Trailing Ax Sai Through an Evolving Landscape

“My brother and I wear the stripes because we want to look like the American soldiers in the movies!” laughed Ax Sai. A lighthearted Shan man from Kong Dar Village, Ax Sai trekked with us for four days through the rippling mountains of northern Myanmar, quilted in a hodgepodge of tea fields and lush cloud forests. With close to eight hours of hiking per day, good conversation was a necessity.

This is the legend Tin That, better known as Ax Sai. He has now been a tour guide for four years and is one of only two guides in Hsipaw willing to go on treks into unexplored Shan territory. He told us he always remembers to bring his ready-made Thanaka for sun protection for the long days outdoors.

During our journey, Ax Sai introduced us to the living traditions of various Shan ethnic groups and pointed out dozens of insects, a hobby he gained from once guiding an etymologist. Ax Sai just recently became a guide four years ago. He met his mentor while gambling and learned about his first trek only the night before, understanding little to no English. Unsure of how he would survive as a guide, he preferred motorbike tours since they allotted little time for conversation and mostly relied on gestures. If you ever get the chance to meet Ax Sai, you will be just as surprised by this story as we were. He is now fluent in English – making jokes and even getting ours, which we have learned is asking a lot of a guide – and has many self-designed treks throughout the region.

Ax Sai also taught us many things about Shan life and Thanaka culture in eastern Myanmar. ‘Shan’ is actually a Burmese corruption of the term ‘Siam,’ since Shan people are historically more closely related to Thai peoples and culture. Shan is the majority population in Myanmar’s mountainous east, an area sandwiched among China, Laos, and Thailand. Since they come from cooler mountainous areas, Shan men and women are typically less reliant on Thanaka than people living in the scorched lowlands of central Myanmar. Furthermore, the climate is not conducive for growing Thanaka trees, which drives up the price of Thanaka at local stores and markets.

Many tribal communities in Shan either never used Thanaka or have only recently begun using ready-made creams. Along with Ax Sai, their labor-intensive jobs make it impractical to carry around and grind fresh Thanaka every day because they are constantly on the move. Thus, in the land of no Thanaka, prepackaged Thanaka is preferred for its affordability and convenience. Where just one generation ago Thanaka was a rarity, modernization has allowed it to become integrated into some of Shan’s most remote communities.