Burmese spirit worship offers a particularly complex case of trans- lating transgression and transgendered identities.1 The Burmese nat kadaw, or spirit medium is, on the one hand, provocatively rep- resented and constructed in variegated globalized representations highlighting the exotically queer and, on the other hand, often miscategorized and unevenly transposed into Western frames of language and epistemology. Nats are spirits, channeled by Burmese queens, that can help with finances, love, etc., and 85% of the population believes in them. The queens who channel them (and it’s mostly a “gay thing”) are highly respected and feared by all, including Burma’s brutal military. “Did you fuck the general?” one of them asks another. It seems some of the nats have “government sponsors” who give them presents, houses, and per- haps nights of hot military lovin’. Some of the spirits have names suspi- ciously similar to drag queens: Lady Silver Wings, Little Flute Lady.. Mandalay, Myanmar 2017.
Have you ever seen a Burmese woman in white face painting and made the same question as mine “what does it mean?” Some paint simple circle shapes, others make it more sophisticated with flowers and leaves patterns, leaving us intrigued. It’s actually a Burmese traditional cosmetic named Thanakha, which most of Burmese females use to protect their skin and for beauty purpose. Thanakha is made from natural sources, which was popularly used since a long time ago. Thanakha means both “Cosmetic for beauty” and “cleansing” in Burmese. As the nam, this unique cosmetic is used to protect the skin from sunlight and cooler face skin in hot weather. Thanakha is made from roots and timber covers of Thanakha tree after an easy process, being soaked in water and grinded in a mortar. It is smooth and smells good. Burmese women love this natural cosmetic; they even bring a small mortal along with them when they travel as women in other countries bring their normal cosmetics. It is not only used daily but also in special events and festivals to show social status of the women. In Burmese monarchy time, there’s a special thanakha was used for royal people, which is lighter, more fragrant and added with sparkling tiny gold dust, while normal people were used the one with yellow pollen of a special flowers named Gant Gaw which smells very good. Until now, Burmese women still use this flower to make thanakha. Thanakha is also widely used in religious events and festivals that you have chance to witness if you plan your Myanmar trip during that time. In some places, people use towel soaked in Thanakha for Buddha washing face ritual. Using natural cosmetic is seen in many ancient social and many countries in the world. However, nowadays, face painting is only seen in a small group of people to attract tourists, it is rarely used so popularly throughout a country like this. That’s why face painting custom by Thanakha is a special and interesting cultural phenomenon, which shows the cultural strength of this traditional country.
Bagan, located on the banks of the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River, is home to the largest and densest concentration of Buddhist temples, pagodas, stupas and ruins in the world with many dating from the 11th and 12th centuries. The shape and construction of each building is highly significant in Buddhism with each component part taking on spiritual meaning. Bagan, Myanmar, 2017
