Miao Seamstress

Our last interview in Xijiang yesterday was with a women who makes embroidered panels for traditional Maio garments. The amazing skirt that she is holding took over a year to produce.  A detail of one of the panels is shown below.

When combined with the blouse, the necklaces, the bangles, and the headress, the whole Miao ensemble looks like this:

[NOTE: The women shown above are from the Miao village of Lang De].

Miao Decor

Interior of one of the Miao houses in the village of Wudong where we did interviews. How many clocks can you find in this picture?  [HINT: There are as many clocks as posters of notable Communists.]  If you zoom in, each clock shows a different time.

The Poetry of Flowers

Took a walk through the Conservatory at The New York Botanical Garden this morning and was captivated by the exuberance of flowers in the Emily Dickinson's Garden show. Never knew she was an accomplished gardener as well as a poet. 

Guizhou rice fields

Rice fields in the Qiandongan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture of southeastern Guizhou, China. An intensity of resource management unrivaled anywhere in the world. Meticulously sculptured. Groomed. Landscape art. [NOTE: Wonderful article (by Amy Tam) about a Dong village in this region can be viewed here].

Rattan Truck

Still life of rattan exploitation in northern Myanmar. World War II-vintage truck loaded with rattan parked (momentarily) on the Ledo Road north of Shimbweyeng.  I really like this photo. Go here for a look at another great work truck in northern Myanmar. 

Spirit Money

In Chinese ancestor worship, spirit money, or joss paper, is burned as an offering to ensure that the deceased is well taken care of in the afterworld. The image above is from a wall installation by Beili Liu currently on display at the Castle Gallery of The College of New Rochelle.  The work is made from hundreds of rolls of spirit money, half of them silver and gold, the other half blackened by burning.  A beautiful and compelling piece of art. [NOTE: Origin: Chinese spirit money, 7.5 ft x 7.5 ft x 3 in, © Beili Liu 2008; from Mapping Memories, installation art by Takafumi Ide and Beili Liu, Castle Gallery, CNR, December 8, 2009 - February 21, 2010].

Amitābha Buddha

This fine statue of Amitābha Buddha is from Japan during the Kamakura period (1185-1333). Although a time of great violence and political discord, Buddhism flourished in Japan during the Kamakura. Amitābha, or "infinite light", is the principal Buddha of the Pure Land, or Jōdo Shū sect, one of several schools of Buddhism that came to prominence during this period. Sōtō Zen, founded by Eihei Dogen, was also a product of the Kamakura period. [NOTE: Statue is from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; wood with gold leaf, ca. 1250].  

Beautiful Nats

This exquisite carving of a nat spirit adorns one of the main doors to the Mahapasana Cave (see Examination Hall) in Yangon. The blending of nat worship and Buddhism is ubiquitous in Myanmar (see Nat Worship), and nat iconography can be extremely well developed. The image below shows three beautifully rendered nats at the Kyauktawgyi Pagoda (see Kyauktawgyi Buddha).  

 

Honey Hunters of the Nilgiri Hills

Several tribal groups in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu harvest the honey produced by Apis dorsata, the Giant Rock Bee. The bee makes its hives under overhanging rocks in virtually inaccessible sites, and climbing up to collect the honey is truly an amazing acrobatic feat.  Click here for a marvelous video of this activity. 

The Kurumba people make simple but wonderfully detailed paintings about honey hunting. The two pieces shown here were done by Balasubramani and Krishna of the Ajile Bottu painting collective. 

Another Carving

Another carving from the outdoor display at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology (see Museé d'Ethnographie du Vietnam).  Although there was no information posted about this statue, when I look at it I see a very evocative rendering of a mother and child, the child being carried in a sling or pack on his/her mother's back. [NOTE: The carving is about 5 to 6 feet tall].