Arakan oil lamp dance

The brass open-oil lamp found in the city of Vesali

          The second open-oil lamp can be found in the ancient city of Vesali. It is made of brass. It measures 9 inches high from the plinth to the edge of the statue. It is a female figure and stretching her hands in parallel. The brass open-oil lamp in the form of hemisphere of the gourd, is held with her fingers. The front edge of the open-oil lamp was used to put the loop of the wick. The oil to light the open-oil lamp, was not gasoline, coconet oil and wood oil, but the butter made from the milk.

Why the open-oil lamp was used

          Nowadays, lighting offering to Buddha becomes a traditional custom in Rakhine state because Rakhine people made lighting offering to Buddha from time immemorial as they believed that light offering dedicating to the three gems called Buddha, Dhamma and Samgha(or) gods, was superior to any other offerings.

The history of the open-oil lamp

          The historians believe that Greek and Roman arrived in the southern part of India in order to trade goods bringing the female statues with the oil lamps in the 2 century AD. Besides, they also believe that the southern Indian cast the oil lamps with their wanted figures modeling the statues the European took.

          The historians couldn’t give the exact answer whether the Vesali open-oil lamp was southern Indian’s masterpiece or the European’s masterpiece. Besides, ti was cast in Rakhine or it was taken from the merchants come from the southern part of India. However, the words ‘အာယာနာ ေကာင္းမွဳေတာ္’ were inscribed at the plinth of the statue. By observing the alphabets, we can find that such alphabets were used at the beginning of the 10 century AD in Rakhine. Therefore, some of the historians allege that it was cast in Vesali between 900 AD and 950 AD because it was excavated in the ancient Vesali site and its alphabets look like the alphabets stamped on the coins of king Su La San Dra, the last king of Vesali dynasty.       

Rakhine oil lamp dance

          Rakhine oil lamp dance is one of the traditional performances in Rakhine state. Performing the oil lamp dance is the demonstration of offering light to lord Buddha. The dancers have to dance together with striking Rakhine drums, playing the flute and singing the soft song called Tharchin. There are evidences that Rakhine musical instruments and Rakhine dances have developed with Vesali high civilization. We can prove that offering hight to Lord Buddha became popular in Vesali period because the open-oil lamps from Vesili period, can be found in Rakhine state. Therefore I believe that the oil lamp dance would relate to the open-oil lamps in Vesali period.

 

By Htay Win

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Rakhine wrestling called Rakhinejun

                                 Rakhine wrestling called Rakhinejun    

            Rakhine wrestling is one of the traditional sports in Rakhine state. Rakhine people call it Jun. The meaning of Jun is spinning and efficiency. Two athletes are needed in competing Rakhine wrestling. One is called catcher and another is called receiver. The catchers have to catch their opponents stretching their arms and the receivers have to receive their opponents contracting their arms. The catchers have to try to fall their opponents on the ground, but the receivers have to try to escape from their opponents. The mean purpose of this sport in to fall the opponents onto the ground by force and technique, but it doesn’t intend the opponents to pain and die. The wrestlers must be masculine and strong.

          Quickness, mindfulness, stamina and wits are the main necessary skills to compete Rakhine wrestling. There are rules and regulations the wrestlers are to obey in the wrestling competition. The wrestlers from Tawphyarchaung region in Ponnagyun township and the wrestlers from yanpyay township, are skillful in wrestling. Rakhine wrestling is the sport which force and insight have to be used together. Thus, the wrestlers need not only jun techniques but also the body strength. Therefore, all wrestlers are strong and healthy.

          We can say the Rakhine wrestling is the systematic deep-smooth national sport. Nowadays, the world famous fighting sports such as boxing, karate do, judo and martial art are strong fighting sports, but Rakhine wrestling is not strong like those sports. It is only the mild fighting sport because punching and kicking the upper portion of the knee, are not allowed in Rakhine wrestling. It is not as dangerous as boxing, judo and karatedo.

          Rakhine wrestling gives not only the body strength of the individual but also the individual ability, effort and bravery. Rakhine wrestling makes the wrestlers develop that even though he is individual, he con pass over any difficulties patiently and he dares to challenge anything determinedly and he can do the force needed jobs actively and adventurously with firm commitment.

          Rakhine wrestling competitions are held in the religious festivals, especially, in the periods of the holiday. In conclusion, Rakhine people are proud of this sport as a national sport.

 by Htay Win

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Voice of the People Rises at Founding Anniversary of RNDP

Minbya: People in Min Bya Township in Arakan have raised their voice regarding their daily hardships in the township at a public meeting that was held on Wednesday as part of the founding day of the township's Rakhine National Development Party, said party leader U Tha Kyaw.

"We held a public meeting during the founding ceremony of the RNDP in Min Bya where over 100 people attended and shared their problems and bitter difficulties. They also demanded we present their difficulties and problems on a daily basis to the state and central government," U Tha Kyaw said.

Most of the people were from rural villages and gathered in the meeting to raise their voice about their daily difficulties in their respective villages in Min Bya Township.

"The people especially presented to us to get more fertilizer and loans from the government for their farming because the government-provided fertilizers and loans are insufficient. We promised to submit their demand to the government authority step by step," said U Tha.

A young farmer who attended the ceremony said that he submitted two points in the meeting - first to form village administrations in accordance with the present constitution, and second to inquire with the high authority about the issue of leasing creeks and rivers in Arakan State.

He said, "Now the current government authority has appointed village administrators in the villages across our township against the present constitution. In the constitution, the village administration must be appointed with respectable gentlemen in the village, but the government authority in our township has appointed the former village chairman, who were appointed by the military government in 2006, to be the village administrators. All of the people in our township want the village administrator to be appointed in accordance with the present constitution, so we revealed this in the meeting."

Many people who attended the meeting from rural areas demanded they eliminate the system of leasing creeks and rivers out to businessmen because the system is very challenging for the survival of Arakanese people throughout the state.

"Many people presented the issue of creek, river, and ocean leasing to private businesses by the government. Most Arakanese people have not been able to carry out their daily livelihoods in the creeks and rivers since the government began leasing them to businessmen," he said.

The RNDP won a majority of elected seats in Arakan State in the last election but was unable to form as a majority in the Arakanese state because the government reserved more seats for former military personnel who are aligned with the government-backed USDP.

RNDP leaders will present the people's difficulties to the Arakan State government as well as the central government during the next parliamentary sessions, said U Tha Kyaw.

copy from Narinjara

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Arakan Human Rights Organization Inaugurated in Thailand

Narinjara News

By Takaloo
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Arakanese youth in exile have inaugurated their newly formed human rights organization by holding a press-conference at the launch of their organizational website on Sunday in Mae Sot, Tak Province, Thailand.


Arakan-Human-Rights-Development-Organisation-AHRDO
The organization is named the "Arakan Human Rights and Development Organization” and is said to have been formed for watching and reporting on human rights abuses and oppression resulting from the many international business projects in Arakan state, including the Shwe Gas Project, the Kaladan Project and a number of other hydropower projects.

“There is a lot of talk about progress in Burma, but we have seen little improvement in Arakan State where the majority of the population continues to live in poverty. We have established the AHRDO to help give our people a voice,” said Aung Marm Oo.

He said those projects implemented by the Burmese regime in partnership with foreign entities in Arakan State have not benefitted the local people and instead the population has been facing widespread human rights violations, land confiscations and demolition of their houses since those projects were initiated in their region.

“We would especially work on documentation and reporting of abuses and suffering of the people, as well as the environmental damage caused by those projects in our homeland. We will also help our nationals who have migrated into Thailand and Malaysia for various reasons”, he said.

The organization is structured with nine different working departments that include the Research and Documentation Department (RDD), the Health and Education Department (HED), the Human Rights and Development Department (HRDD), the Environmental and Ecosystem Protection Department (EEPD) and the Women Affairs Department (WAD) under a board of directors and an advisory board.

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