Wa people

Wa
(Va, Ava, Parauk, Ba rāog)

Two Wa women in traditional clothing
Total population
approx. 1.2 million
Regions with significant populations
Myanmar (Kachin State & Shan State)	800,000
China (Yunnan Province)	400,000
Thailand (Chiang Rai Province)	10,000
Languages
Wa language Southwestern Mandarin Burmese language
Religion
Animism Buddhism Christianity

The Wa people (Wa language: Vāx; Burmese: ဝလူမျိုး [wa̰ lùmjóʊ]; Chinese: ; pinyin: Wǎzú; Thai: ว้า) are an ethnic group that lives mainly in northern Burma, in the northern part of Shan State and the eastern part of Kachin State, near and along Burma's border with China, as well as in China's Yunnan Province.

Historically the Wa have inhabited the Wa States, a territory that they have claimed as their ancestral land since time immemorial. It is a rugged mountainous area located between the Mekong and the Salween rivers, with the Nam Hka flowing across it. The Wa traditionally practiced subsistence agriculture by cultivating rice, peas, beans, poppies and walnuts. They bred buffaloes which they used mainly for sacrificial purposes. Generally, the traditional customs of the Wa, as well as their lifestyle, are very similar to those of the Naga people further to the Northwest.

According to Sir George Scott in the Wa origin myths the first Wa originated from two female ancestors Ya Htawm and Ya Htai who spent their early phase as tadpoles (rairoh) in a lake known as Nawng Hkaeo.