The Hiatuii are a small group within the greater Chin Nation. Their numbers are not exact, but village heads say there are only 10 villages containing a total of approximately 2000 of Hiatuii people. They are all dotted between the larger groups of Ng’hang and Vet along the Laymro and Tin rivers in Chin State, Myanmar. As far as the village elders know, there are only 5 living ladies with the Hiatuii facial tattoo. One thing that makes the Hiatuii […]
Residing along the banks of the north-western Laymyo River in Chin State, Myanmar, the Vet are a sub-group of the people known as Chin. As with all the Chin groups, they have their own history and culture that has some links to the tribes nearby. As with many of the groups in the area, the Vet also tattooed their young women in the past. The Vet have a tattoo that is almost indistinguishable from their neighbours, the Ng’hang. The Vet […]
The Ng’hang people live on the banks of the north-west Laymyo River. To their south, the Lai Tu people can be found. Further upstream, the Vet, Uppu, and Hiatuii live in villages dotting the river. The Ng’hang are the most populous people in this area and their influences can be seen in many other villages. The Ng’hang tattoo, as with all Chin groups in recent times, was done as a coming of age for young girls. For many, it was […]
TAVEA TUM, THE BRAO TRADITIONAL RICE LIQUOR It would be difficult to find traditional clothing. That’s what we were told. The local government had one full set of female clothing, and a top for the men. That was all they had been able to find over the years. You see, traditional woven outfits take time to make and have become more and more expensive over the years. Cheaper, simpler alternatives in Western-style clothing have become the norm for minorities in […]
AN AUSTRALIAN, AN ITALIAN, AND A HEADHUNTER WALK INTO A 7 ELEVEN… At half-past-five, my alarm rings. I’m not asleep, though. I have a thousand thoughts flicking about my mind. We’re driving from Taipei to Hualien today to meet a Truku musician. Typhoon Meranti is battering the island with record winds and rainfall. Will we make it? Our guide is expected to update us with weather conditions by six o’clock. I slip down to the 7 Eleven at the bottom […]
My head is spinning, I feel like I’m going slowly insane with the rhythmic clacking that fills the air, Pablo and I are giggling like children – somewhat high from the fumes and running on pure adrenaline. This is what it’s like to be watching a year of work come out of an offset printer. There’s nothing quite like it. Wesley and I had set off for Myanmar 9 months earlier. We prepared ourselves for every eventuality with medicines, batteries, […]
This is a short introduction to my time in Taiwan with the Atayal and Truku peoples. It was filmed and edited by Marco Tessiore.