Danu
ဓနု
Danu dance troup, Pindaya.jpg
A troupe of Danu dancing girls in Pindaya (c. 1906)
Total population
255,477
Regions with significant populations
Around Pindaya Caves, Shan State, Myanmar
Languages
Danu language, Burmese
Religion
Theravada Buddhism
Related ethnic groups
Bamar, Arakanese, Intha

The Danu people (Burmese: ဓနု) are a government-recognized[1] ethnic group in Myanmar, predominantly populating the areas near the Pindaya Caves in Shan State. They speak the Danu language.[2]

Etymology

The name Danu derives from the Pali term dhanu, which means "archer" or "bow."[3] The term dhanu is a reference to the legend of Prince Kummabhaya, whose bow and arrow rescued seven princesses trapped in the caves by a giant spider.[3]

Notable Danu people

References

  1. ^ Composition of the Different ethnic groups from the Embassy of Myanmar
  2. ^ Danu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  3. ^ a b Douglas, Gavin (2013). "Performing Ethnicity in Southern Shan State, Burma/Myanmar: The Ozi and Gong Traditions of the Myelat". Ethnomusicology. 57 (2): 185–206. doi:10.5406/ethnomusicology.57.2.0185. ISSN 0014-1836. JSTOR 10.5406/ethnomusicology.57.2.0185.


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