Alina Stobiecka

 Myanmar is one of those destinations that will leave you speechless for many reasons. From unaltered traditions, alive culture to interesting history and beliefs. Myanmar still manages to keep its authenticity despite the fact that it has been fairly recently open to tourism. As a freelance photographer I always look for ways to get off the beaten path to find beautiful landscapes and remote villages and that's why I wanted to explore Myanmar beyond the typical itinerary. Due to recent political conflicts most of the country still remains closed to tourists, so I advice everyone checking most up to date information which states are accessible.

How to Get There: 

I began my trip in Yangon, from where I took a bus to Bagan. After spending 4 days exploring the temples I decided to make my way out West to Chin State, not far from Chinese border. While ago I read about remote tribes living there which not till long ago practiced old tradition of women having their faces tattooed. The best place to explore the villages was small mountain town called Mindat. There aren't direct buses going there from Bagan, but there are a couple of minivans departing from nearby town Poukaku. I hopped on 8am prearranged pick up truck there, and then was transferred to minivan departing for Mindat.  Because Chin State isn't very popular among backpackers, I found very little information on Mindat in a guidebook. There was no accommodation available anywhere to book online, but fellow traveler recommended a small hotel called Victoria Hotel. It is located on the main street of Mindat, and is one of very few buildings with actual English signs. I asked the owner if he knows any local guide who could take me and the two girls I met on a bus, to local villages see the tattooed women. She connected us with very friendly licensed guide who spoke great English. Thang  We ended up paying 28$ each for the guide and scooter driver (the only way to access most tribes was by scooter or by foot). The next day we got picked up at 9am and started driving for about an hour through beautiful mountainous terrain. We went down many windy paths only suitable for motorbikes, crossed the valley, few suspension bridges and eventually made it to remote villages.

Way of Life:

Each family we visited lived in very poor conditions in small bamboo houses with no furniture, just few stools and sleeping mat. Each hut had indoor fire pit and cooking essentials. We brought each of them a small gift, which basically was rice, soap, candles, and coffee- the necessities. We visited total of 7 women, who were all very friendly and allowed us to take photos except few, who didn't want their pictures taken due to their beliefs. Most of the Chin State has been converted to Christianity but there is still 5-10% of people who practice animism and believe in attribution of a soul to plants, objects (such as camera) or animals. The first woman we visited was 94 years old. You can tell her posture that she worked all her life in a filed. I found her very kind and friendly. With ho hesitation she invited us to her modest home where we all sat down a floor and listen to few stories. Guide was necessary not only to take us to these remote locations but also to translate from the local Chin language to English.

Tradition and its Origin:

According to the tradition, that has been formally banned over 50 years ago young girls age 10 ad up had to have their faced tattooed to become more attractive. Another story commonly found online, says that years ago the practice was supposed to make women actually less attractive in case the King wanted to kidnap young girls. My guide said this wasn't true, and that long time ago guides visiting these hard to access tribes simply didn't speak Chin language well or at all, and would change up stories. The way they did these tattoos was extremely painful. Ink was made from charcoal mixed with juice from tomato or bean leaves and was mixed with soot for disinfection. Then it was applied using sharp thorn. Each tribe used different patters so it was easy to identify which woman belonged to which tribe. They used many symbols depicted from nature such as moon, river, and millet. The youngest woman in the area of Mindat voluntary had her face tattooed, despite it being illegal. She was 27 year old, and wanted the tradition to continue. We visited total of 3 tribes: Nga Yah, M'uun, Yin Du. The last woman we saw was 89 years old and woman had her ears pierced, and stretched over course of many years. That woman with big disks in her ears was the last member of her family who knew old how to play flute using her nose not mouth. It was fascinating learning about the customs, animism, animal sacrifice and lives of these women. Most of them are relieved the practice of tattooing young girls' faces isn't mandatory or allowed anymore. Yet few of them are saddened that big part of Chin culture will die with the last tattooed woman.