
• Based on colour of the dress they are called differently (Tai dam, along the black river Tai leng along the red river) etc. 

Where was their early home?

• In the fertile basins of the Huanghwe or yellow river and Yangtze river. Migrated into China before Chinese themselves. 
• They were called white barbarians, black barbarians and golden teeth (describe by Fan Ch’o a Chinese officials of the Tang dynasty)
• Good agriculturists 
• Tai language was widely used and many Tai words were incorporated into Chinese language in later days. Influential language in fertile region of yellow river. 
• Tai were always move and they never tired of finding a new place and establishing new bann, mong, keng. They are requited to maintain their identity, cultural heritage .
• Some historians claim that Tai people  are, in  BC 3000, the inhabitants of Asia,  central part of the  land  now  known  as  China. Rev.  William  C.  Dodd,  a  Christian  missionary,  stated  that  the  Tai settled in the land now known as China before Chinese arrived, based on Chinese annals of 2200 BC.
• Most likely, according to the history of  Tai  people,  they  were  under  attack  many  times  by  many  groups  such  as  Monkhmer,  Mongol  and Chinese for centuries. They were dispersed to  many  places  in  Southeast  Asia  because  of  war.  They  ended  up  “people  without  country”  in  other countries  such  as  China,  Burma,  India  and  Vietnam  and  became  a  minority  group  of  people  in  those countries. 
• The great Tai race, who number today about 100 million, had established numerous Kingdoms and States in the past and still govern the two nations of Thailand and Laos. Tai people consider Thailand and Laos as Tai countries existing today.

Tai Kingdom

• Shan  had  their  country  and  ruled  by  King  since  BC  2000  up  to  16 the Century. 
• There  were  nine  Shan  kingdoms  recorded  in early history. 
• Tsu Kingdom (မိူင်းသိူဝ်) (BC 2000 - BC 222) 
• Ai Lao Kingdom (မိူင်းတႆးဢၢႆႈလၢဝ်) (AD 47 - AD 225) 
• Nan Chao (မိူင်းလၢၼ်ႉၸဝ်ႈ) (AD 649 - AD 1252)
• Muong Mao Lone Kingdom (မိူင်းမၢဝ်းလူင်) (AD 764 - AD 1252) 1287 invaded by Mongol 
• Muong Mao Kingdom (မိူင်းမၢဝ်း) (AD 1311 - AD 1604) invaded by Bayinnaung in 1562
• Lanna (Yonok) Kingdom (မိူင်းလၢၼ့်ၼႃး) (AD 773 - AD 1080) 
• SipSongPanna (မိူင်းသိပ်းသွင်ပၼ်းၼႃး) (AD 1180 - AD 1292) 
• Waisali Kingdom (မိူင်းတူၼ်ႈသွၼ်းၶမ်း) (AD 1227 - AD 1838)
• Sukhothai (မိူင်းထႆး) (AD 1238 - AD 1350)

Nan Chao Kingdom

• Nam Chao was formed by Ai Lao descendent in AD 47. 
• Nan Chao was destroyed by Mongol  (Kupalaikan) in AD-1253. 
• After Nan-chao was overrun by Mongols, new Tai immigrants from that are arrived to build up the population in (Nam Mon region).
• Later on, the basis was established for the future greatness of Mong Mao Long. The Ai Lao brought with them their knowledge of administration as well as their military skills, cultural heritage air, literature, architecture, weaving, and other craft industries. 

The Rise of the Mao Kingdom of the Tai

• Mao region was located in a most strategic place. Could enter upper Myanmar easily. 
• Cross Irrawaddy and Chindwin and establish the Kingdom of the Ahom Shan, occupy Hkamti long area.
• The Tai people from the Mong Mao area also moved south along the Irrawaddy river to be joined by other groups coming down the Shan State to settle in Upper Myanmar. Mong Kaung became the 2nd Capital of Mong Mao. 
• There are many proverbs and teaching to the greatness of Mao Kingdom.

Kings of Mong Mao Long Era

1. Hkun Lai 568
2. Ai-Dyep-That-Hpa 638
3. Hkam Pong-Hpa 678
4. Hkam Sap-Hpa ?
5. Hkam Sip-Hpa 703
6. Ni-Fa-Mong 763
7. Sao Hkam Hpa 783
8. Sao Hkai Hpa 834
9. Sao Han- Hpa 868
10. Sao Tao-Hpa 901
11. Sao Powt-Hpa 933
12. Sao Won (wan) Hpa 960
13.  Sao Hon-Hpa 983
14.  Sao Hau-Hpa 996
15.  Sao Lip-Hpa 1014
16. Hkun Kwot-Hpa 1035
17.  Sao Tai-Hpa 1050
18.  Sao Lu Lu 1062
19.  Sao Sang Mwun 1081
20.  Sao Sang Yaw 1096
21.  Sao Tai-Hpa 1103
22.  Sao Hseng Nga 1112
23.  Sao Lu-Chu (Chio) 1123
24.  Sao Nga-Chao 1137 
25.  Sao Hkun-Ming      1145
26.  Sao Hkun Kum 1163
27.  Sao Tai Pum 1171
28.  Sao Tai Laing (long) 1188
29.  Pam-Yau-Pung 1203
30.  Sao Kwan Hpa (Hso-Hkan-Hpa) 1220
31.  Sao Pin-Hpa 1250
32.  Tai Peng or Sao Hkam-Hpa 1282
33.  Sao Wak-Hpa 1285
34.  Interregnum   1315
35.  Ai Puk 1324
36. Interregnum 1324
37.  Sao Ki-Hpa (or) Tai Pong  1339
38.  Tai Lung 1346
39.  Sao Lwei or Sao Tit-Hpa 1396
40.  Sao Ngan-Hpa 1415
41.  Sao Lam-Kon-Hkam Hpa 1448
42.  Sao Hum (hom) Hpa 1461
43.  Sao Ha-Hpa 1490
44.  Sao Pim-Hpa 1496
45.  Sao Hum Hpa 1516
46.  Sao Poreing 1604

Mong Mao Long and Sao Hsur Hkan Pha 

• Mong Mao came to be known as Mong Mao Long only when Sao Hsur Hkan Pha came to the throne in 1220
• His main objectives was to recover all the Tai territories lost during the Nan-chao period. 
• Mong Se-Long or Yunnan-fu (Kunming), several principalities down the cambodian river that previously belonged to the Nan-chao king, including the Shan states, Lower Myanmar including Bago, Yangon, Mawlamyaing, all principalities of importance of Laos, and Hsenwi are all under Mao control. 

Invading Myanmar and India 

• His brother Sam-Long-Pha the most outstanding military commander to Assam. 
• One division to northern Rakhine
• One division to Manipur and Kachar 

Mong Mao Long ruling area 

• Mong Mit (comprising six mong: Bhama, Molai (Mong Leng), Ungbaung His Paw, Hsumhsai, Singu, and Taguang. 
• Mong Kwang (comprising ninety-nine mong, among which the following were the most important: Mong Long (Assam), Kassei (Manipur), Part of Rakhine, Yaw country, Kalay, Hsoung-hsop, Maing Kaing, Mong Yaung, Mong Kwon, San Kring Hkamti, Mong Li (Hkamti proper), Mohnyin, Mautsobo, Kunnung-Kunmum (Mishnu country), kang-Sei (Naga country). 
• Hsenwi, comprising thirty-nine mong
• Mong Nai
• Kung Ma
• Chiang Sen
• Lan-San (Lin Zin)
• Bagan
• Yun (Chaing Mai)
• King-Lung (said to be Kieng Hung, Kaing-Yung gyi of Cheili)
• Kiang-Laung (said to be district north of Ayutthaya) 
• Mong Lem
• Tai Lai (Tali-fu)
• Wanchang (Yung Chang-fu)
• Palaung country (Tawng Peng)
• Sang- Pho (Songpho country)
• Karen (Kayin) country
• Lawaik
• Lapyit
• Lamu
• La-Khaing 
• Ayutthaya (Siam)
• Tawi (Tavoy)
• Yunsaleng 

The Fall of Mong Mao Long and rise of Bago  

• From 1448-1515 the Chinese launched a series of military offensives against Mong Mao Long. 
• After Hso Hkan Hpa,  Mong Mao Long became weak and lacked the ability to organize an effective army. 
• Mong Mao Long was being squeezed between China and Myanmar (Chinese and Bayinnaung) 
• In 1562 Bayinnaung of Bago sent army of two hundred thousand men to invade Mong Mao Long (cross Ba Maw). Became the vassal of the King of Bago.

Their (People of Moung Mao Lone) migration 

• The  first  migration  of  Shan  was  said  to  be  taken  place  in  first century  BC  when  wars  in  central   China drove many Tai people from that  area. 
• Those people moved South founded ancient Shan cities such  as  “MuongMao”  (မိူင်းမၢဝ်း) “MuongNai”  (မိူင်းၼၢႆး)  “HsenWi”  (သႅၼ်ဝီ) and  “HsiPaw” (သီႇပေႃ့)/ All  of them  are  in  Burma  today. 
• The  second  migration  took  place  in  6th century  AD  from  the  mountain  of  Yunnan.  They  followed  “Nam  Mao  River”  (ၼမ့်မၢဝ်း) to  the  South  and  settled  in  the valleys  and  regions  surrounding  the  river.  
• 
  
• Some  continued  west  into  Thailand.  A  second  branch  went north following the Brahmaputra River into Northern Assam, India. These three groups of Tai migrants were; Tai Ahom (Assam), Siam (Thailand) and Shan (Shan State), came to regard themselves as  
• “Free People".

Tai in China

• In  China  about  ten  million  Shan  live  in  Yunnan,  Hainan  and  Canton.  They  are  known  as  Dai. 
• There are three main Tai groups in China such as Dai Nua, Dai Mao and Dai Lu. 
• Other Tai groups in China are known as Dai Yangze, Dai Nam (Sue Dai) or Dai Nung, Dai Lai, Dai Lone, Dai Chaung, Dai Doi, Dai Lung, Dai Kai Hua Jen, Tuo Law or Pa Yi, Pu Tai, Pu Naung, Pu Man, Pu Yu, Pu Chia, Pu En, Pu Yai, Pu Sui, Dai Ching, Dai Pa, Dai Tu Jen, Dai Doi, Dai Tho, Dai Hakkas, Dai Ong Be, Dai Li or Dai Lo.

Tai in other countries

• In India Tai live in Assam State. They are known as Tai Ahom or Tai Assam or Tai Khamti.  
• In Lao they are known as Lao-Tai, include local groups such as Black Tai (Tai Dam) (Dai Lum)  and Red Tai (Tai Deng) (Tai Leng) and Tai Nua.  
• In Thailand they are known as Tai Yai, literally means Great Tai.  
• In Vietnam they are known as Black Tai (တႆးလမ်) and White Tai (Tai Khao) (တႆးၶၢဝ်) numbering  about  five  hundred  thousand.  Some  other  Tai  in  Vietnam  are;  Tai  Tho  (တႆးထူဝ်ႇ),  Tai  Nung  (တႆးၼုင်း) Tai To Tis (တႆးထူဝ်ႇတိတ့်), Tai Yang or Tai Nhang (တႆးယၢင်း/တႆးၼၢင်း) Tai Leng (တႆးလႅင်), Tai Pong Toa (တႆးၽွင်းထူဝ့်), Dai Luae (တႆးလိုဝ့်)
• According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the estimate total number of Tai in the late 20th century is about  75,760,000  (including  45,060,000  Thai  in  Thailand,  3,020,000  Laotians  in  Laos,  3,710,000  Shan  in Burma, 21,180,000 Dai in China, and about 2,790,000 Tai in Vietnam.) (Tai in India, Assam State, are not included in this statistic). 

The Tai in Burma/Myanmar

• The Shan were already present in Myanmar in the pre-Bagan period.
• The Shan came down from the mountains of southern Yunan into the Mao valley and migrated into Myanmar.
• When they enter Myanmar they were given new different name by local ethic group. Tai were known to Bamar as Shan, to the Yunnanist as Pai-yi, to the Mon as Sem. 

The Tai in Myanmar 

• The Shan were already present in Myanmar in the pre-Bagan period.
• The Shan came down from the mountains of southern Yunan into the Mao valley and migrated into Myanmar.
• When they enter Myanmar they were given new different name by local ethic group. Tai were known to Bamar as Shan, to the Yunnanist as Pai-yi, to the Mon as Sem. 

1. north-western part of Myanmar

• They were included who scattered over northern Myanmar proper from Manipur, Assam (Ahom) to Bhamao. 
• They formed Mong such as Mong Kwang, Mong Yang, Mong Waing Hso, Mong Kale, Mong Hsaung Hsop, Mong Singkaling Hkamti, Shwebo. Hukaung-Tanai valley was also occupied by the Shan. 
• The Hkamti Shan moved along Irrawaddy and set up a large  settlement by the river, Malika and named Hkamti Long. 
• In the north of Kat Hsa and Katha was inhabited by Tai Leng. 
• The Kadu, Pwon and Indawgyi were occupied by Tai Leng

2. The north-eastern part 

• Tai Neu along the Nam mao river and Salween river. Have own feudal administrative system called Sap pha. 
• They migrated from Ba Maw down to Nam Kham, Muse, Hsenwi, His Paw, Mong Kung, and Lai Kha. Along the Salween to Mong Leim, Mong La, Keng Tong to Hsiphsaungbana to Laos. 
• Use Lik Hto Ngouk. (လိၵ်ႈထူဝ်ႇငွၵ်ႈ)

3. The eastern part of Myanmar

• Tai Long into 2 groups. Tai Hkun, Tai Lu, Tai Lem, Tai Neu, Tai Yuan, Tai Lao and Tai Htai. 
• Tai Yai. 

4. south-eastern Part of Myanmar 

• They are in Kayah state especially in Hpa Saung. Some extend to Thailand Mae Hong Son and Kayah-thailand border. They are Tai Long

5. Central and lower parts of Myanmar

• In Pyin Oo Lwin (Pang Oo) Sagaing, Pyimana, Taungoo, Phyu, Taikkyi, Tharawady. Thonese, Twante, down to Mawlamyaing, Thahton, and some areas in Tanintharyi division. 

The Shan Hegemony in Upper Myanmar from 1287-1555

• 1287-1555 are recognized as the period of Shan kings in upper Myanmar. Pinya, Sagaing, Inwa (Ava).
• Myinsaing and Pinya were founded by the Shan kings 1298-1364

1- Athinhkaya 1298
2- Yazathinkyan 1298
3- Thihathu 1312
4- Usana 1324
5- Ngasishin 1343
6- Kyawswa- nge 1350
7- Narathu 1359
8- Uzana Byaung 1364 

• Sagaing was founded by the Shan Kings and seven ruled it from 1315 to 1352. 

1- Sawyun 13152
 - Tarabyagyi              13233
- Shwetaungtet           13364
- Kyaswa                   13405- Nawrahtaminye         13506- Tarabyange              13507- Minbyauk Thihapate    1352

Inwa

Sao Hsur Khan Pha conquered Inwa throne fromThadominpya in 1363 Thadominpya 1364 Nga Nu 1368 Minkyiwasawke 1368 Tarabya 1401 Nga Nauk Hsan 1401 Minhkaung 1401 Thihathu 1422 Minhla-nge 1426

Kalekytaungnyo 1426

Mohnyinthado 1427
Minrekyawswa 1440
Narapati 1443

Thihathura 146 Minhkaung 1481 Shwenankyawshin 1502 Thohanbwa 1527 Hkonmaing 1543 Mobye Narapati 1546 Sithukyawhtin 1552 1555-1556 conquered by Bayinnaung


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