BURMA AND THE BURMESE 6
A 19th century description of Burma, Burmese culture and Burmese customs

BURMA AND THE BURMESE 6

of eighteen. Beautiful garments, ready for use, grow plentifully on a certain tree, which also produces a wonderful huskless rice. To cook this rice it is only necessary to place it on a particular stone and a fire will light of its own accord. Directly the rice is cooked the fire disappears. Then, while the rice is being eaten, the tree produces, already cooked, the favorite meat of the person dining, and other courses follow in the same way. When this repast, which, by the by, takes away all feeling of hunger for seven days, is finished, the remains will mysteriously disappear. The inhabitants of the Northern, Eastern, and Western islands are always born again in the island in which they formerly existed, an arrangement which one would think would be particularly pleasing to them, especially to those who lived in the Northern island. But it is not, for they can never hope to obtain the perfect bliss of Nirvana, as only the inhabitants of the Southern island can reach that much-desired state. For that reason the Southern island is called the ferry to Nirvana. Like many other estimable people, the Burmese have a very good opinion of themselves, but their independent spirit, coupled with their unbusinesslike habits, is likely before long to prove very

disastrous to them. Devoid of enterprise and disliking exertion, they have allowed golden opportunities to escape them, and the trade which should have been theirs is now in the hands of Europeans, Americans, Chinamen, and Mahommedans. As clerks, or indeed in any commercial position, they are almost worthless, for they have a profound disregard for regulations, and at the slightest rebuke haughtily resign. There are always plenty of Chinamen and natives of India ready and eager to step into their places, and finding they work well, it is only natural that when other vacancies occur employers engage such men in preference to Burmans. In spite of their high opinion of themselves the Burmese confess that they are just a trifle inferior to the British. “You are that much better than we,” they say, pointing to one of their finger-nails, “but we are this much,” indicating the full extent of the arm, “better than the natives.” The “natives,” be it understood, are the natives of India. and a Burman becomes very indignant if called a native. Truly he is in most respects a much better man than the native of India, who is, without exception, the most objectionable of the many races inhabiting Burma. A “native” < 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12 > Henry Charles Moore, "Burmese Traits" 1893