Human Sacrifice and Slavery in the “Unadministered” Areas of Upper Burma During the Colonial Era

Abstract

Before 1930, large portions of Upper Burma were unadministered. Many societies in these areas practised slavery, while some also performed human sacrifice. With the formation of the League of Nations' Slavery Commission, Britain was pressured to abolish slavery and human sacrifice throughout Burma. To comply, annual military expeditions were sent to Upper Burma for the liberation of slaves. Villages failing to abide by a proclamation abolishing human sacrifice were punished. After six years of operations all slaves were reportedly liberated, but new problems arose. To avoid further international scrutiny, the slaveliberation operations were kept under a veil of secrecy. By the end of World War I, the British colonial system had evolved a set of compromises between the demands of the British public for social reforms based on Western values and the diverse native customs and the cultural practices of traditional societies under colonial rule. Bitter experiences with native rebellions and the rise of popular nationalist movements made colonial authorities very cautious and hesitant to undertake any major social reforms, especially if they were to entail highcost coercive measures applied to native societies. Yet, in the aftermath of World War I, within Western society there was an upsurge of liberal sentiment pressuring metropole governments with the argument that colonial authorities now had new obligations under the League Mandate System to enforce universal standards of basic human rights and to eliminate barbaric practices in areas under colonial rule. The most contentious issue involved the forceful elimination of slavery and human sacrifice. Within the British colonial empire, the region where such practices were most rampant was in Upper Burma.