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Chin State - Myanmar
A mountainous region close to Bangladesh, the Chin state is one of the least explored regions of Myanmar, where many ethnic minorities live in dense forests.
Away from the Buddhist tradition of Myanmar, most of the Chin converted to Christianity during the period of colonialism. This has created many problems and persecutions after the independence of Myanmar. The reason why they are known is the tradition of tattooing women's faces. This practice was declared outlawed in the 1960s and now no more young woman gets her face tattooed. Thus, the living ones are the last examples of a tradition that is destined to disappear. According to some legends, this painful custom served to make women less attractive to raiders. But it is more probable that it was a distinctive trait of the tribe to which she belongs. There are in fact 6 different types of tattoo for as many tribal groups: Dai, Munn, Maggan, Oppru, Ra and Yindu. The most common tattoo is that of Munn characterized by large ring shapes on their faces and "Y" symbols on the forehead. MYANMAR 2017
Away from the Buddhist tradition of Myanmar, most of the Chin converted to Christianity during the period of colonialism. This has created many problems and persecutions after the independence of Myanmar. The reason why they are known is the tradition of tattooing women's faces. This practice was declared outlawed in the 1960s and now no more young woman gets her face tattooed. Thus, the living ones are the last examples of a tradition that is destined to disappear. According to some legends, this painful custom served to make women less attractive to raiders. But it is more probable that it was a distinctive trait of the tribe to which she belongs. There are in fact 6 different types of tattoo for as many tribal groups: Dai, Munn, Maggan, Oppru, Ra and Yindu. The most common tattoo is that of Munn characterized by large ring shapes on their faces and "Y" symbols on the forehead. MYANMAR 2017
