Among the Burmans: A Record of Fifteen Years of Work and its Fruitage

In Short

This book is a firsthand account of fifteen years spent by a Protestant missionary working across Burma at the turn of the twentieth century. It details the daily realities of evangelical labor, describing local religious practices, historical conflicts, ethnic divisions, and the physical challenges of surviving tropical illnesses under British colonial rule. Combining personal travel memories with historical summaries, the text records the gradual spread of Christian institutions among various regional populations. It has endured as a detailed period document of Western cross-cultural encounters and religious history in Southeast Asia.

The Story

The narrative unfolds as a broad survey of missionary life, moving from the initial shock of arrival to the long-term realities of establishing local churches. It opens with the physical adjustments required of a newcomer landing in Burma during the cold season. The record describes the immediate necessity of discarding heavy Western formal wear, adapting to intense heat, learning a language structured backward from English, and surviving the inevitable attacks of tropical fever. Early encounters illustrate the miscommunications between Westerners and the local population, including misunderstandings surrounding traditional customs like prostrations and gift-giving etiquette.

From these personal beginnings, the work expands into a detailed examination of the country's diverse ethnic groups and religious foundations. It details the life cycle of Buddhist devotion, focusing on the essential monastic initiation ceremonies for young boys and the central place of spirit worship beneath formal Buddhist practice. The text traces the regional history of military conquests, Chinese invasions, and the rise and fall of regional kingdoms that shaped the territory prior to British annexation. It surveys the distinct customs, social structures, and living conditions of the various peoples inhabiting the plains and mountain ranges, including the Shans, Karens, and Chins, while noting the social standing of outcasts and the impact of colonial governance.

The narrative then shifts to the specific methods, triumphs, and perils of evangelical work. It details trips into jungle villages, travel by cart and swimming pony across swollen rivers, and open-air meetings where basic doctrines are presented for the first time. Severe obstacles regularly appear: converts face intense family ostracism, social isolation, and verbal threats upon baptism. Native evangelists endure severe hardships, including abandonment by hired carriers on long mountain treks. Meanwhile, visiting Westerners often suffer fatal consequences after ignoring advice regarding tropical sunlight and malaria remedies.

The account concludes by measuring the cumulative results of these fifteen years against earlier decades of effort. Reflecting on the long-term growth of schools, churches, and local congregations, the author frames these institutional achievements as part of a ongoing global effort, comparing the missionary's persistent task to the enduring commitment of soldiers on a battlefield.

How It Unfolds

Adapting to the climate The journey opens with the immediate physical adjustments required of a new arrival in Burma, where formal heavy clothing must be abandoned for light garments. The newcomer quickly encounters severe tropical fevers and learns that simple daily tasks require completely new routines.

Observing local customs Daily life brings constant encounters with unfamiliar social traditions, from complex language patterns complicated by kun-chewing to formal prostrations before superiors. The text describes how childhood games, monastic initiation ceremonies, and grand public processions shape community life.

Tracing regional history The focus broadens to examine the complex historical migrations, warfare, and shifting monarchies that defined Upper and Lower Burma over centuries. Accounts of ancient kingdoms, foreign invasions, and spirit-worship traditions establish the historical background of the population.

Surveying the diverse groups Travels across the hills and plains highlight the distinct social structures and traditions of various regional groups, including the Shans and Chins. The text outlines their marital customs, local leadership models, and the gradual imposition of British administrative control over remote mountain areas.

Preaching in the jungle Efforts to spread the Christian faith take workers into remote villages via hazardous journeys over flooded rivers and rugged paths. Open-air gatherings present fundamental doctrines to listeners who have never encountered Western religious ideas before.

Facing opposition and hardship Local converts encounter severe opposition from their families and communities, facing public humiliation, loss of financial support, and social ostracism. Meanwhile, both native workers and Western travelers face physical exhaustion, desertion by guides, and dangerous tropical illnesses.

Reflecting on the harvest The narrative concludes by comparing current church membership and educational institutions with the meager results of early pioneer efforts decades earlier. The author frames these steady gains as lasting contributions to a larger, ongoing international movement.

The People

• Henry Park Cochrane: The author and narrator, an American missionary who spends fifteen years navigating the physical and cultural landscape of Burma. He wants to establish self-sustaining Christian communities, but faces severe fevers, travel hazards, and deep-seated religious traditions. Over time, he develops a pragmatic understanding of local customs and sees his primary role as living out an authentic example of his faith.
• The Heathen Karen Head-Man: A village leader who meets the missionaries during an open-air meeting in virgin territory. Curious yet literal-minded, he interrupts a sermon about Jesus to ask if the author himself is the Christ. His naive question deeply moves the author, forcing him to recognize how completely his own conduct serves as the primary visual model of Christianity for the local people.
• U Po Hline: A dedicated native preacher who volunteers for a arduous, month-long evangelical trek across rugged mountain ranges despite his advanced age. When his hired carriers desert him and steal his money, he trudges onward alone while burning with fever, throwing away his own supplies but refusing to abandon the handcrafted gifts entrusted to him for his teachers.
• The Unnamed Burman Schoolboy: A young student who accepts Christianity despite ferocious opposition from his prominent family. He endures curses from his mother, public threats from his sister, and total financial disownership, maintaining a cheerful demeanor and using family confrontations as opportunities to articulate his newly adopted beliefs.

In Its Own Voice

"In acquiring the language by ear a difficulty arises from the universal habit of kun-chewing." The author describes the practical hurdles of learning conversational Burmese from local speakers.

"When it dawned upon me that he had actually mistaken me for Christ, I never was so overwhelmed in all my life." During a village sermon, a Karen head-man asks if the author is the figure being preached about.

"'I would plod on until my legs would sustain me no longer. Then on my knees I would pray: 'O Father, I have been away doing Thy work, I did the best I could, now give me strength to reach my home.''" An elderly native preacher recalls his agonizing journey back through the mountains after being abandoned by his carriers.

What It's Really About

Underneath its travel observations and biographical sketches, the book is an inquiry into the mechanics of religious conversion and cultural transmission. It addresses the immense difficulty of transplanting Western theological concepts into a society shaped by centuries of monastic Buddhism and animist spirit worship. The text continuously contrasts the Buddhist concepts of merit and karma with the Christian doctrines of grace and individual redemption. It argues that meaningful social transformation cannot be imposed by colonial force or mere intellectual debate, but must instead develop through personal relationships, vernacular education, and visible examples of moral living. Ultimately, the work grapples with the cost of breaking from communal traditions in a society where religious identity and social respectability are inextricably linked.

Why Read It Today

Modern readers interested in colonial history, Southeast Asian studies, or the history of Christian missions will find this text a detailed primary source. It offers a direct window into turn-of-the-century Burma, recording vivid details of everyday village life, transportation, regional geography, and ethnic relations before the advent of modern infrastructure. The writing is plain, direct, and unpretentious, relying on concrete personal anecdotes rather than abstract theoretical arguments.

Readers must, however, navigate the distinct period attitudes of a nineteenth-century Western missionary. The text contains sharp, unapologetic critiques of non-Christian religions, viewing spirit worship and Buddhist doctrines as moral errors needing correction. It also reflects the paternalistic assumptions common among Westerners living under British imperial rule. Yet for those seeking to understand how Western workers perceived their role in Asia during the high tide of imperial expansion, the book provides a candid, grounded, and historically revealing account of lived cross-cultural encounter.