အမျိုးသားအဝတ်အထည်in English

 Traditional Dress and Ornaments of Khongso Men

1. Long Sarong (Im Ngawkkayii)

This is a long, narrow cloth. The cloth is passed between the two legs, drawn up toward the knees, wrapped tightly twice around the waist, and the end is tucked securely at the back so it hangs neatly and firmly.

2. Headcloth (Maih Pala)

The headcloth is most often white or pink. Because it is traditional for men to keep long hair, all adult men tie a headcloth. There is also a more valuable ancient headcloth called lungpui.

3. Headband (Pathii)

This is often worn above or inside the headcloth. It can be made of wood, bamboo, or silver.

4. Hairpin (Samkaet)

Hairpins are also worn in the hair bun along with the headcloth. These are made from wood, bamboo, silver, or bronze.

5. Hair Cord (Samkomqui)

This is a cord about two inches wide used to wrap around and cover the hair bun.

6. Short Coat (Laihaw)

This is a square or rectangular cloth folded according to the wearer’s body size. An opening is cut at the top for the head, and both sides are sewn to fit the arms. It is worn as a coat or shirt.

7. Shoulder Cloth or Shawl (Kahni)

Sometimes men wear a shawl instead of a coat. This is a black-based cloth with woven stripes called kahniipataik. It is also worn during festivals or when traveling. Other traditional shawls include kahnii tahlawh and kahnii boisi.

8. Spear/Arrows (Liva, Lahtae)

Made from different types of bamboo such as bamboo reed or black bamboo. Arrowheads can also be fitted with stones.

9. Gun (Hmaiphaw)

A handmade musket, locally produced, also called hmaiphaw.

10. Knife, Spear, Shield (Haikaek, Tazae, Sawnget)

Short and long knives are always carried. War knives are also considered ornaments of men. There are also shields which are used in festivals. The spear is carried as a walking staff when traveling.

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Appearance of a Khongso Man in Full Traditional Festival Dress

When a Khongso man attends a traditional festival, he dresses as follows:

He wears a long woven sarong made from thread about one cubit wide and eight cubits long. It is passed between the thighs and wrapped around the waist, leaving about one cubit in the front and one cubit at the back.

He ties his hair in a bun, fixes it with hairpins, and wraps it with a headcloth about three cubits long. The end of the headcloth hangs about five inches near the right ear.

He wears earrings in both ears made of bronze, silver, or gold. This style of dress is also seen in daily life.

For the festival, he adds more items: a traditional shawl (kahni cawnna or kahni bui si) or, if he can afford it, a valuable shawl (kahni salungpueng) draped from his right shoulder across his body.

On the top of his head he places thirty tail feathers of a royal bird. He carries a stone-mounted musket (luntok Mai phaw/musket) slung across his shoulder.