BostonHarbor

Before I left for Myanmar, I, as usual, checked into the Fodors forums to see what I should do and where I should go. I was on a photography trip. There were only two of us with two professional photographers--it was great--a two week master class.

This is not a full trip report. I have a lot of images to complete before that happens (but it's coming, promise). However, I know there is a lot of debate about whether or not it's right to visit the Chin village; that these people are being exploited. (this debate is not limited to Myanmar) In one response to my itinerary it was stated that the villages were a <i>""human zoo" experience" and "sad and demeaning" </i>; thus I decided to talk a bit about a very different experience. Note: This is only my experience; other's milage may vary : )

I throughly enjoyed visting the Chin villages--even at 104 wilting degrees. We were the only tourists that day in either village, but my guess is, given how hard it is to get to, that there isn't an overflow of tourists on any day. I didn't get the sense at all that they felt they were being exploited or that they WERE being exploited. Although we were all advanced photographers, we were tourists--no more no less. This is how the villagers make money--selling shawls and other trinkets. That's what we ALL do. In our lives, we "sell trinkets" Our trinkets may be consulting services, or iPhone apps, or dresses in a dress store, but we all sell trinkets. We all want to take care of ourselves and our children. The women in the Chin villages are no different. I never pay people for snapshots, but I do provide a fee when I ask them to be my models for an extended period. Exactly like I would in the US or anywhere else.

When my family asked me where the villages were, I laughed and told my them that you get to these villages by going to the middle of nowhere (Sittwe) and getting on a five hour boat to the land that time forgot (Mrauk U) and then taking a three hour loud boat upriver.

It was an honor to spend a day with these women in two villages--one was more commercial than the other. They asked us to take pictures of their families and with each other. All my Chin images (far more than the short slideshow below) are on their way back to the villages for distribution. We even did some "glamor" shots so that they could put them up on their walls and admire themselves as the beautiful women they are. When we showed them their images on our LCD screens, they insisted that some be deleted immediately as they didn't look good. See? They <b>ARE just like us : )</b> We had a lot of fun.

Anyway, I'll tell you my story through a few (about 20) Tattoo women images as I think they speak for themselves.

Here is the (short) slideshow: http://snips.ly/Chin_Women_Slideshow

Here are the (20) individual images: http://snips.ly/Chin_Women_album

sartoric

Thank you BH, thoughtful words and beautiful pictures.

thursdaysd

Wonderful photos, BH, especially the kids! Also loved the woman in the hat. Do you know whether they are still tattooing the women, and if so, at what age?

Marija

Wonderful photos. Thank you. I do have a question. How do the women know about deleting digital images?!

BostonHarbor

Thursdays, they outlawed tattooing over 50 years ago. They used to be tattooed at around age 9 and it was a terribly painful process. It was officially outlawed by the Burmese government in 1960, although it continued in rural villages for a number of years after that. I saw no young or even middle aged women who were tattooed.

Maria, they didn't exactly say "delete", but when we showed some images to the women they would put up their hand, make a face and shake their heads vigorously, which we took as "get that evil, nasty image out of your camera. We happily obliged. They were very excited about the nice looking images.

Kathie

Boston, thanks for sharing your remarkable photos with us. I appreciate what you have written and look forward to more about your trip.

progol

Beautiful photos, BH. Thank you for sharing them. I appreciate your thoughtful comments as well. Clearly, these are photos of subjects who welcomed you, and your interactions with them showed respect and sensitivity.

Love your story about deleting unacceptable photos, too! And the fact that you are sending the photos to them also acknowledges them. They are not just a "human zoo".

Again, thanks.

welltraveledbrit

Boston Harbor,
When I saw it was your report I was so excited as knew the photos would be fabulous, thanks so much for sharing!

I think a lot of the discourse surrounding the "human zoo" idea is very problematic as it fails to recognize the agency of the Chin women in these matters. As you noted these women utilize their cultural capital to sell the items they have. They understand well that the tourists value seeing their faces and traditions and quite rationally they seek to make as much from this as they can. It would be different if this was a large scale operation organized and run by outsiders but it really is a long way out and the commercial transactions are really person to person.

It's great that you're sending them copies of the portraits.

Kosoesoemdy

Which villages did you take these photos?

Craig

Great photos as usual, Patricia...

FromDC

Magnificent pictures and words, thanks so much for sharing them with us.

rhkkmk

as always, great photos

BostonHarbor

Kosoesoemdy, I don't even know how you know which Chin village one is at. It is seriously out of another time and place. Primitive is the only way to describe the villages.

Your guide needs to know where along the river the village is. There is no way you could find them yourself. I'm not kidding when I say that you get in a boat in Mrauk U and go about two hours upstream. I guess all the boat owners know and you just tell them to take you.

It's a lot of work to get to the villages, so it's a pretty unique experience. My guide has been sending me pictures of the tattoo ladies looking at the portraits I have sent back. It's a really nice feeling.

BostonHarbor

Craig, FromDC and Bob, thanks for your nice comments.

Here are the images from the rest of my trip in Myanmar. What a stunning place!

The amazing photo opportunities made the insufferable heat worth it : )

<b>Myanmar, The Golden Land: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=50d3109f95 </b>