(Booth on Akhar National Race)
An exhibition with the aim of enhancing better understanding of the socio-economic life of Wa, Kokant, Salon, Naga, Chin, Akhar, Kayan, Mro, Maramagyi, and PaO nationals was held at Diamond Jubilee hall of Yangon University with the aim of enhancing better understanding on 30th August to 2nd of September 2002.
At the exhibition, you can study photographs, books, cultural artifacts, utensils, dresses, and a video show on socio-economic life of ten national races which have been researched from 1996 to 2002 by Anthropology Department.
About Akhar National by Daw Khin Moe Moe Kyu ( Assistant Lecture, Anthropology Department, Yangon University )
Here, we display photos, utensils, dress and ornaments of Akhar ethnic group which we collected during our research in 1996.
They live in eastern Shan State and they also set up town in China, Laos, Cambodia, and Thai. Their main economies are dry cultivation, terrace cultivation and hunting animals. The Akhar has seasonal ceremonies such as ceremony of eating the fast-crop and ceremony of sewing.
Ceremony of eating the first-crop is one of the beginnings of winter. In the ceremony, every members of village bring their crops to the place of eating crop ceremony.
They believe that if they forget a kind of crop, they can get a successful crop next year. Ceremony of sewage is held at the middle of August. In the ceremony, every villager participates in the activities. If they do not participate in the activities, the evil spirit can disturb them.
The Akhar lady paint on their teeth with black colour by choosing a kind of local leaf. They think they have black teeth is more beautiful than white teeth. They practice Patrimonial kinship system in the funeral activities so is sent to their forefather by residing their name of ancestor in the whole night.