Mindat is located at south of the Chin State. Mindat (Burmese: မင်းတပ်မြို့; MLCTS: mang: tap mrui., pronounced [mɪ́ɰ̃daʔ mjo̰]) is a town in the Chin State of Western Myanmar.It is the administration seat of Mindat Township and Mindat District. The people speak the Kʼchò language.
Mindat
မင်းတပ် | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Mindat Location in Chin State, Myanmar (Burma) | |
| Coordinates: 21°22′N 93°59′E / 21.367°N 93.983°E | |
| Country |  Myanmar |
| Division |  Chin State |
| District | Mindat District |
| Township | Mindat Township |
| Population (2014) | |
• Town | 46,008 [1] |
| • Urban | 10,932 |
| • Metro | 35,076 |
| Time zone | UTC+6.30 (MST) |
| Climate | Cwa |
History
editIn 2021, the town was the site of the battle of Mindat during the Myanmar civil war (2021–present).[2]
People
editThe people living in Mindat are called K'Cho, which is made up of 3 tribes; Mün/Müün, Daai, and Kaang. The K'Cho people are known for their rare tradition of females having their face tattooed. However, this tradition is no longer practice since the mid 1900s and face tattoo can only be seen on elderly women. Beginning in the early 21st century, many of the K'Cho people have migrated to many different parts of the world including United States, Australia, Denmark, Norway, New Zealand, Malaysia, and many others.
Based on a translated conversation with a group of elderly women with tattooed faces (2016):
- The tattoo first started due to the issues faced by women’s during the British Invasion. Most women would cover their face with ink to make themselves look scary just so they won’t get raped or used by the British.
- Later on, the tattoo did become part of the “beauty” in a woman hood
- A girl would decide when she was ready to have her face tattooed. She would take an offering to the woman who gave the tattoos.
- The entire face could be tattooed in as little as an hour. The time depended on how many breaks the girl needed, since it is a painful procedure. The time is estimated, since they did not have clocks in those days.
- Their face tattoo is done by a black ink from a charcoals mixed in with some other things to keep it safe for the skin and is done by a lime/lemon thorns.
Climate
editMindat has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cwa). Temperatures are warm for most of the year, but the winter months (November–February) are cooler. There is a winter dry season (December–May) and a summer wet season (June–November).
| Climate data for Mindat, elevation 1,395 m (4,577 ft), (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 26.7 (80.1) |
32.2 (90.0) |
34.9 (94.8) |
35.7 (96.3) |
37.0 (98.6) |
33.6 (92.5) |
31.0 (87.8) |
29.9 (85.8) |
29.7 (85.5) |
28.8 (83.8) |
28.1 (82.6) |
26.5 (79.7) |
37.0 (98.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 21.2 (70.2) |
24.9 (76.8) |
28.6 (83.5) |
30.5 (86.9) |
28.4 (83.1) |
25.7 (78.3) |
25.5 (77.9) |
24.9 (76.8) |
24.5 (76.1) |
23.9 (75.0) |
22.3 (72.1) |
20.4 (68.7) |
24.8 (76.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 15.4 (59.7) |
18.6 (65.5) |
22.2 (72.0) |
24.1 (75.4) |
23.2 (73.8) |
22.0 (71.6) |
21.6 (70.9) |
21.2 (70.2) |
20.6 (69.1) |
19.7 (67.5) |
17.4 (63.3) |
14.9 (58.8) |
20.1 (68.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 9.6 (49.3) |
12.3 (54.1) |
15.8 (60.4) |
17.7 (63.9) |
18.1 (64.6) |
18.3 (64.9) |
17.8 (64.0) |
17.5 (63.5) |
16.7 (62.1) |
15.4 (59.7) |
12.4 (54.3) |
9.4 (48.9) |
15.1 (59.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 2.4 (36.3) |
4.9 (40.8) |
7.5 (45.5) |
9.6 (49.3) |
10.7 (51.3) |
12.2 (54.0) |
11.8 (53.2) |
12.2 (54.0) |
10.7 (51.3) |
8.0 (46.4) |
5.1 (41.2) |
3.2 (37.8) |
2.4 (36.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 7.7 (0.30) |
4.2 (0.17) |
13.8 (0.54) |
29.6 (1.17) |
173.4 (6.83) |
203.4 (8.01) |
197.2 (7.76) |
290.5 (11.44) |
341.0 (13.43) |
228.4 (8.99) |
43.8 (1.72) |
9.7 (0.38) |
1,542.7 (60.74) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 0.8 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 4.7 | 13.1 | 18.0 | 18.4 | 21.4 | 20.7 | 15.1 | 4.6 | 1.4 | 120.2 |
| Source 1: World Meteorological Organization[3] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Norwegian Meteorological Institute (extremes)[4] | |||||||||||||
Geography
editThe main part of the town runs along the ridge of a mountain. The paved road runs from Pakokku to Matupi.
Transport
editBus
editThere is a bus station with direct buses to Pakokku or Matupi. These run mainly in the morning. The Pakokku bus route is approximately 4.5 hours and the Matupi bus route is approximately 5 hours.
Walking trails
editBefore the road was built and regular bus service began, students walked from Mindat to the advanced schools in Pakokku. The route was by walking trail and took 2 to 3 days.
Religion
editThere are various religions in the town. Missionaries walk or motorbike to outlying villages to convert people.
Catholic
editThere is a Catholic church, which maintains a nursery school and living quarters for the elderly.
Buddhism
editThere are three Buddhist monasteries; one in the Western Quarter, another in Sanpya Quarter and the last one in Eastern Quarter.
Notable residents
edit- San Yu Htwe, Olympic archer in the 2016 Summer Olympics
References
edit- ^ Census Report. The 2014 Myanmar Population and Housing Census. Vol. 2. Naypyitaw: Ministry of Immigration and Population. May 2015.
- ^ Strangio, Sebastian (17 May 2021). "Myanmar Seizes Western Town After Heated Battle with Civilian Militia". The Diplomat.
- ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
- ^ "Myanmar Climate Report" (PDF). Norwegian Meteorological Institute. pp. 23–36. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
- ^ Department of Population Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population MYANMAR (July 2016). The 2014 Myanmar Population and Housing Census Census Report Volume 2-C. Department of Population Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population MYANMAR. pp. 12–15.
External links
edit
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