Photo Essay to Loi Tai Leng
The second piece of this 60 day journey widely describes the difficulties of the characters in the story for which the photographer is a part of.
Salween in Thai, Nujiang in Chinese and Than Lwin in Burmese all refer to Namg Kong in Shan language. The Salween River starts its runoff from Tibetan plateau and flows through to Yuan Nan province of China, Shan State, Myanmar, Mae Hong Son province of Thailand then into Andaman sea of Southeast Asia. Even though it can’t be used in irrigations, millions of bio-diversities as well as different ethnic groups rely on the river. Sands were shoveled and sold to construction companies. Teak forests along the river bank, which were also threatened by Dam constructions, were eventually chopped down. The story of Salween has been told as tales, sung as songs and written as poems for many generations. However, no adventure stories were ever associated with it.
Group of Shan youths crossing the Salween River in Langkhur Township located in Southern Shan State. These youths were painted with golden dust as they just came out from rough road. Coming from different parts of Shan State, these youth gathered to celebrate the Shan State National Day in Loi Tai Leng (Tai Prosperity Mountain), the headquarters of Restoration Council of Shan State/ Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) along Thai-Myanmar border. During the dry season, it is difficult for motor boats to cruise the shallow Salween River. In order to reach enough depth to cruise, Travelers need to drive along Nam Taung River (pronounce Namg Daing) until it combines with Salween River.
Groups of Shan youth enjoy a game of cane ball after political lesson in Nong Kham Seng village, situated on the high mountains of Thai-Myanmar border. Most Villagers wake up early; every home is a shelter for guests who are going to participate in the celebration of the Shan State National Day on Feb. 7. Shan youth celebrate unity under the “One meal, one firewood” saying. Every day they look for firewood exchanges by offering rice. While thousands of people came to the ceremony, this particular village ran out of water where some people weren’t able to bathe.
Prevention is better than cure! A young boy helps his dad dig a bunker under the gully of Nong Kham Seng village. The bunker is over 30 kilometers from markets situated at the edge of Thai-Myanmar border. Each family responsible is for one bunker. The process of digging these bunkers results in harsh conditions such as humidity, its hard to breathe, bad smell and the wall can be fall in at anytime.
Time is rare for soldiers to sit and stare. One to two months can go by before they actually have time to even wash their uniforms. Soldiers came to welcome Tripitaka (three Baskets), a scripture in Buddhism brought from Thailand to the monastery name Leng Harn Tai. Soldiers from different training camps took their positions at the ceremony to watch and cheer. Soldiers derived from different classes of families rich and poor. They do not expecet to receive higher salary; instead they are paid in satisfaction by helping civilians, respect, keeping neat appearances, bravery and 22 articles that have been identified by the council.
Concrete stage was decorated with number 69 constructed in the windy plain of Thai-Burma border hosted 69th Anniversary of Shan State National Day. Because of its rare celebrations, people defined Shan State National Day in various perspectives. Recently thousands of Shan State people, including Shan migrant workers from Thailand, Akha, La Hu, Karenni and Karen, respectively attended the ceremory cheering for their most memorable moments. The ceremony reflected the spirit of Pang Long, a historical event for the Union of Burma independence and ended the controversial term of Shan State Nattional Day.
Shan women met at Shan State National Day ceremony carrying Akhas, a traditional musical instrument. Even though Akha is typically described as the hill tribe ethnic group of Shan State, some live in Yunan provience of China, Laos, Northern Thailand and Eastern Shan State. Three Akha women prepare to perform their traditional dancing. February. 7th is the day when 34 Shan State chiefs who are Shan or Tai, Ta Ang, Pa O, Wa and Ka Yan or Pa Taung held historical conference to get independence from British in 1947. Shan State civilians marked that day as Shan State National Day. The ceremony represents unity of Shan State’s diverse ethnic groups.
Medics, clerks, gem factory of the council workers, radio broadcasting station volunteers; no matter the job, their all Nang Harn; which in Shan stands for brave woman. Shan women army corps was formed more than two decades before the current council. Female soldiers eat the same meal as men soldiers; but unlike men, they have much more time to bathe. The reason being is because under the council strategies policy, they are not allowed to participate battle; although Nang Harn are proficient in various skills just like men. Being scowled in parades shows the bravery and honesty of those female soldiers. Their appearances with tidy uniforms overwhelm most women who have seen them.
Two observers stand by the entrance of the organic farms of Loi Tai Leng high school; which is also an orphanage. Due to lack of space for farming, the school constantly has to resort to the local market located over 20 kilometers away. Local students have learned agricultures and organic farming technics from a Thai NGO. Student organic farms produced cosmetic products like Shampoo, make-up and soap. The terraces at the slope near school were recently farmed by orphans. Local residents are expecting to purchase these crops once grown. However, it is very challenging for graduated students to attend universities due to its location and lack of Thai and Burma government’s ability to recognize it. Nearly 300 houses share one clinic with over 20 medics.
By Jai Jai Lao Mong / Special Contributor to Shan Herald Agency for News (S.H.A.N.)
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Mong Ngaw: A Year in the Land of Rice and Tea
Until he was 18,
the photographer and writer, Jai Jai Lao Mong, now 22, lived his entire
childhood in the village of Da Lone in northern Shan State’s Mong Ngaw
Township. Seeing no opportunity for work or education in his hometown, he, like
many Shan youth, migrated to Thailand, where he worked as a gardener and a
security guard. Later, he also attended a social justice education program on
the Thai-Burma border. While there, he participated in a video and photography
training led by the community-based Shan Youth Power (SYP) media team. He
returned to his home determined to use these skills to document both the need
for political change in Shan State and to create a historic visual record of
his ancestral home through the seasons; Jai Jai Lao Mong remains the only
resident of the village with a camera.
Located within
the “Black Zone,” Mong Ngaw Township is not accessible to outsiders. To date,
these are the only known published images of this quiet corner of Shan State
known for its hillside tea plantations surrounding a valley of rice paddies.
Mong Ngaw Township
is formed by 99 small villages, one of which is Da Lone. Most people make their
living by farming: paddy fields take up one third of the township’s total area.
In August, the height rainy season, the whole region becomes covered with green
paddy fields. Two-thirds of Mong Ngaw is paddy land, known as Nar Nam Fa,
meaning “the paddy waiting for rain water”; the land is irrigated by a
combination of water diverted from the Nam Sim stream and from the annual
rains, which last four months.
Karng Dong Pagoda—the
“pagoda in the middle of the fields”—is a sanctuary for residents throughout
the Mong Ngaw area, who are mostly Buddhist, with a small population of
Christian and Muslim families.
At over 100 feet
long and over 100 years old, Hang Hawm Bridge marks the edge of the township is
an essential link across the Nam Sim stream and the only connection between the
villages of Mong Ngaw and the larger town of Kyaukme in northern Shan State. Built
by the British, it is the only structure remaining in the area from Burma’s
colonial era. It is also one of the only existing bridges; there is little to
no government-initiated infrastructure in the township.
Nam Sim stream starts
in Nam Hsan Township, 45 miles from Mong Ngaw, before flowing into the Nam Du
River in Hsipaw Township. Decades ago, the stream was the habitat of many fish
species and was vital to the irrigation of half of Mong Ngaw’s farms. Now,
villagers lament the lack of fish in the stream’s waters. Locals speculate that
the disappearing life may be due to decreasing water levels and rising levels
of sediment, which are linked to increasingly erratic flooding patterns.
The presence of sediment can be attributed to deforestation along the
stream, as well as mining projects. The Nam Sim has attracted a number of gold
mining companies who use heavy machinery to dig up hundreds of grams of gold
each day, both upstream and downstream from Mong Ngaw.
This Buddha
statue in Mong Ngaw Township has been constructed from bamboo. In Shan language
it is called “Phra Inn Sarn,” meaning, “the bamboo Buddha made by an
Angel.” The art of making Buddha statues
from woven bamboo is a traditional Shan custom.
In Wan Lone, one
of Mong Ngaw’s bigger villages, locals walk to the temple on a cold season
mid-afternoon to make merit by donating household goods to monks during the
Khao Wa period. During these three months, the monks do not leave the monastery
in order to practice Dhamma, or the teachings of Buddha. The Khao Wa period
ends with Og Wa, which falls on a full moon day, in October or November, and
signifies the time when Buddha came down from heaven.
Starting work before sunrise, tea pickers end the day at sunset, and
walk over five kilometres through mountainous terrain to bring their harvest to
market, where it is weighed with traditional scales. They earn 1,000 kyats or
one U.S. dollar per kilogram. On an average day, they can collect up to 15
kilograms of tea leaves. Usually, they can only keep half of these earnings,
splitting the rest with the owner of the tea plantation.
The tea from northern Shan State is heavily consumed by people throughout
Myanmar and is exported to neighboring countries, especially to India.
People call March, or the tea season, “Shwe Byi,” meaning “the golden
season,” because it is a time of economic prosperity for the villagers. This
added income allows them to buy goods which they would normally be unable to
afford, such as motorbikes. Motorbikes have become extremely popular among the youth
in the region, as they provide convenient transportation across Shan State.
Many of the bikes were imported from the Chinese border, a 200-mile drive from Mong Ngaw.
In April, villagers pool funds so that their children can be educated in
Shan culture, language and literature while the government schools—which only
teach Burmese language—are on break. After two months of studying, the top
three students from each village are selected to participate in the township
level examination. As is the practice in other villages, this class in Mong
Ngaw Township is taught by one of the local villagers, who is a volunteer, and
it is held in one of the locals’ storage rooms. The schools are
community-sourced and funded, bringing students and villages together and
helping to keep ethnic traditions alive.
The Shan people
play traditional instruments at times of celebration and in this photograph the
villagers are celebrating the graduation of Shan students who studied lessons
in Shan language and literature over two months—March and April—across 30
different villages. These instruments are believed to have a 2,000-year history
and dating back to when the Shan people would play them to celebrate.
In Mong Ngaw,
the year is divided by planting and by harvest times. Many local people do not
follow a Western calendar, but a traditional Shan system, which is based on the
phases of the moon. In November or December, before the celebration of the Shan
New Year, the rice crop is cut, dried, and the grains of rice collected.
One obstacle farmers
in Mong Ngaw face following the harvest is the redistribution of land. There
are no clear boundaries in their land and some overlaps others. This is because
the boundaries were originally cut in the shape of spider’s web. In the cultivating
season, the boundaries are eliminated to maximize land use. Once the farmers
have finished cultivating they re-divide the boundaries, meaning the shape of
their land is always changing.
A stream runs
through the middle of the field and is used for irrigation. In the past, many
of the farmers took little notice of it, but in recent years, large dams have
been constructed as government projects upstream which have caused the land to
erode further downstream.
Huts like this
one are used during the harvest season and are made entirely of bamboo. It has
become a tradition for children to pass the night with their parents in the open-air
structure before the harvested crops are delivered to their home. It is also
the place where farmers’ families have their lunch together—sticky rice,
pickled vegetables, and tamarind juice or lao,
traditional Shan alcohol made from sticky rice and sugar cane.
In the hot and dry months of February through April, in the new year,
some families take advantage of ownerless land and set up houses and hillside
farms in the most isolated areas of Mong Ngaw and Kyaukme townships. This
practice is not without risk: at this time, the surrounding forest is burned,
either by people, or through natural phenomena, putting such homes in a
precarious position. It is thought that burning the land makes it more fertile,
and rice is then cultivated on the mountainsides. It is irrigated only through
rainwater. The farmers do not earn any profits from their crops because before
the harvest time they must take out debts from merchants in order to afford
basic supplies. After the crops have been harvested, they pay off these debts.
It is a cycle that does not end.
Despite the ongoing civil war in Shan State, the town of Mong Ngaw has
been free from disturbances for three decades. But due to general political
instability and fear of government authorities, villagers did not dare to display
signs of Shan identity or nationalism. Instead they have relied on local
monasteries to keep Shan culture and literature alive.
Today, in northern Shan State, symbols of Shan culture are becoming more
visible. The entrance to this village in Mong Ngaw Township is signposted with
a painted Shan flag with writing in Shan language.
By Jai Jai Lao
Mong / Special Contributor to Shan Herald Agency for News (S.H.A.N.)
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Independence Monument Construction Project in Panglong
The following photos show the Independence Monument construction project
in Panglong township, funded by the Shan State Government. The project
was started in early November last year and it is aimed to complete the
project before February 7, 2014, the Shan State National Day.
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Pi Mai Tai or Shan New Year in UK
The pictures of Pi Mai Tai or Shan New Year in UK, organized by Shan
Cultural Association - UK (SCA-UK), held on 24 November 2013.
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RCSS/SSA and UWSA smoke peace pipe
Peace talks between UWSA-RCSS/SSA (Meeting # 2)
RCSS/SSA delegation welcomed by UWSA in Hwe Aw, Mongton township (28 December 2012)
UWSA-RCSS/SSA meeting
Li Wen presides over the meeting
Yang Wang, interpreter
Col Teun Kherh and Col Wanli, RCSS/SSA
Col Wanli and Col Sai Harn (standing). Col Sai Harn is responsible for narcotics control affairs.
YangGuozhong, Commander of 775th Brigade, UWSA
Cols Teun Kherh, Wanli and Sai Harn
Yang Jun, deputy regimental commander
Cols Teun Kherh and Wanli, RCSS/SSA
Ya Lisi, Deputy Commander, 775th Brigade
Burmese Interpreter
RCSS/SSA delegates
UWSA delegates
Three RCSS/SSA detained by UWSA being released and turned over to RCSS/SSA officers
Gift exchange
Gift exchange
Gift exchange
Gift exchange
Group photo
SHAN has yet to interview the RCSS/SSA side.
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