Vanishing Tribes of Burma (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The lush photography of this pictorial study of tribes--many of whom have never been recorded on film--makes it one of the most evocative cultural portraits ever published. As an anthropological study, the 28 tribes of Burma reflect the wide diversity of this nation's races. Richard K. Diran, an American photographer/writer who lives in Thailand, has been visiting and recording the tribes of Burma for the past 15 years. 200 color illustrations.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Amphoto Books (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0817455590
• ISBN-13: 978-0817455590
• Product Dimensions: 12.5 x 10.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,287,894 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Coffee Table Book, January 26, 2006

By	Smallchief - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gift to humanity, March 28, 2001

By A Customer

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.

18 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This book is a personal ego, nothing for the people..., December 4, 1998

By A Customer

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.