RARE! Bronze Burmese Opium Weight Set 8 Brahman Bull (02/02/2011)...

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RARE! Bronze Burmese Opium Weight Set 8 Brahman Bulls

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RARE! Bronze Burmese Opium Weight Set 8 Brahman Bulls

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Sold Date: 02/02/2011
Channel: Online Auction
Source: eBay
Category: Ethnic, Folk & Native American Art

Unique Antique Bronze Burmese Opium Weight Set

A MUST HAVE FOR ANY REAL COLLECTOR

Authentic handmade Bronze Burmese Opium Weight Set of eight hand crafted Brahman Bulls. Opium Weights like this were used throughout Burma and Northern Thailand in the Golden Triangle region to weight opium during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I got the set during a trip to the border region between Thailand and Burma where the Karen Hill Tribe live from the Karen woman in the photo with the hat. This set was brought from Burma into Thailand by the Karen people when the migrated. I have included a brief history of the Karen People below.

Dimensions: Can be seen in the photos.

Weights: 150grams - 30 grams

Materials: Bronze.

Age: Circa 1900-1920

imported before August 2003

All offers will be seriously considered... MAKE BEST OFER NOW!

Thanks for your time and consideration... Dobuydon

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE KAREN PEOPLE

Karen believe they came from a place they denote a "Thibi Kawbi". Some feel that this is their representation of the lands of Tibet and southern Gobi desert. However during the 18th century the Karen began to move southward, across the Salveen River from Burma to the Thai Payap (old northern kingdom of Siam).

The Karen, like our American Indians, do not recognize the political borders of the regions in which they live. Thus you will find both tribal sects transversing across the borders into Burma and Tibet for family and economical purposes. This leaves no little problem to the operation of border patrols in the countries involved. Many times in their history they been caught between warring factions in their traditional habitats and been forced to feed and clothe rebel forces and regular troops alike or suffer death.

Currently there have been no large migrations of Karen into Thailand. However there are the occasional nomadic movements of whole Burmese Karen villages over the border.

It was the people called the Yuan of the Thai Payap that helped the Karen move into Thailand and near another Thai tribal group called the Thai Lawa (Lua). Today many Karen villages are near the hospitable Lawa settlements and there has been a natural exchange of cultural ethics and crafts. Like most of Thailand, dissimilar peoples live peacefully near each other.