Brief introduction to the Pumtek beads of Burma.

The word Pumtek means 'buried thunderbolt' in the Chin language and it is currently the most widely adopted name for this unique group of decorated stone beads. The earliest Pumtek are believed to be crafted in ancient times during the Pyu/Tircul period (or slightly earlier). They can come in a variety of shapes and sizes and display a diverse range of decorations. Each decoration was applied by hand and the beads were heat treated to allow the design to penetrate the stone. The true meaning of such motifs has long since been lost in antiquity. Some designs might have been inspired by the decorated stone beads found in India or even Tibet, however, many are certainly unique to the Pumtek beads found in Burma. The Chin also have individual names for each bead type and the rarer designs are highly valued. The fact that the name means buried thunderbolt might hint at their amuletic properties or that they are fortuitously discovered buried in the ground (also suggesting an ancient origin).

Pumtek are unusual because they are crafted from silicified wood (also known as opalised, fossilised or petrified wood) and in some cases agate or chalcedony. The silicified wood used in the making of Pumteks is an agatised or opalised material that is indigenous to Burma. Therefore it is unlikely the material was imported from elsewhere. This makes Pumteks very distinct from other stone beads found in Asia. Pumtek have also traveled to neighboring countries, such as India, Thailand and even Nepal and Tibet where they have been adopted by some Tibetans as a variety of dZi bead.

In Burma today, Pumtek and other Pyu/Tircul stone beads are mainly seen on heirloom necklaces belonging to the Chin (also known as Kuki), a tribal group that can be found spread out from Northwestern Burma to Northeastern India.

The earliest Pumtek (often highly contrasted black and white decorated stone 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. Wearing these beads was seen as a display of wealth and position within the tribal community. They also acted as protective amulets and they were believed to be imbued with the power of past ancestors. To the untrained eye, 20th century beads are often confused with much earlier Pumtek because they so closely resemble each other. The Chin also mix antique and ancient beads on the same heirloom necklaces and this can often make it difficult to tell them apart. 

A small Burmese cottage industry was revived in the 1990s and once again bead makers tried to replicate much earlier Pumtek, however, these later beads are noticeably different in the quality of material and craftmanship. Modern bead makers also started to create beads with contemporary designs to encourage new interest. It is also clear that they copied shapes and designs more commonly associated with the dZi beads of Tibet. Since genuine dZi beads command very high prices in the Himalayan regions, Pumteks with similar designs began to appeal to a wider and more commercial audience.

A wave of heirloom beads first appeared in the West during the 1980s and they were soon to end up in private collections. They were very affordable at this time because little was known about them. Nowadays they command very high prices in Asia and they have started to gain special attention elsewhere.

The B & W photo to the right is a detail from a photograph published in 1896 by Carey & Tuck in The Chin Hills Gazetteer and it is probably the earliest known publication that shows and mentions Pumtek beads. It shows a woman from the Chin tribe wearing a necklace of round six stripe Pumtek and also a number of Pumtek with the zig zag decoration. In the same article the following is said about these beads: "the sacred pumtek...at once the most prized and the most costly possession of the Haka, a tribe found in the Chin hills of north-west Burma...[and]...always readily exchangeable for any number of valuables such as cattle, guns and slaves".

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 (another name for Pumtek) 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 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." 

The Hand Book on the Haka Chin also mentions the following:

"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 [family] : 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 us that some of the more recent Pumtek were being made prior to the 1920s, however, it is still unclear when this production started or whether there had been a continued (or sporadic) production since ancient times. It is clear that many Pumtek beads show signs of being much older than early 20th century manufacture, however, some beads are not old enough to fall into the 'ancient' category (more than 1000 years old). Therefore the quality of the material and the patina the bead develops from being strung and worn must be closely examined before age can be determined.

We do know that Pumteks were being made in the 1920s, however, this was not the only period of production for these beads. The name Pumtek was in use prior to the 20th C to describe beads found on heirloom necklaces and so these beads must have an origin that dates back hundreds of years at the very least. Ancient Pumtek are believed to be somewhere between 1000 and 2500 years old and they are often referred to as "Pyu" beads. However, it is important to recognise that there is a huge variety of ancient Pyu beads (including those made from glass and other types of stone such as carnelian and green chalcedony). Many Pyu beads are also zoomorphic and represent animals such as birds, elephants and tigers. I therefore refer to Pumtek from the Pyu or Tircul period as 'ancient Pumtek' to distinguish these beads from other stone bead types. It is also important to note that many beads that are given the name 'Pyu' (or believed to be from the Pyu/Tircul period) may in fact be from a much earlier time. Some of the highly contrasted decorated agates that we see on heirloom strands may have been acquired as a result of trade or pilgrimage in India.

Above: A drawing of an 'heirloom' Pumtek necklace (shown in 'The Lakhers' by N. E. PARRY - published 1932). As this is not a photo we must assume that many of the above beads were crafted from indigenous fossil wood material in agatised or opalised form. It is also likely that some of them were made from agate or chalcedony. Many of the designs shown are associated with the very earliest Pumtek from the Pyu/Tircul period and some show motifs that are also commonly seen with ancient agates found in India. It is therefore likely that some of these beads were traded in antiquity from India and later adopted by the Burmese as their own. This particular necklace belonged to the chief of Chapi, a leader of the Chin people and it is believed to have been heirloomed for many generations.

The above writings of Carey & Tuck, W. R. Head and Parry, clearly show us that the name Pumtek was already in use to describe ancient and antique beads found on heirloom necklaces and it was also adopted to describe more recent Pumtek beads that were crafted in the early to late 20th C. At the time of the above drawing, the 1920s Pumteks had only been in production for a few years. It is therefore highly unlikely that they would have found themselves on the above 'heirloom' necklace. The Chin would have had a very close relationship with their beads and they would have been able to distinguish heirloom beads from modern Pumteks with ease. We can therefore have confidence that the beads on this necklace show examples from antiquity and they were clearly known as Pumtek. It is therefore important to stress that Pumtek is not a name given exclusively to early 20th C fossil wood beads. Beads that are known by the Chin tribe as Pumtek clearly have ancient origins. Each bead is numbered in the drawing because the Chin have unique names for each design. In much the same way that Tibetans have unique names for the many varieties of dZi beads found in the Himalayas.

In 'The Lakhers' Parry writes: 

"In the families of chiefs and nobles, heirlooms are handed down from generation to generation. These generally consist of necklaces of Pumtek beads, rahongs, gongs or guns. Rachi, the Chief of Chapi, has a very fine necklace of Pumteks (see drawing above) which came to him from Khilai, one of his ancestors, and which he says nothing will induce him to sell. Heirlooms, in fact, are never sold unless the owner is in very great distress indeed."