Customer Reviews

Vanishing Tribes of Burma

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a beautiful large-format book full of photogaphs of members of about thirty different ethnic groups that live in Burma. In addition to hundreds of color photographs of tribesmen and women -- especially women -- dressed in their Sunday best, a 30 page "Ethnological History," gives background on each of the groups and reproduces many black and white photographs from the 1920s. A decent full-page map of Burma locates most of the groups.

I doubt that any country in the world has a more unknown, colorful, and picturesque ethnic mosaic than Burma and this book is a quick and enjoyable way to learn at bit about the non-Burmese people in the country. Many of the groups are also found in India, China, and other Southeast Asian countries.

The criticisms that the photos of clean and colorful costumes distort the present day culture of the tribes are facetious. A picture of a American couple dressed in their wedding finery hardly reflects our day to day life. The day to day costume of the Chin, Karen, and Mon male workers I have encountered throughout SE Asia is blue jeans -- but I wouldn't buy a book of photos of Chin dressed in blue jeans. Enjoy the beautiful pictures and don't get all bent out of shape because the people aren't dressed in their everyday clothes.

Smallchief

I really appreciate that Richard Diran went to Burma, and over the course of 15 years made a stunning photographic record of its vanishing tribes. Many of these people are going the way of the do-do bird, and I think Diran has made a valuable contribution to us all with his portraits. I don't think comments on his lifestyle in Bangkok (see other review) have anything to do with the quality of the work in this book.

As someone who is very interested in Southeast Asia's minority people, I found Vanishing tribes a beautiful and useful book. I can say there is little to nothing of this quality available on several of the groups included in Diran's collection.

Having been to Burma (walked there--quite an adventure) I can say that Richard Diran's book captures the natural beauty of the local tribes people in their traditional finery. The author photographs and tells about the Akha mountain folk, who wear "Mammy Yocum" headresses lined with hammered coins but are guardians of the ecology of the forest, the tribes relate more to the Chinese (Yao) and the astonishingly beringed Karen (were the rings a way to prevent bride-snatching?) Many of the peoples are also found in northern Thailand (Akha, the Lisu, reputed to make delightful spouses, and the Yao.) He discusses the varied culture and customs. We had a great time meeting many of these tribal people in Northern Thailand and I wish I could go back and visit Burma again and explore more of the remote areas. It is indeed the "Land of Regrets" --you can't go without wanting to return. This book feeds my memories and makes me want to hike the steaming hills once again. What a place. What a book.

The book is well done in terms of displaying portraits and pictures of various tribal folks in authentic ceremonial costumes. There were some pictures of those in day to day clothing but the book could have had more. Nevertheless, the book does serve the purpose of recording the various tribes and their varying traditional clothing.
The main complaint I have may be with the publisher/printer and not the photographer. I have acquired two of the hard cover versions over the web and both have missing pages (pages 137 - 160) and duplicate pages (pages 123 - 136). I would like to acquire one that has the full 240 pages in the correct sequence. Buyers need to be aware of this problem before purchasing this book over the web.

I read reviews of Richard's superb book "The Vanishing Tribes of Burma" on the http;//www.almudo.com web site, and was disturbed to see that 2 of the 3 reviews posted there were critical to one degree or another (the 2nd more so than the first).

The first is by a person claiming to be in northern Thailand with involvement with hill tribes there, and suggesting that Richard not only "moved" them from Thailand to Burma but that he photographed them for his own financial advantage.

I have known Richard personally for the best part of 10 years, and I can put to rest any notion that Richard wanted or need to financially benefit from his book. He did not then, does not know, never has, and likely never will.

I am not informed about hill tribes, so am not in a position to directly dispute the assertion that Richard fictionalized the location of the tribe, according to the reviewer. I can say I have never had reason to doubt Richard's word, not on anything.

The reviewer's 3rd criticism is a judgement call. He or she felt that a book such a Richard's is why hill tribe peoples resent outsiders coming in and photographing them -- i.e., they commercialize the images. The whole point was to make a record of hill tribe peoples, some of whom had never been photographed as far as is known, as both a record of and tribute to vanishing tribes and their ways of life.

The 2nd reviewer is more problematic, as he asserts he assisted in preparing the book and has personal knowledge that upsets him about the preparation. Richard has never mentioned any assistance from anyone other than Burmese contacts, contacts I believe exist because I know far too many people who say they've been helped by Richard's contacts for be to think a large number of people are *all* liars. Further, the 2nd reviewer partly bases his criticism on a purely subjective moral judgement condemning Richard's lifestyle, a basis of criticism which, in my professional view, has zero place in literary criticism; I'm trained through the master's level in literature, in which I hold 2 degrees, and I have taught in universities in America and Asia. I will, of course, make Richard aware of this review, if he isn't already.

I think the book is superb. Can I swear it is accurate? -- no. Can I assure Richard had no assistance other than that I stated above? -- no. But I have heard an academic in cultural anthropology with particular expertise on this region and its hill tribes praise the book as noteworthy and beautiful.

Now that I have assisted Richard with his book, I find that this book is only to feed his lifestyle and nothing in return for the people. My sister in-law is featured on page 2 of the book, 2nd person, lower left. I was involved with the Wa, Akha, Paluang, Shan, and the Hmong. These people live in poverty still, while knowing Richard personlly and how some of this photography was prepared, makes me really sick. I would like for him to return the semi-nude photos of women he took, so that they can burn them. The 2 Ant women (Wa) page 119 are disgusted with this photo. I see them on a regular basis and they are dirt poor and one of them suffers from Malaria often. I give them for medicine and food still. Richard, well, he lives in Bangkok, drinking, smoking and lives a great life. So much for a book such as this. I know the inner secrets of what went on with at least 5 of these people. For more review, and inside story do not hesitate to contact me.

After traveling through Myanmar/Burma you really see the different tribal groups in the differnt regions. "Vanishing Tribes of Burma" gives you a great insight as to how many groups there actually are and how most of them originated. It is a great book to research before you go and after you get home if you are lucky enough to get the chance to travel there. If you are planning a trip to Myanmar you can use this as a cultural travel guide of the people you will meet in the different states you may visit. You may find yourself as interested in the cultures as well as the historic sites such as Bagan, Shwedegon or Mt. Popa. Lonnie McCaskil Expedition Cargo [...]

Great portraits of people in a remote part of the world. Not just for the anthropologist or people interested in so-calledm "primitive" people. The sense of style shown in the beautiful photographs should be seen by anyone interested in fashion, clothing design, or textiles.

I live and work with tribal people in northern Thailand. In fact, I see the people on the Red Lahu pages of this book nearly every day. They are good, patient people, but even they tire of people coming to take pictures of them only to turn around and make money from publishing books. Especially when they find themselves textually relocated to Burma in order for the book to have the proper mystique.

The funny thing about the Red Lahu pictures is that they may be the only authentic pictures in the entire book. Most of the pictures were so obviously staged that the beauty of the pictures--the pictures are attractive, I suppose--is lost.

How do I know they are staged? Simple. Their clothes are too clean. The mountains of the Golden Triangle region are not the best place in the world to keep your whites their whitest. As a result, nowadays, most tribal people only wear their traditional clothing on special occasions, for instance the special occasion of a white photographer handing them a fistful of money to whore themselves out as models. The whole thing is pretty tiresome.