Intha People

The Intha ( MLCTS: ang: sa: lu. myui:, IPA: [ɪ́ɰ̃ðá lùmjóʊ]; lit. ’sons of the lake’, also spelt Innthar) are members of a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group living around Inle Lake. There are around 100,000 to 200,000 Intha.

Origins
The origins of the Intha are disputed;[3] the Intha believe their ancestors arrived from the southern tip of modern-day Myanmar (Tanintharyi Region). A commonly held theory is that the Intha fled from southern Myanmar during the 14th century; the ruling Shan saophas forbade them from settling on the land, which forced the Intha to instead settle on Inle Lake. To this day, the Intha primarily live in four cities bordering the lake, in numerous small villages along the lake’s shores, and on the lake itself. The entire lake area is in Nyaung Shwe township.