Myelat ( my, မြေလတ်) is a
historical region
Historical regions (or historical areas) are geographical regions which at some point in time had a cultural, ethnic, linguistic or political basis, regardless of latterday borders. They are used as delimitations for studying and analysing soc ...
of the southwestern
Shan State
Shan State ( my, ရှမ်းပြည်နယ်, ; shn, မိူင်းတႆး, italics=no) also known by the endonyms Shanland, Muang Tai, and Tailong, is a state of Myanmar. Shan State borders China (Yunnan) to the north, Laos ...
of
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
. Originally this region included some of the smaller states typically ruled by "
Myosas" (chief of town) or "
Ngwegunhmus" (silver revenue chief), buffering the plains of Burma and the ethnic
Shan states
The Shan States (1885–1948) were a collection of minor Shan kingdoms called '' muang'' whose rulers bore the title ''saopha'' in British Burma. They were analogous to the princely states of British India.
The term "Shan States" was fi ...
further east.
The term "Myelat" is still in common use today, although the old political and administrative distinctions no longer apply.
Geography
The area is hemmed in on the north by the state of
Lawksawk, on the east by the states of
Yawnghwe
Yawnghwe ( shn, ယွင်ႈႁူၺ်ႈ), known as Nyaungshwe ( my, ညောင်ရွှေ) in Burmese, was a Shan state in what is today Myanmar. It was one of the most important of the Southern Shan States. Yawnghwe state include ...
,
Wanyin Wanyin was a Shan state in what is today Burma. It belonged to the Central Division of the Southern Shan States
The Shan States (1885–1948) were a collection of minor Shan kingdoms called ''muang'' whose rulers bore the title ''saopha'' ...
and
Hsatung, and on the south by
Mong Pai.
In 1897, the population was recorded as 107,500, the majority being of the Taungthu or
Pa-O (42,933), followed by Danu (29,713), Taungyo (13,906), Shan (6,572), and a smaller number of other ethnic groups.
The name ''Myelat'' could be interpreted as "unoccupied land" in Burmese, however the land has been populated for quite some time. The name could also be interpreted as "middle earth", implying a buffer zone, or "fair earth", depending on a variation of the spelling. All central Myelat and great parts of the northern and southern portions consist of rolling
grass
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...
y downs bare of
jungle
A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century.
Etymology
The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''ja ...
. The area is productive in agriculture, crops grown include potatoes, corn, wheat, cabbage, cauliflower, oranges, coffee, as well as rice. Visitors to the area immediately notice the red earth of the countryside, due to high iron oxide content of the soil.
Myelat Division
The exact composition of the states within the Myelat area has changed through history, dependent on vagaries of local power politics as well as approval by the Burmese court. At times, states have been combined, at other times, they have been split up.
At the time of the British annexation of the
Shan States
The Shan States (1885–1948) were a collection of minor Shan kingdoms called '' muang'' whose rulers bore the title ''saopha'' in British Burma. They were analogous to the princely states of British India.
The term "Shan States" was fi ...
, the following sixteen states were recognized to be within the Myelat region:
Hsamonghkam,
Kyawkku Hsiwan,
Kyong,
Loi-ai,
Loilong,
Loimaw Loimaw (also known as Lwemaw) was a Shan state in the Myelat region of what is today Burma
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although ...
,
Maw,
Mawnang,
Mawson
Sir Douglas Mawson OBE FRS FAA (5 May 1882 – 14 October 1958) was an Australian geologist, Antarctic explorer, and academic. Along with Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott, and Sir Ernest Shackleton, he was a key expedition leader during ...
,
Namhkai,
Namhkom,
Namtok,
Pangmi,
Pangtara,
Poila, and
Yengan.
The total area of these states was approximately .
References
External links
"Gazetteer of Upper Burma and the Shan states"
Geography of Shan State
Historical regions in Myanmar
{{Myanmar-geo-stub