Wa

Wa, peoples of the upland areas of eastern Myanmar (Burma) and southwestern Yunnan province of China. They speak a variety of Austroasiatic languages related to those spoken by upland-dwelling groups in northern Thailand and Laos. At the beginning of the 21st century, the Wa numbered approximately 600,000 in Myanmar and 350,000 in China, where they have been designated an official minority.

Until the middle of the 20th century, most Wa practiced slash-and-burn agriculture. They lived in relatively autonomous villages; like other upland peoples in the area, they sometimes organized themselves into temporary confederations under a chief called a ramang. Their traditional religion centred on the propitiation of ancestors and local spirits and on securing the soul to ensure good health and well-being (see soul loss). Most Wa communities have had extensive historical contact with Tai-speaking Buddhists, and over the 20th century an increasing number adopted Buddhism. A small number have adopted Christianity.

The Wa living in the remote upland areas of the China-Myanmar border once had a reputation for violence. Until after World War II, many of the Wa in this area were known to colonial officials as the “wild” Wa because of their practice of headhunting, which was associated with magical rites performed to ensure the fertility of the land. During the colonial period, the area inhabited by Wa became a major source of opium; production of the narcotic markedly increased after Myanmar gained independence in 1949. Many Wa joined military groups, which for years were organized by the Communist Party of Burma. From the 1980s on, many of these militia were organized into the United Wa State Army, an organization ostensibly seeking Wa autonomy; in fact, however, this group has been primarily involved in protecting the narcotics trade.