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The religious tension in Myanamar between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims is linked to religious extremist group led by monks. They claim to be the defenders of the Burmese race. A law from 1982 denied the Rohingya people of their Burmese citizenship, thereby removing their freedom of movement, and access to education. It also allows the arbitrary confiscation of their property and lands.The UN has described the Rohingya as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.
© Eric Lafforgue
The Chin tattooed women live in the Chin, Rakhine and Arakan states in northwestern Myanmar. The origin of facial tattoos in the region is unknown. Some believe that the practice began during the reigns of Kings long ago. The royalty used to come to the villages to capture young women. The men from the tribe may have tattooed their women to make them ugly, thereby saving them from a life of slavery. Interestingly, I heard a similar origin for body modification among the Mursi tribe in Ethiopia. As legend has it, the tribeswomen began wearing giant lip plates to make them uglier to would-be kidnappers. Now, the bigger the lip plate the higher the bride price.
For years, access to the tribal Mindat area was restricted by the burmese government. It was opened just two years ago. Only about 700 tourists visit per year. Most of them only visit the bucolic Mount Victoria by bus, never meeting the tattooed women who remain isolated, hours away by foot. Those who do wish to meet them better pack good walking shoes and be prepared to sleep in smoke-filled local houses complete with rats.
There are a few different face tattoo patterns. The spiderweb tattoo is popular in the Mrauk U region. It takes a three hour long tail boat ride to reach this remote area. This tattoo is usually accompanied by a circle in the center of the forehead which represents the sun or lines under the nose symbolizing tiger whiskers.
Another design, known as the bee pattern, is common in the Mindat area. It is composed of dots, lines and occasionally circles. It is worn by the Muun tribe who inhabit the hills of the Arakan state.
The Magan tribeswomen wear huge earrings made of beads and calabashes. They can also play the flute with their noses.
I ventured to Kanpelet village in search of the women from the U Pu tribe who have the incredibly rare whole face tattoo. This is one of the most impressive styles: the entire face is inked up. Rumors had it that only three women in this area had the tattoo. After hours of off roading, I arrive in the village only to learn that one died recently and another was very ill. I was lucky enough to meet Pa Late. At 85, she is nearly deaf but still works hard with her family in a small house on the top of a little hill.
Pa Late said that a completely black face had become a symbol of beauty in the past. The few women who refused to do it looked ugly to the men. The tattoo took three days but the pain lasted over a month.
There are two ways to make the tattoo needle. The first consists of tying three pieces of bamboo together and the second uses thorns. The ink is a mixture of cow bile, soot, plants, and pig fat. It usually took one day to complete the standard tattoo and a few more for the totally black one. The tattoo artist was a specialist or in some cases a parent. Infection was a common problem as the girls had blood all over their face.
Everything, including the eyelids, was tattooed. Many women say that the neck was the most sensitive area.
Ma Aung Seim shared her memories of the tattoo sessions : “I was 10 years old. The day before the tattoo ceremony, I only ate sugarcane and drank tea. It was forbidden to eat meat or peanuts. During the tattoo session, I cried a lot, but I could not move at all. After the session, my face bled for 3 days. It was very painful. My mother put fresh beans leaves on my face to alleviate the pain. I had no choice if i wanted to get married. Men wanted women with tattoos at this time. My mother told me that without a tattoo on my face, i would look like... a man! The web drawn on my face attracted the men like a spiderweb catches insects!”
Not all the tattooed women live in remote areas deep in the mountains. Some have integrated into modern society. Miss Heu, 67, lives in Kanpelet. Her grandmother forced her to get tattooed. She lives in a modern house and even has TV (when electricity is not out). Chin people have maintained their modesty and shyness: when a movie showspeople kissing or making love, most of them still fast forward the scene.
As a leader in the local community, Miss Heu had the chance to meet Aung San Suu Kyi when she came in the area for a meeting. She is very aware of the tattooed women and the ethnicities that are forgotten by the central government. She says she and Aung San Suu Kyi are friends now. Heu’s daughter has graduated and works in Singapore.
The Chin culture is threatened by the government as their teachers are usually not Chin. For a long time, they fought for independence, but since the country began to democratize, things have calmed down.
“I am old. Soon I will die” says to me a Chin woman from Pan Baung village, while she does the gesture of drying tears from her eyes. In her village, only 6 tattooed woman remain alive. Those women are the last of their kind…
© Eric Lafforgue
The religious tension in Myanamar between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims is linked to religious extremist group led by monks. They claim to be the defenders of the Burmese race. A law from 1982 denied the Rohingya people of their Burmese citizenship, thereby removing their freedom of movement, and access to education. It also allows the arbitrary confiscation of their property and lands.The UN has described the Rohingya as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.
© Eric Lafforgue
This might be the my favorite "discovered" ad ever.
From a design standpoint, this is totally out of character with other advertisements of the time. It's hand lettered like many others, but in an unconventional, un-unified way. It is full color, not spot color. It uses a monospaced typewriter face instead of the typical sans. Copy is on an angle(!).
It's great.
Radio Romances September 1945
The religious tension in Myanamar between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims is linked to religious extremist group led by monks. They claim to be the defenders of the Burmese race. A law from 1982 denied the Rohingya people of their Burmese citizenship, thereby removing their freedom of movement, and access to education. It also allows the arbitrary confiscation of their property and lands.The UN has described the Rohingya as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.
© Eric Lafforgue
Those color powders are used to make kolams (drawings) in front of the houses everywhere in India and fir Holi.
Holi is a religious spring festival, also known as Phagwah or Festival of Colours or Doḷajāta in Orissa or Dol Jatra or Basantotsav in West Bengal, celebrated by Hindus; the celebration takes place on the day after the full moon in early March in order to glorify good harvest and fertility of the land; Holi festival seems to have started several centuries before Christ; Holi is restless moment, full of colours, rituals and joyful celebrations; people are draped in white and walk down the streets smearing each other with bright hued powders and squirt coloured water on one another with pichkaris (big syringe-like hand-pumps); during Holi, practices, which at other times could be offensive, are allowed, squirting coloured water on passers-by, dunking friends in mud pool amid, consuming bhang (preparation of cannabis but religious offering during Shiva festivals); as Indian says at this period “don't mind, it's Holi"; all differences of castes, colours, race, sex, or social status are temporarily relegated to the background; there is exchange of greetings, the elders distribute sweets and money, and all join in frenzied dance to the rhythm of the drums; there are at least three legends that are directly associated with the festival of colours, the Holika-Hiranyakashipu-Prahlad episode, Lord Shiva's killing of Kamadeva, and the story of the ogress Dhundhi
© Eric Lafforgue
The religious tension in Myanamar between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims is linked to religious extremist group led by monks. They claim to be the defenders of the Burmese race. A law from 1982 denied the Rohingya people of their Burmese citizenship, thereby removing their freedom of movement, and access to education. It also allows the arbitrary confiscation of their property and lands.The UN has described the Rohingya as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.
© Eric Lafforgue
The religious tension in Myanamar between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims is linked to religious extremist group led by monks. They claim to be the defenders of the Burmese race. A law from 1982 denied the Rohingya people of their Burmese citizenship, thereby removing their freedom of movement, and access to education. It also allows the arbitrary confiscation of their property and lands.The UN has described the Rohingya as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.
© Eric Lafforgue
Insired by the 30's and 40's America, Buena Vista Street in Disney California Adventure is just amazing! The details are perfect all the way down to the window displays. Even walking into Oswald's Gas there is a radio playing songs and radio shows from the era that they recreated.
View on black. Actually, if I were you I'd run. I did just buy a bunch of face powder for 25 cents and if you've ever read any of my commentary, you know my sense of humor and I am about to blow it all over you.
Our Daily Challenge: Now and/or Then
The religious tension in Myanamar between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims is linked to religious extremist group led by monks. They claim to be the defenders of the Burmese race. A law from 1982 denied the Rohingya people of their Burmese citizenship, thereby removing their freedom of movement, and access to education. It also allows the arbitrary confiscation of their property and lands.The UN has described the Rohingya as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.
© Eric Lafforgue