| Mark A. Johnson Tribal Art | |||||||||
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tribal Art, Primitive Art, Ethnographic Art,
Oceanic Art. Folk Art, Ethnic Cultures, Artifacts, Textiles & Costumes,
Sculpture. Masks, Beadwork, Fetishes, Charms. Jewelry, Baskets, Weapons,
Shields, Indonesia, Borneo. Sumatra, Sulawese, Java, Bali, Timor, Flores,
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TRAVELOGUE
7
Chin
State, Mayanmar Burma
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1: The long drive from Bagan to the Chin State (10 hours) passes beautiful countryside and villages. |
| 2: Typical switchback roads as you drive through the Chin Hills. |  |
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3: Most of the traditional villages in the Chin area are found along the side of remote hills, near the fields. Long hikes straight down and then straight up are required to reach most of these villages. |
| 4: Typical Chin style house with buffalo totems nearby (more on that later). |  |
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5: Traditional roof piece of a Chin house. Nam Thaing Village. |
| 6: Metal tin cans and wood yokes on posts are built to protect the granaries from rodents. Kyardo Village. |  |
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7: In front of many of the houses, you can see these forked totems. Called "Khun Thoan" (post to which the buffalo is tied) these are erected whenever a hunter has killed a wild buffalo (mithan) in the forest. After six kills, the hunter may build a small stone table near the posts. The skulls of the mithan are hung in front of the house. Nam Thaing Village. |
| 8: Additional posts with beautiful details and carvings. Aye Village. |  |
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9: Rows of mithan skulls adorn the front of one hunter's house. Nam Thaing Village. |
| 10: Traditional Chin graveyard with small stone monuments. Most Chin have converted to Buddhism or Christianity and have abandoned this practice. The stone tables erected by the hunters after six successful mithan kills are of similar construction. Bonah Village. |  |
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11: Exposed beneath one of the stone monuments are the pottery jars used to hold the ashes or bones of the deceased, along with their valuables. Bonah Village. |
| 12: This small Chin boy is digging holes in the ground to make a "game board". The game is played by tossing stones into a series of the holes. Nam Thaing Village. |  |
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13: Beautiful young Chin girl. I have already arranged to bring the family a buffalo in about 12 years to take this one home! Bonah Village. |
| 14: Another beauty and seemingly the "head cheerleader" of the village. Oh, to be young and Chin again! Bonah Village. |  |
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15: Many of the older women are tattooed in very distinct patterns depending on village or clan affiliation. Only in the more remote villages are the younger woman doing face tattoos. Nam Thaing Village, Dai Clan. |
| 16: This woman has nearly full face tattoos and large earring made from gourds and beads. Near the town of Mindat, Magan Clan. |  |
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17: This 70 year old woman has a style of tattooing that nearly covers the entire face. Nam Thaing Village, Dai Clan. |
| 18: Another elder with a slightly different style of face and neck tattooing. Kyardo Village. |  |
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19: Smoking and face tattooing has made this 16 year old girl look much older than she is! Just kidding! Kyardo Village. |
| 20: Lastly, we get a view of two of the village elders wearing unusual capes adorned with large bronze bells. These capes are brought out and worn during special rituals, including ceremonies associated with agriculture. Bonah Village. |  |
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