Myinkaba village Bagan: The Resilience of Traditional Knowledge and Culture | ပုဂံမြင်းကပါ (သို့) ယဉ်ကျေးမှု ဓလေ့ရိုးရာအသိပညာ၏ ကြံ့ကြံ့ခံနိုင်စွမ်း

Abstract

The distinct traditional knowledge and culture of Myinkaba (ancient Anuradha) village at Bagan is closely linked to its port location and ecology on the Ayeyarwaddy River. Myinkaba has smelting and production evidence from the first millennium CE in seven glass/glaze kilns, with beads traded along the river. Beads, potsherds and finger-marked bricks suggest it may be one of the earliest villages of Bagan. Its historical architecture includes the rare Nanphaya sandstone temple with images of Brahma. Other significant traits of Myinkaba include the large seasonal lake or inn gyi, silica-rich sand deposits and bamboo. Particular bamboo species are used in Myinkaba’s lacquer industry with bamboo also essential for making mats, house sidings and baskets. The traditional knowledge of the lacquer arts, bamboo crafts, crop and water management, and paper puppet making and cultivation are passed on through apprenticeship informed by knowledge of the local environment. While the absence of tourists during the Covid-19 period has brought much lacquer production to a standstill, making vessels for local religious and domestic uses has continued. The bamboo products and trade market has stayed stable with local workshop owners providing free food and half-wages to the labours. Active pagodas have been secure with the donation from pilgrims and online gifting. As part of the UNESCO World Heritage site, the ancient remains are preserved by the Department of Archaeology but as this paper describes, this works together with community protection of traditional knowledge. The social identity as Myinkaba natives, the unique local and natural resources, have supported local pride and resilience for more than a thousand years.