Saopha (), also spelled Sawbwa, was the title used by hereditary rulers of Shan states in

Upper Myanmar Upper Myanmar ( or , also called Upper Burma) is one of two geographic regions in Myanmar, the other being Lower Myanmar. Located in the country's centre and north stretches, Upper Myanmar encompasses six inland states and regions, including M ...

. Chaopha and Chao Fa were similar titles used by the hereditary Tai rulers in

mainland Southeast Asia Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...

and the Ahom kingdom in India.

Names and etymology

''Saopha'' () means "lord of the heavens" in the

Shan language Shan is the native language of the Shan people and is mostly spoken in Shan State, Myanmar. It is also spoken in pockets in other parts of Myanmar, in Northern Thailand, in Yunnan, in Laos, in Cambodia, in Vietnam and decreasingly in Assam an ...

. It was rendered into Burmese as ''sawbwa'' (). Variants in other

Tai languages The Tai, Zhuang–Tai, or Daic languages (Ahom language, Ahom: 𑜁𑜪𑜨 𑜄𑜩 or 𑜁𑜨𑜉𑜫 𑜄𑜩 ; ; or , ; , ) are a branch of the Kra–Dai languages, Kra–Dai language family. The Tai languages include the most widely spo ...

include ''tsāo phâa'' (𑜋𑜰𑜫;𑜇𑜡.) in Ahom, ''chau-fa'' () in Tai Nuea, and ''chao fa'' () in Thai.

Usage

Myanmar (Burma)

In the pre-colonial era, the term 'sawbwa' was utilised by the Burmese monarchy in reference to the hereditary rulers of Shan-speaking polities called möng ( , ), in the region. In order of precedence, the sawbwas outranked local rulers of lower ranks, namely the '' myoza'' and ''ngwegunhmu''. During

British colonial rule The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts establish ...

, colonial authorities adopted the Burmese system, recognising between 14 and 16 sawbwas who enjoyed a degree of autonomy in their fiefdoms. In 1922, the establishment of the

Federated Shan States The Federated Shan States ( Shan: မိူင်းႁူမ်ႈတုမ်ႊၸိုင်ႈတႆး ''Muang Hom Tum Jueng Tai''; ) was an administrative division of the British Empire made up by the much larger Shan States and the Karen ...

greatly reduced the sawbwas' autonomy. In April 1959, the sawbwas relinquished their feudal authority to the Burmese government. The distinction in the titles dates from the days of the Burmese monarchy although the same states have not continued to hold the same titles for their chiefs during the centuries—changes took place according to royal favour, results of battles and later, the decisions of the British authorities. The privileges and titles were so much a matter of royal ordinance that every one of a Sawbwa's symbols of power was laid down in a special book of dispensations granted by the higher court. His regalia and clothes, the guilding and jewel decoration of betel boxes, spittoons, fly-whisks and such articles of use, the dress of ministers, the umbrellas, spears and horses in procession, the caparisoning of the royal elephant, the instruments for processional music, the gateways and the style of residence, all were rigidly prescribed to ensure that the dignity kept up accordance with the status of a royal chieftain, yet did not encroach on the special privileges reserved for the court of Ava itself. The British, whose success in administration was largely bound up with observance, of precedence in a hierarchy, listed states also as Sawbaships, Myosaships and Ngwegunhmuships

Ahom kingdom

The Ahom kingdom (Merng Dern;:𑜉𑜢𑜤𑜂𑜫: 𑜓𑜢𑜤𑜃𑜫) used Chaopha as a title for their kings. The swargodeu was the Assamese equivalent translation of Chaopha which also means lord of the haven in Assamese. The first ruler and establisher

Sukaphaa Sukaphaa (), also Siu-Ka-Pha, the first Ahom kingdom, Ahom Ahom Dynasty, king in medieval Assam, was the founder of the Ahom kingdom and the architect of Assam. A prince of the Su/Tsu (Tiger) clan of the Mao-Shan sub-tribe originally from prese ...

used Chao-pha and Chao-lung () as honourable prefixes.

China

The term was also used for the rulers of some Tai polities in what is now China's

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

Province. In the Ming dynasty, Chinese Dai

Tusi ''Tusi'', often translated as "headmen" or "chieftains", were hereditary tribal leaders recognized as imperial officials by the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties of China, and the Later Lê and Nguyễn dynasties of Vietnam. They ruled certain ...

chief attached Pha (法) after the name, but they don't use the term when they contact with official. The imperial court also doesn't use the term when refer their name.

Gallery

References

External links

* Shan States Burmese words and phrases Ahom kingdom Titles in India {{name-stub