Discussion of I visit to the Museum

Discussion of I visit to the Museum

            Last Saturday, We (training class team) went and learned about the Museum at 10 to 12 AM. And we got some experiences about our custom and cultural accessories. So, I want to share what experiences I got. Firstly, the curator explains about spiritual post and tomb-stone, outside of the museum. One spiritual post representative one Mythun. We tie mythun to the post, and we kill with bow and arrows, and the spear. But some people kill with home make gun. After killing, we cut the head, and we hang to the spiritual post. It is means, offering or sacrifice to the spirit. It Celebrate about (3) days. 

 And, on the third day, we set up (his or her) tomb-stone. It is means, if somebody die, we cremate the body and bringing back the bone ashes and we put in the pot, and wrapped with (his or her) clothes, and keep below the tomb-stone. It is not buried in the ground.

 He explained again, about the sign on the spiritual post, the cycle is representing the sun.  Other strip is representing about the leaf. These are mean shining and peaceful. Above all is About “Maün” tribe’s custom. Other tribes make with only V-shape branches.

            After, we get into the inside of the museum. He continues explain about the skull. Previously, every hunters hang up their animal’s skull, in front of their hut. It means, to show their hunting skill, power and strength. He was continue explain about (5) Mythun skull that hanging on the wall. One spiritual post represents one mythun skull, so that, the numbers of skulls and spiritual posts are equal. And he explains about bow and arrows. If we want to kill the mythun, we must shoot directed to the heart. And the spear also too. It will make the mythun to early die.

He said, his grandfather was a big hunter. He killed all of these animal’s skulls. He told us, pointing the skulls on the wall. There are the skulls of tigers, bear, wild-pig, hornbill, barking deer, monkey, porcupine, must deer, etc.  And he shows us a home make gun, gun powder, lead-ball and how to shoot it. We need to register home make guns, to the police station.

            And he shows us, the world largest earring, and the picture of a nose flute lady. He said, if you blow the flute, with your mouth, no sound. He shows us nature tattoo needles. Ancient’s people use these needles, to draw tattoo on their faces.

And he shows us, the bamboo musical instrument and how to play and how to adjust it. It make cut the bamboo and make the strings, it become musical instruments. And he shows us millet-wine container of the shaman. It is decoration with eagle’s claws. He shows us water pipe. This smoke is combination of water and tobacco.

We also saw hornbill’s skull. Hornbill is our logo bird. And he also show us an old beads, it is about 7 generations already, he said, he estimates it has been (six hundred) years. He shows us one lady’s skirt, he said, in the previous days all the ladies wore only this, it is very similar to the miniskirt. He continues said, fasten with this bell. And the sound of this bell makes to scare the wild animals. It also hundred years old. He shows us a necklace, and said; hundreds of barking-deer become this necklace. It is made with 200 fangs of deer; one deer has two fangs, so this necklace is become form 100 deer.

Women wore this necklace among people, to show their husband’s hunter skill. He also shows us one necklace make with Burma’s old coins. Coins are not use today. And he point and said us, all these pipes and these things are older than Began, these are during from 7 centuries. These are made of stone, clay, bronze and silver. He continues show us bracelets of man and women, man used this to defend and punching, and women used just for decoration. And he holds a women’s hairpin and said, it also used to defend. All these are older than Began.

He shows us fossil elephant molar and said, you can’t see this elephant molar fossil, at another museum in Myanmar. He also shows us mammoth molar fossil, and he said, in the first, people don’t believe it, after doing research and confirm by scientist, finally, they believed. It is about millions of years. Nowadays mammoth are extinction. There is also nothing, at the elephant museum in Myanmar. There also have undefined fossil things, just look like human’s brain, undefined strange skull, and other fossil bones. There are stone axes, probably from Stone Age, and other undefined fossils. All fossils are found in Mindat, chin state area.

And he shows us a shaman dress; shaman wore only in the sacrificial ceremony. We also found the longest spear in chin state. It is for the big guy.

And we found the musical instruments make with brass, ancient people’s clothes box, wooden plate. Wooden plate has three functions; it is for rice, curry, pounding chili. We also saw hundred years old bag made with tree’s fibers, extra spoons, billow made with rattan and yeast and millet.

We also knew how to cook and store these two become millet-wine. After 6 months, you can fill water and bamboo-straw force down, after about one hour you can suck and drink ready.

There also has mythun statue make with bronze that about 2^nd centuries. And there is an old pistol gun from World War 2. He said his grandfather got it. During World War 2, one of the British planes has crashed down at the top of his village and two British pilots were buried by his grandfather. And he took this one from there.  We found, there is also have something from World War 2, just like a bayonet, soldier’s hat. There are old moneys of Myanmar and also have British and Japanese moneys from World War 2. There is cultural armor to protect the heart, the knife and spares cannot penetrate this armor. It is made of buffalo leather and coloring with latex. And the knife input thing is made with the bone form the shoulder. The knife tail is made with mountain goat beard, and coloring. 

And he shows us, the ancient chief suit and he wore it. The suit is made with the tree fibers. He wore beads and told us man wear 1 or 2 beads necklaces and women wear 5 bead necklaces. He wore one pants and told us some old guy still wearing in some villages.

Finally, we are finished learning. He told us, he will improve his museum to become the best museum in chin state. No where as you can find such kinds of things. So, all are antique, not a new one.

The museum is locate in BaWaThit Quarter, mindat, chin state.

Photos are source form Internet.