Meet the incredible leg rowers of Myanmar; the talented men and children who use a unique technique to capture fish. Balancing gracefully on one leg, the upright leg-rowing technique, which is unique to Intha, allows fishermen to expertly navigate their boats through the dense Inle Lake.
The unusual stance, which involves standing on the stern and wrapping one leg around the oar, also gives the fishermen the best view of the lake and frees up one arm so they can capture fish in the cone-shaped net.
This almost acrobatic rowing style has fascinated tourists for years as they watch the agile fishermen p
ropel their boats effortlessly across the 11 mile-long lake. But the unusual technique is only practiced by men, women still row with their hands while sitting at the stern. Inle Lake is one of Myanmar’s most iconic destinations.
At 900 meters above sea level, the lake – nestles snugly in the Nyaung Shwe Valley – is an eye-opener. You don’t just come to Inle Lake for its beauty, you go to see the traditions of the people who live there. The unique method of one-legged rowing is, perhaps, the most iconic representatives of the fascinating local culture.
This lake is located in the heart of Shan State in central Burma and surrounded by towering mountains and lush hills. It is not an ordinary lake though; Inle is a magical world of floating gardens and villages built on stilts.
Floating land created from dried and hardened weeds and floating hyacinth secure the floating huts and bamboo villages to one fixed spot. No joke, floating land. The villages embraced thei
r creativity over the years in order to make this lake their home.
People living on the lake call themself Intha. After all, Intha translates to “children of the lake.” And their life is closely connected with the water.
Most lake traffic consists of long
, flat-bottomed boats. These days they generally have noisy diesel motors, but the traditional fisherman still uses the leg-rowing technique.
They stand at the stern and wrap one leg around an oar whilst gripping the hull of the boat with the other foot. The whole process is really impressive to watch.
They balance themselves on one end of the boat, manipulate the net with their hands while rowing the boat. They have an amazing sense of balance while performing their snake-like motions.
Basically, leg-rowing is a traditional fishing technique of Intha. This practice is believed to date back to the 12th century and has been passed down from generation to generation.
At the end of fishing, they return home along the lake, sometimes across in a number of floating strip fields where local women are weeding, watering, and picking the vegetables, and sometimes pass by floating markets and wooden houses scattered in the lake.
As they get home, they talk with families patiently, have a simple dinner with no wifi and no iPhones. That’s real-life of these fishermen in the Inle Lake.
You might be curious about why the fishermen row a boat using one leg rather than a hand, right? Exactly, so do we.
Some travelers once asked the local fishermen why they propel their boats through this technique of leg-rowing. “Reeds thrive in the Inle Lake, and only standing can you see if there are any fish under the reeds.
Legs are more powerful than hands, helping speed up the boat and free hands for fishing” as they recalled. However, according to a legend, the ancestors of Intha were the Tavoy people before the 12th century.
Defeated by enemies, they were exiled to the Inle Lake region surroun
ded by mountains. They survived through perseverance and built their characteristic floating wooden houses.
To make a living, they cultivated the strip fields built on stilts, planted fruits and vegetables above the fields where a group of fish gathered, abundant in aquatic products.
Gradually, fishing became one of the major means of life. In order to fish, meanwhile, keep the
boats going, these smart ancestors thought of a good idea that made a balance of them. That was propelling the boats via one of their legs and handling the fishnets by hands.
As time goes by, this original fishing method was passed down as tradition from generation to generation for thousands of years. It’s said that Intha learned fishing from the age of 13 and generally to 75 years old.
The Intha had lived the lake from an early age, they were good at rowing. With one leg standing on the boat deck, and the other wrapping around the oar that tucked firmly under their arms, the Intha fishermen hold a cumbersome fish net of cone-shape in one hand. Fishermen beat the top of the water with sticks strongly, arousing waves of spray.
According to the local fishermen, this action is to drive the timid small fish into their nets. Instead of rowing boats by hands, this unique technique of one-leg rowing is scarce in many parts of the world.
These fishermen catch fish in the vast Inle lake every day, with no luxury facilities but to have a simple smile and a peaceful mind. It’s believed that you’ll be deeply touched if you come to Inle Lake.
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