Namhsan (;
Palaung: Om-yar; ), also spelt Nam Hsan, Namsan, or Nam San, is the capital of the
Pa Laung Self-Administered Zone and
Namhsan Township in northern
Shan State
Shan State (, ; , ) is a administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. Shan State borders China (Yunnan) to the north, Laos (Louang Namtha Province, Louang Namtha and Bokeo Provinces) to the east, and Thailand (Chiang Rai Province, Chia ...
of Myanmar (Burma). The town is a popular starting point for
trekking
Backpacking is the outdoor recreation of carrying gear on one's back while hiking for more than a day. It is often an extended journey and may involve camping outdoors. In North America, tenting is common, where simple shelters and mountain hu ...
to
Hsipaw.
Besides its
Palaung residents, the town is also populated by
Karen,
Lisu, and
Shan ethnic tribal groups, as well as
Indian and
Chinese residents.
History
During
British rule in Burma
British colonial rule in Burma lasted from 1824 to 1948, from the successive three Anglo-Burmese wars through the creation of ''Burma'' as a province of British India to the establishment of an independently administered colony, and finally i ...
(Myanmar), Namhsan was the capital of
Tawngpeng State, a
Palaung substate of the
Shan States
The Shan States were a collection of minor Shan people, Shan kingdoms called ''mueang, möng'' whose rulers bore the title ''saopha'' (''sawbwa''). In British rule in Burma, British Burma, they were analogous to the princely states of Britis ...
in
British Burma
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and cultur ...
; and the only Palaung kingdom in the former Shan States. The people of the town were predominantly of the Ka-tur (Samlong) tribe. The people of the tribe are often referred to as the Golden Palaung (Shwe Palaung) because of their coloured belts. Historically, they wore silver belts for special occasions, but aluminum has since been used instead.
Their language is called Shwe, a language variant that is only partially intelligible by other
Palaungic language speakers. In Shwe, Namhsan means ''trembling waters'' and the town is thought to be named that way because it is situated on a marsh which gets flooded during heavy rains. During the 1920s and 1930s, the town prospered from the presence of silver mines and the tea grown in the area. The tribe was heavily studied by anthropologist
Mrs. Leslie Milne.
On 15 December 2023 the town fell under the control of the
Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) rebel group after two weeks of fighting against the military junta
State Administration Council
The State Administration Council (; abbreviated SAC or နစက) is the military junta currently governing Myanmar, established by Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Min Aung Hlaing following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, February 2021 c ...
(SAC).
References
External links
Satellite map Wikimapia
Populated places in Shan State
Township capitals of Myanmar
Palaung people
{{Shan-geo-stub