Thanakha — Myanmar’s forgotten species of the future?
If you asked the people of Myanmar, they would reply without hesitation. No. Thanaka trees won’t disappear, but their farmers face many challenges. Khant Sandar Htet, looked into this during her recent fieldwork in Myanmar’s central dry zone and is keen to share her preliminary insights with you.
If you’ve ever been to Myanmar, you might have noticed pale-yellow patches that many Burmese people have on their faces. Were you curious about what these patches are and why people wear them? Well, it’s a traditional makeup and sunblock called Thanakha — that’s been used in Myanmar for centuries!
Thanakha Culture in Myanmar
Thanaka is a special paste, made from the Thanakha tree. It not only protects people’s skin from the sun but also holds a unique position in the culture of many Myanmar people. The most valuable part of the Thanakha tree is its bark, from which the yellow paste is made. Depending on the type of soil and tree variety, the bark’s texture and structure, the paste’s color, and even it’s scent the scent of Thanakha, are different.
Several species are refered to as Thanakha, however, in the study area, the dominant species is Naringi crenulata . Due to the similar use of sandalwood, some perceived that they are the same. In fact, sandalwood belongs to different family and is much more expensive than Thanakha, thus, it is not use for daily wear.
Thanaka from a historic perspective
When it comes to discussing Thanakha, one of the first things that many people mention is “Shwe Bo Thanakha”. From a farmer’s perspective, people commonly mention this because of a famous song dedicated to the value of Thanakha from the Shwe Bo area. The song literally described that wearing Shwe Bo Thanakha can give you a yellowish skin color no matter how your original skin complexion is. However, there is a lesser number of commercial Thanakha farms in Shwe Bo than in the other regions.
Back in the Bagan dynasty (late 11th century), there was a Thanakha festival in the winter season. People usually harvest Thanaka around that time of year, so they burn Thanaka during the fire offering ceremony to Buddha’s to provide light and fragrance for the Buddha. They also use Thanaka to keep warm during the celebration.
During the third Myanmar dynasty (Shwe Bo dynasty — late 18th century), all royal family members and their servants had to wear Thanakha since the king declared Thanakha as the royal privilege, said a Thanakha farm manager. These examples highlight that Thanakha is rich in historical value too.
Growing Thanakha
“One of the most popular varieties among today’s Thanakha is originating from a small village called Si-pin-lae, in Ayadaw township.” mentioned by a farmer
The largest area of Thanakha plantations, spanning 20,000–40,000 acres, is located in Ayadaw, in the central dry zone of Myanmar. According to one of the founders of the largest Thanakha farms in Nyaung U., the Thanakha variety grown in Ayadaw is considered first class among five different grades of Thanakha. The farmer further explained that the grading of Thanakha is based on bark color, scent, and the color of its paste. The first-class variety has yellowish-brown bark and produces a light pale-colored paste, with a stronger scent than the others.
Preliminary findings in a nutshell
Beyond their cultural significance and historical importance, Thanakha trees — growing on marginal soils of the central dry zone of Myanmar — provide an extra income for local farmers, who grow seasonal crops as their main income.
“In fact, the phrase ‘If there is no Thanakha, there will be no Myanmar in the world‘ was frequently mentioned by local farmers, during my interviews.”
Thanakha can survive under severe drought conditions. If grown with proper spacing, it is even feasible to intercrop the trees with chili, pigeon pea and sesame. And Thanakha’s relevance in traditional medicine makes it all the more valuable for household use.
Based on the above-mentioned reasons, Thanakha’s importance in Myanmar — from a biocultural perspective — should be clear. Yet, all of my respondents stated that they receive no support or training to share knowledge about Thanakha farming practices from relevant authorities. Instead, they have acquired hands-on knowledge through peer farmers.
One farmer showed me two magazines that included articles about Thanakha. One was published in 1991, and the other was published in 2001. Both articles recommended growing Thanakha, due to its economic potential. However, none of them were related to the government agriculture and forestry services of that time. Even today, it is challenging to find international publications on Thanakha that have been authored by Burmese scientists.
“A reason for this — according to one farmer — is that ‘Thanakha is being neglected not only by the Ministry of Agriculture but also by the Forestry.’”
Reflection and introspection
Listening to farmers’ answers made me wonder: “When was the last time I wore Thanakha on my face?” I used to wear Thanakha every day in my younger days. Similarly, most of my friends stopped wearing Thanakha daily once we graduated. In my community, almost everyone is now fascinated by modern skincare products, except for school kids. Yet, I realized that all the people working in non-white collar jobs still wear Thanakha every day.
Some of my interviewees said, “although there are fewer Thanakha users than before, Thanakha culture will not disappear.” I agree with this statement based on my cultural belief. I can still see Thanakha and stone slab (specially crafted stone to grind Thanakha paste on it’s surface, locally known as Kyauk-pyin) in every household in my environment.
I, myself cherish those cultural items, although I don’t wear Thanakha frequently. At the same time, I believe Thanakha is the best sun protection. The tradition of gifting Thanakha after returning from the dry zone remains a prevalent cultural practice and we are thrilled to receive it. Nonetheless, I am concerned that Thanakha may become extinct.
The first question that came to my mind for further research into this concerns the number of people using Thanakha today, and their perception of it, as a daily skincare product.
“How many Thanakha farms have been converted to other land use systems, and for what reasons?”
Acting before it’s too late
It’s certain that we need to understand the underlying factors influencing the diminishing Thanakha culture in Myanmar to anticipate the direction and resilience from negative impacts by identifying potential solutions. Additionally, I’d advocate for Thanaka to become a commercial crop rather than a species with high cultural value that becomes neglected.
Under the current political crisis, I cannot foresee what the future holds. The biocultural importance of Thanakha in Myanmar will remain unchanged. But how to best sustain Thanakha farming without interfering with the local social-ecological system is still an open question. For example, understanding the local’s needs and transforming it to the optimum outcomes through interdisciplinary approaches could be one of the best options.
Though local people believe the extinction of Thanakha culture in Myanmar is impossible, neglect from the government and economic actors, and the current lack of popularity of Thanakha in modern cosmetic industries, point in a different direction. It will implicitly hinder the future of Thanakha farming. Having an urgent need to focus on biocultural conservation of Thanakha, I would like to call for interest and involvement of both local and international stakeholders to address the potential of Thanakha, harnessing it towards the ground for the better future of Thanakha.
Further reading
Yee, M. S., and E. Nawata. (n.d.). Introduction of Thanakha (Limonia acidissima) and a Diversified Farming System into Yinmarbin Township, Sagaing Region, Myanmar. https://doi.org/10.11248/jsta.60.137
Giuliani A, Undurraga JT, Dunkel T, Aung SM. Access and Benefit Sharing and the Sustainable Trade of Biodiversity in Myanmar: The Case of Thanakha. Sustainability. 2021; 13(22):12372. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212372
To have more information about my previous research work related to Myanmar, take a look at the medium article “Cultural ecosystem services and climate change in rural landscapes of Myanmar”
