Yaw Region – A Place famous for witchcraft

Yaw region, a region comprises of Gantgaw, Hteeling and Saw Townships, is a region traditionally renown for, or more correctly, notorious for witchcraft. Many Burmese believe that people in Yaw region are masters of witchcraft very well, and they are afraid of the Yaw people. However, I believe these are all false rumors, or rural myth.

The region is situated between the two mountain ranges – Chin Hills in the west and Ponetaung Hills in the east. Because of a lot of rivers and streams flowing in these regions, farms here are generally quite fertile and productive, and the people are quite well off.

The roads to this region are quite rough. Most are just dirt roads. You also have to pass the Pongtaung and Pongnya ranges on these dirt roads, making the trip quite dangerous.

You can take a bus from Mandalay to Gantgaw, the region's capital. The trip will take the whole day. On your way you will pass Bahin village where many fossils were found.

There are actually not much to see in Gantgaw. The town is quite small, but it is famous for Gantgaw longyi. There are one or two guest houses in Gantgaw. However, they are not very clean.

One thing about the language. They speak Burmese but a different dialect, so it is very difficult to understand what they are talking. Be patient, and kindly ask them to repeat.

Although traditionally famous for witchcraft, there is no trace of such kind in Yaw as far as I could see. And the people are very nice and friendly. You can ask for help anywhere in Yaw, either for lodging or for a meal. And there is no thief in Yaw reagion! You can left your door open and go out the whole day and nobody will steal anything from your home.

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