Yepokegyi Village in Pwintbyu Township, Magway Region, has become famous for its children who preserve the traditional San-yit-wine hairstyle (a style of hairdo with a top knot and a circular fringe). Children in this village, both boys and girls, traditionally keeps this hairstyle from five years of age until they become fifteen or sixteen.
The name “Yepokegyi” is derived from “Yezalokegyi” which refers to the lake in the form of a bird’s crop located on the east side of the village. The village is eight miles from Shauktaw Village and can be accessed within a 25-minute drive from Pwintbyu.
Despite the improved village roads, expansion of schools and the rising standard of living, children are retaining their cultural heritage, the hairdo, which are attracting more and more tourists.
The village is now home to more than 700 residents with the San-yit-wine hairstyle out of the 3,400 total population, according to U Lu Win, the village administrator. The elders of the village said that this traditional hairdo has been kept in Yepokegyi village for about 200 years.
Due to the beauty of the lake, the village monastery, smooth roads, young women fetching water and weaving, it is going to be a tourist destination for photographers, painters and tourists who are looking for this kind of cultural characteristics. — Zeya Htet (Minbu)/GNLM
