Monthly Photos Feb 2026 : The Goat Wears the Horns: A Folktale from Northern Myanmar

Photos taken by ILCAA staff and associates are posted here once a month; most of them are taken during their field research in Asia and Africa. (The copyright belongs to the photographers.)

In northern Myanmar, goats are common animals. It is not unusual to see them walking around towns. In this area, meat called “mutton” often refers to goat meat, as in nearby regions.

Among the Kachin people of this region, there is a folktale about goats. Long ago, goats had no horns, while dogs did. One day, a dog tried to eat rice husks left in a mortar, but its horns got in the way. While the dog had taken off its horns, a goat came along, took them, and put them on its own head. Since then, goats have had horns, and dogs have not.

From this story comes the expression “The Goat Wears the Horns” (Bainam Rung Dagraw Ai). It describes a person who wants to attend a festival but has no clothes, so borrows them from others.

December 11, 2011
Myitkyina, Kachin State, Myanmar
KURABE, Keita