Danu people
ဓနု | |
|---|---|
 A troupe of Danu dancing girls in Pindaya (c. 1906) | |
| Total population | |
| 255,477 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| AroundPindaya Caves,Shan State,Myanmar | |
| Languages | |
| Danu,Burmese | |
| Religion | |
| Theravada Buddhism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Bamar,Arakanese,Intha |
TheDanu people(Burmese:ဓနု) are a government-recognized ethnic group inMyanmar,predominantly populating the areas near thePindaya CavesinShan State.[1]They speak theDanu language,which is closely related toBurmese.[2]
Etymology[edit]
The nameDanuderives from thePalitermdhanu,which means "archer" or "bow."[3]The termdhanuis a reference to the legend of Prince Kumarabhaya, whose bow and arrow rescued seven princesses trapped in the caves by a giant spider.[3]
Origins[edit]
Some oral traditions trace the ancestry of the Danu to the intermarriages of Burmese men andShan womenin the 16th century, coinciding with the expansionist policies ofKing Bayinnaung,who oversaw the establishment of Burmese administrative posts throughout the kingdom, including in Shan city-states.[3]
Notable Danu people[edit]
- Aung Myat- former Chief Minister ofShan State
References[edit]
- ^"Composition of the Different Ethnic Groups under the 8 Major National Ethnic Races in Myanmar".Embassy of the Union of Myanmar, Brussels.Retrieved2024-01-16.
- ^"Danu".Ethnologue.2019-06-04. Archived fromthe originalon 2019-06-04.Retrieved2024-01-16.
- ^abcDouglas, Gavin (2013). "Performing Ethnicity in Southern Shan State, Burma/Myanmar: The Ozi and Gong Traditions of the Myelat".Ethnomusicology.57(2): 185–206.doi:10.5406/ethnomusicology.57.2.0185.ISSN0014-1836.JSTOR10.5406/ethnomusicology.57.2.0185.
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