Excerpt from the
Hand Book on the Haka Chin Customs by W. R. HEAD (Published 1917)
"Tradition says that a man possessed a goat and according to the food he gave it, its dung became pumtek beads. Good food produced good beads and vice versa. Mahooya beads are highly prized. Now-a-days they come from Gangaw in the Pakku District, but, where they are bought, the Chins do not know : some of the modern ones are of just as good quality as the old beads : there are ten varieties round, flat and cylindrical they are of a black and white black background with white stripes. They vary from annas 8 to Rs. 100, but heirlooms are priceless and cannot be bought. Lyen Mo of Sangte possesses the most, but the best specimens belong to the Sangpi family. Lyen Dun, Chief of Klang Klang Tribe, also possesses many beads.

It is customary for Chiefs owning very special beads (or property) of good quality to hold a feast, and, in front of the assembled company, to forbid his heirs to part with certain beads and gongs and order that they must be kept in the hmunfi : the result is that no Chins will dispose or part with these heirlooms if he did so, ill-luck would befall and he would die and, further, his wife become barren."
N.B.The above report by W. R. Head was published in 1917 and mentions that 'modern' Pumtek (or Mahooya) beads were available in Burma at this time. This clearly shows that some of the more recent Pumtek were being made prior to the 1920s, however, it is still unclear when this production started. It is clear that many Pumtek show signs of being much older than early 20th century manufacture, but would not fall into the 'ancient' category. We do know that Pumtek were being made in the 1920s, however, this was not the only period of production for these beads. Ancient Pumtek are believed to date somewhere between 1000 and 2500 years old , and are often referred to as Pyu beads. However, there is a huge variety of ancient Pyu beads (including those made from glass and other types of stone), so I refer to Pumtek from the Pyu period as 'ancient Pumtek' for clarity and simplicity. It is also important to note that many beads that are given the name 'Pyu' (or believed to be from the Pyu period)may in fact be from a much earlier time.
Above: An heirloom Pumtek necklace (shown in 'The Lakhers' by N. E. PARRY - published 1932) with many of the beads likely to have been made from agate or a more opalised material. If Parry's information is accurate, the name Pumtek was used for all types of decorated stone beads that were important to the Chin tribes. It was not a name exclusively given to fossil wood beads, although many collectors are doing this today.
Pumtek = A decorated stone bead made from silicified/opalised wood and in some cases agate, and found mainly on heirloom necklaces of the Chin tribe. The earliest Pumtek (often called Pyu beads) possibly date to 400 BCE. Early 20th century Burmese bead makers also adopted the name Pumtek for their own newly created fossil wood beads. These beads were designed to replicate the Pumtek found on their much prized heirloom necklaces. In the 1990s, Burmese Pumtek production started once again and has continued to the present day.