RELIGION & BELIEF
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To lure a natt to the pwe takes the work of a spirit medium, or nat-
gadaw (natt wife), who is either a woman or, more commonly, a male
transvestite who sings and dances to invite specifi c natt to possess them.
Thenatt also like loud and colourful music, so musicians at a natpwe
bang away at full volume on their gongs, drums and xylophones, produc-
ing what sounds like some ancient form of rock and roll.
Every nat pwe is accompanied by a risk that the invited spirit may
choose to enter, not the body of the nat-gadaw, but one of the spectators.
One of the most commonly summoned spirits at natpwe is Ko Gyi Kyaw
(Big Brother Kyaw), a drunkard natt who responds to off erings of liquor
imbibed by thenat-gadaw. When he enters someone’s body, he’s given to
lascivious dancing, so a chance possession by Ko Gyi Kyaw is especially
embarrassing.
Once possessed by a nat, the only way one can be sure the spirit won’t
return again and again is to employ the services of an older Buddhist
monk skilled at exorcism – a process that can take days, if not weeks.
Without undergoing such a procedure, anyone who has been spirit pos-
sessed may carry the natt stigma for the rest of their lives. Girls who
have been so entered are considered unmarriageable unless satisfactorily
exorcised.Islam
Although offi cial statistics say that 4% of Myanmar’s population follow
Islam, according to a 2006 US government report on religious freedom
in Myanmar, local Muslim leaders believe the more accurate fi gure is
approximately 20%. Either way, Muslims have been part of Myanmar’s
religious fabric from at least the 9th century, and possibly as far back as
the 6th century in Rakhaing State.
Waves of Indian immigration under British colonial rule boosted the
local Muslim population. This was slashed during WWII when many In-
dians fl ed the country, and again from the start of military rule in 1962
when ethnic Indians were expelled from the army and marginalised in
society.THE POWER OF SUPERSTITIONMen wearing longyi are commonplace in Myanmar. But when Than Shwe and other
senior military fi gures showed up at a nationally televised ceremony in February 2011
wearing decorative acheik, the female version of the sarong-like garment, eyebrows
were raised. A fashion faux pas? Not according to one Yangon-based astrologer quoted
in Time who claimed the generals were indulging in yadaya: magic. The rumours go that
by wearing the women’s acheik, the generals were hoping either to fulfi l a prophesy that
a woman would one day rule Myanmar, or cancel out Suu Kyi’s feminine power.
Superstitions run deep in Myanmar. Many people consult astrologers to fi nd mates
and plan events. According to Benedict Rogers, author of a biography of Than Shwe, the
retired senior general has seven personal astrologers at his call, several of whom are
tasked with focussing their darker arts on his chief nemesis, Aung San Suu Kyi.
On a less dramatic level, Myanmar astrology, based on the Indian system of naming
the zodiacal planets for Hindu deities, continues to be an important factor in deciding
proper dates for weddings, funerals, ordinations and other events. Burma became inde-
pendent at 4.20am on 4 January 1948, per U Nu’s counsel with an astrologer.
Numerology plays a similar role with both eight and nine being auspicious numbers.
The Burmese word ko (nine) also means ‘to seek protection from the gods’. General
Ne Win was fascinated with numerology, especially that relating to the cabalistic ritual
Paya-kozu (Nine Gods). In 1987 he introduced 45-kyat and 90-kyat notes, because their
digits’ sum equalled nine.Those with a
general fear of
nat will avoid eat-
ing pork, which
is thought to be
offensive to the
spirit world.