Myanmar

Novice nun wearing pink and orange robes in Yangon, Myanmar.

Lady from the Akhe tribe smoking her bamboo pipe in Shan state, Myanmar. After about a year of use, the pipe is worn out by the smoldering tobacco.

Kayan lady in her house in remote Kayah State, Myanmar. Because of conflict between armed ethnical groups and the Myanmar army, many Kayan people fled to Northern Thailand in the 80s and 90s.

Shaman and two older ladies from the Lahu Shi tribe in their remote village in Shan State, Myanmar. Most Lahu Shi people are still dressed in their traditional blue and white clothes. The necklaces are made of dried grass to celebrate the first harvest of the season.

Lady from the Kayah tribe sorting out the chaff from rice grains by hand. Kayah State, Myanmar.

Lady of the Dai tribe in Chin State, Myanmar. She got her facial tattoo when she was 15 years old. Although it was very painful, she is proud that she was able to carry on the tradition of her tribe.

Lady from the Silver Palaung tribe in front of her house in Shan state, Myanmar. Legend goes women are descendants of the first mother, which was a bird-like creature. To prevent them from flying away, the Silver Palaung women wear heavy metal belts.

Little girl from the Lahu Shi tribe in Shan State, Myanmar. In traditional villages, all houses have an indoor cooking fire. The perfect place to gather when it's raining outside.

Young novice monk in a small monastery in Shan State, Myanmar.

Lady from the Mun tribe smoking tobacco in her house. Smoking pipes is a daily pastime for many women in Chin State, Myanmar.

The facial tattoo of the Mun tribe has a characteristic Y shape on the forehead and multiple D shapes on the cheeks. Not many women also have the circles in their neck, because it was more painful to get than the rest of the tattoo. Chin State, Myanmar.

Lady carrying a chicken back to her village in Chin State, Myanmar.

Women of the Akha tribe wear an elaborate headdress decorated with coins and metal balls. The coins are often old Indian rupees from around 1900. The more coins in her headdress, the richer the woman. Shan State, Myanmar.

Portrait of an Akha man at his house in rural Shan state, Myanmar.

Akha women start wearing their headdress when they get married. Some women even sleep wearing the headdress and only take it off to wash their hair. Shan State, Myanmar.

Lady from the Kayah hill tribe in remote Kayah state, Myanmar. She is holding millet, the main ingredient for millet wine. The wine is served hot in a clay jar and comes with a bamboo straw. It is low on alcohol, but since safe drinking water is usually not available in these regions, they drink it the whole day.

Women in the remote Chin state in Myanmar used to get a facial tattoo when they were around 10 years old. This lady from the Mun tribe explains: "My parents told me I'd look like a Burmese woman without the tattoo. Chin men only pay to marry a Chin woman."

Little kid wearing thanaka near Mandalay, Myanmar. This yellowish paste made from wood protects against the sun and looks beautiful at the same time.

Lady from the Rah tribe in Chin state, Myanmar. Women in Chin state used to get a facial tattoo during adolescence. Each local tribe has its own pattern. The Rah tribe's pattern consists of vertical dotted lines. The painful practice was forbidden by the Burmese government in the 60s.

Myanmar girls visiting the Shwedagon Pagoda during rainy season. Yangon, Myanmar.

Lady from the Kayah tribe in a remote village in Kayah State, Myanmar. She is wearing her tribe's traditional red dress and self-made earrings.

Lady of the Ann tribe at her house in rural Shan State, Myanmar. Women of the Ann tribe blacken their teeth by chewing a complex mixture of tobacco, betelnuts, lime powder, leaves of a banyan tree, bark of a chestnut tree, and roots of an orchid. Over the years their teeth will slowly become pitch black.

Lady from the Mun tribe with their typical Y-shaped facial tattoo in rural Chin State, Myanmar. Each tribe in this region has their own pattern, so it is easy to recognize to which tribe a woman belongs.