Other Week: Day 5

Original Post: Kachin Portrait
Date: October 15, 2009 at 11:46 AM

Not much to say about this image.  Its early afternoon on the Ledo Road and this Kachin woman is carrying a huge basket of firewood. She is also shyly tickled that I am taking her picture. [NOTE: I really like this shot]. 

[NOTE2: Happy Memorial Day to everyone. I will probably continue my "Other Week" posts next week. Still so much great stuff to re-visit].

Tumpline

Split rattan mat and the beautiful carved wood and rattan tumpline used to carry it. Photographed near a Kachin encampment along the Ledo Road in the Hukaung Valley of Myanmar (see Kachin Portrait). 

More Kachin

Another shot from the 2005 Naga Festival in Shimbweyeng (see Naga Festival and Manau Leader). I like the image, but the real reason for posting it is that the people and resources of Kachin State in northern Burma have been very much on my mind since Friday's post. May all beings be safe, happy, healthy, and free from suffering. [NOTE: Including Kachin in your mettā practice certainly couldn't hurt anything. Gassho].

Tension in Kachin

In spite of all the positive developments in Myanmar and the recent cease fire with the Karen (see More Good News From Myanmar), the Myanmar military continues to do horrible things to the Kachin people in the northern part of the country. Hope President Thein Sein steps up and does something about this. These are the folks that are collaborating with my community forestry project (see Naw Aung and His Sagawa). [NOTE: Image shows Kachin family stopping to rest along the side of the Ledo Road north of Shimbweyeng].  

Holding the Rope

Naw Sein (see Naw Sein) casually holds the rope at the plot stake - and has a smoke - during the inventory of the Village Management Area outside of Shinlonga (see The Last Stake) in northern Kachin State, Myanmar. [NOTE: All of the palms in the background are spiny rattans, which suggests that this was probably a pretty horrible plot].

Porter II

Another porter from Myanmar.  This one from the village of Namyun (see Driver Needs A Drink Of Water) in Sagaing Division near the border with India. Younger, smaller in stature, and cargo more precious than in the previous post; same task, same attitude, same flip-flops.

Naw Aung

Naw Aung (see Naw Aung and His Sagawa and Tool Repair) is a villager from Shinlonga (see Shinlonga) who has helped out during all phases of the community forestry work (see Hukaung Logs) in the Hukaung Valley Tiger Reserve. He's amazing in the field. Here he is taking a smoke break during the inventory of the Village Management Area (see Last Stake). [NOTE: All fieldwork in northern Kachin State has been temporarily suspended due to fighting between the Myanmar military and the Kachin Independence Army. More details here].

The Back Row

A few women from the Kachin village of Shinlonga (see Shinlonga and Stick and Wheel) would always attend the community meetings where we explained what we were doing (see The Last Stake and Naw Aung and His Sagawa). And they always sat together in the back row. And never said anything. But were extremely photogenic. [NOTE: Image from the December 2009 trip to the Hukaung Valley Wildlife Sanctuary].  

Driving to Takhet

Getting to the Kachin village of Takhet in the Hukaung Valley Wildlife Preserve (see Hukaung Logs and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) involves crossing several rivers. During the dry season, you can drive across these. [NOTE: Music by El Ten Eleven].

Shortwing Camp

Rather than walking back to Shinlonga every night, we decided to make a basecamp (see Room With a View) on the bank of the Mawning River near the village management area (see The Last Stake).  We called it "Shortwing Camp" in honor of the Rusty-bellied Shortwing (Brachypteryx hyperythra), a somewhat rare little bird that Rob Tizzard had been hearing constantly for several days but had been unable to photograph. [NOTE: Rob finally got a picture of it].