Jinghpaw
The Jinghaw are the most numerous of the Kachin, a Tibeto Burman who followed the course of the Mali Hka and N'Mai Hka Rivers into Burma. They now inhabit Kachin State and northern Shan State, the vast tract of hill country stretching down through north-east Burma from the headwaters of the great Chindwin and Irrawaddy Rivers. The name Jinghpaw means 'man' in their dialect.
Hospitality is a matter of great pride to the Jinghpaws, as with all Kachins. A Jinghpaw must never refuse a friend or stranger hospitality, no matter what his race or creed. Jinghpaws also have a custom whereby the youngest sons succeeds his father in the village, whereas the elder sons are encouraged to set out with a band of followers to found new settlements, near or far. For this and other reasons, including over-population and soil degradation due to shifting cultivation, the Jinghpaw have gradually moved south over the centuries.
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