Indian Antiquary Vol 27

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 13

JANUARY, 1898.] CURRENCY AND COINAGE AMONG THE BURMESE.
A Northern Shan from Mone (Müngpai) told me, through Capt. J. W. Orchard, Indian (Madras) Staff Corps, employed for a time with the Lashio Battalion, Military Police, that the Burmese denominations with slightly different words to express them, are now almost always used by the Sbâns in his part of the country. He recognised the fúang, salüng, and bát of the Siamese, as expressions used by the people on the Siamese borders. His list ran as follows:
Burmese.
Shl.n.
ywe
pe
mu màt kyat pêktba
makk'ik'wêyüng67 pélüng or pênünge mdläng . matläng or sồmmee pyâlüngo soiling
Another Shan from Momeit (Müngmit) gave me the following forms for the Burmese denominations :
Burmese.
Shin.
mų
p'ênüngl. mününg lukmat kyapnüng
màt
kyat
Dr. Cushing comes to the rescne as to luk in lukemat, at p. 477 of his Dictionary. Luke means anything round : lukk'an is a weight used in weighing: lulepé equals six or eight (yw6y72 Beeds of the Abrus precatorius or 1 pe: lulemat equals 4 pè or 1 mat : lukmi equals 2 pi or 1 mú.73 With this explanation we can follow further the same informant from Momeit:
8 annas are lapasean 9 , lapåsead-paipe76 10
lupsip76-penung 11
lapsip-pênüng-paip877
Burmese domination commenced in 1604 A. D. and lasted till the destruction of the Burmese monarchy. Dr. Cushing in the Burma Cenons Roport, 1801, Vol. I. p. 268.
01 Makx'ik is the need of the Abrus precatorius, Dr. Cushing, Bhdn Diet. p. 879 and 'wed is anything round, p. 188; and so 'włyüng may mean merely around." We is also a cowry, p. 515.
* Lüng and nung mean "one," but lüng means also a round thing, and perhaps lang and ning in this connec. tion mean merely "round." The concurrent forms of long and reling rest on the well-known interchange of 1 and wben initial • Bom means two.
TO I. e., Pa piece. 11 The Shan numeral coefficient for money or coin is t'ip: 6.g., Shan, ngintip i Bur. ngrétabyás, a silver picco. The persistent ruling here confirms the idea that in such worde langsung. Wir
* For the yol I have been given the terms namjyt and cheln, Dr. Cashing's words are (p. 82) Kü sed kaung for the Abra seed and killing for the Adenanthera reed. ** These words were given me as lupme, lupmat, lupkyap, by Shan from the Thatón (Sating) State. 14 As will be seen later on Aseau (=shauk) means either eight or a half. 75 Pai (Shan) = plus.
* Sip (Shan) ton. 11 It is oda that he did not use sipitpening, 11 ANDA.