Birman history
Dec. 11th, 2009 11:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stephbgI've made a few vague attempts to research the history of the Birman cat over the last decade (Pumpkin will be 11 in March). Most modern Birmans are descended through a handful of cats brought to England via France and Burma/Thailand after WWII ish. Before that you get the standard vaguely ancient legend involving a dead monk and the eyes of a goddess yada yada (here's a relatively short version, and here's more of the same, at length). This standard story turns up often enough to cloud further attempts at research; it's really quite frustrating for the amateur, but there's not much information beyond that.
The British Museum book of cats: ancient and modern (1996) by Juliet Clutton-Brock is one of my better scholarly reference works on the history and genetics of the domestic cat. It has a few paragraphs devoted to the Birman. It includes the usual dead monk/rays of sunshine/colour of earth/eyes of the goddess story, but during a recent midnight reading I noticed a passing reference to the argument that Birmans could not be the ancestors of the Siamese (as was suggested) because long-haird breeds were virtually unheard of the heat of East Asia. However:
"On the other hand, it is claimed that there were cats of the same coat pattern and colouration in the temples of Tibet where long-haired cats would be more explicable in the cold mountains." (Clutton-Brock p. 84)
Unfortunately for an otherwise thoroughly referenced book, this statement is left hanging as "it is claimed". I'd quite like to know more about those claims, thank you very much. Looks like I might need to hunt down a copy of A Standard Guide to Cat Breeds (1979) in the vain hope it contains a more original citation. Googlefu can only get you so far. Sometimes you must climb the mountain.
But that would be obsessive; Pumpkin's genes aren't going anywhere in a hurry.
However, the idea that the breed developed in the snowy mountain temples of Tibet in the company of monks has a certain appeal. Off the top of my head I can think of a number of reasons why it makes sense for Birmans to not only have lived with ancient Tibetan monks, but influenced them too:
* If it's cold they won't shed. Bonus fluff to love, without the fur surprise in every nook and cranny.
* Monks can't have nice things. If they had nice things before they had Birmans they'd learn pretty quickly to give up material wealth. Instant vow of poverty.
* In an open-plan temple there's probably nowhere to get away from the friendly and curious cats, so instant vow of chastity. On the bright side, they'd keep you warm.
* It's a short leap from Aaaaaawwwww to Oooohhhhhmmmm.
* Those wind-shredded prayer flags? It wasn't the wind.
* Anyone who's walked in the vicinity of a Birman soon learns to shuffle slowly with humbly downcast eyes. In fact, it's probably safer to sit still for long periods of time. Meditating, yeah, we'll call it that.
* Birmans are at peace with the world, and in love with everyone. They are constantly amazed and delighted by the world around them. They are at one with the universe. They are at one with the coffee table, your ankles, and the prayer rug. And that brass thing over there... and that piece of paper... and the sky... and the rocks. Et cetera.
* Birmans. Snow Leopards. Just sayin'
* In our household, Pumpkin's nose and whiskers' miraculous ability to appear without warning at the back of one's calves often results in shouts of "JESUS!". I'm sure this reaction is merely a localised version of "GREAT BUDDAH!" or equivalent.
* Who could possibly compete with all that fur? I know! We'll shave our heads.
* A vow of silence could be difficult to maintain under the circumstances. Would the occasional quiet "Who's a woogie woogie woogie?" count? It's a bit like a chant.
* The Birman's inability to hunt rodents wouldn't be a problem above the snowline, in fact his general unwillingness to harm anyone or any thing (on purpose) would no doubt serve as an example to the monks.
* They are lovers, not fighters.
The British Museum book of cats: ancient and modern (1996) by Juliet Clutton-Brock is one of my better scholarly reference works on the history and genetics of the domestic cat. It has a few paragraphs devoted to the Birman. It includes the usual dead monk/rays of sunshine/colour of earth/eyes of the goddess story, but during a recent midnight reading I noticed a passing reference to the argument that Birmans could not be the ancestors of the Siamese (as was suggested) because long-haird breeds were virtually unheard of the heat of East Asia. However:
"On the other hand, it is claimed that there were cats of the same coat pattern and colouration in the temples of Tibet where long-haired cats would be more explicable in the cold mountains." (Clutton-Brock p. 84)
Unfortunately for an otherwise thoroughly referenced book, this statement is left hanging as "it is claimed". I'd quite like to know more about those claims, thank you very much. Looks like I might need to hunt down a copy of A Standard Guide to Cat Breeds (1979) in the vain hope it contains a more original citation. Googlefu can only get you so far. Sometimes you must climb the mountain.
But that would be obsessive; Pumpkin's genes aren't going anywhere in a hurry.
However, the idea that the breed developed in the snowy mountain temples of Tibet in the company of monks has a certain appeal. Off the top of my head I can think of a number of reasons why it makes sense for Birmans to not only have lived with ancient Tibetan monks, but influenced them too:
* If it's cold they won't shed. Bonus fluff to love, without the fur surprise in every nook and cranny.
* Monks can't have nice things. If they had nice things before they had Birmans they'd learn pretty quickly to give up material wealth. Instant vow of poverty.
* In an open-plan temple there's probably nowhere to get away from the friendly and curious cats, so instant vow of chastity. On the bright side, they'd keep you warm.
* It's a short leap from Aaaaaawwwww to Oooohhhhhmmmm.
* Those wind-shredded prayer flags? It wasn't the wind.
* Anyone who's walked in the vicinity of a Birman soon learns to shuffle slowly with humbly downcast eyes. In fact, it's probably safer to sit still for long periods of time. Meditating, yeah, we'll call it that.
* Birmans are at peace with the world, and in love with everyone. They are constantly amazed and delighted by the world around them. They are at one with the universe. They are at one with the coffee table, your ankles, and the prayer rug. And that brass thing over there... and that piece of paper... and the sky... and the rocks. Et cetera.
* Birmans. Snow Leopards. Just sayin'
* In our household, Pumpkin's nose and whiskers' miraculous ability to appear without warning at the back of one's calves often results in shouts of "JESUS!". I'm sure this reaction is merely a localised version of "GREAT BUDDAH!" or equivalent.
* Who could possibly compete with all that fur? I know! We'll shave our heads.
* A vow of silence could be difficult to maintain under the circumstances. Would the occasional quiet "Who's a woogie woogie woogie?" count? It's a bit like a chant.
* The Birman's inability to hunt rodents wouldn't be a problem above the snowline, in fact his general unwillingness to harm anyone or any thing (on purpose) would no doubt serve as an example to the monks.
* They are lovers, not fighters.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-11 07:49 pm (UTC)Maybe you could write a treatise on cats - or return to stand-up with a show about cats?
no subject
Date: 2009-12-13 02:12 pm (UTC)