Tattooed Chin Woman in Laymyo Chaung (River) in Mrauk-U, Arakan State

The stuff of legends

Chin legend has it that when a Burmese king travelled to the region, he was so impressed by the women’s beauty that he kidnapped one to take as a bride. Because of this, Chin families began to tattoo their daughters to ensure they would not be taken away. Some of Chin young leader says" Arakan/ Rakhine King would like to take them as their bride"

Other Chin tales say that the tattooing was done for beauty, and perhaps more plausibly, to differentiate the different tribes in case one was kidnapped by another. Another explanation may have to do with religion. Since the time of British colonisation, many Chin minorities have converted to Christianity or else accepted it alongside.

These women, taking photo with me, have lived in Rakhine but lived far from Rakhine people/community. Some of them cannot speak Rakhine language. According to them and young Chin girls I asked, today Chin girls/women do not want to have face-tattoo anymore. We visited two villages where they are living but most of Chine people at those two village do not have tattoo anymore. We were traveling there with my Mrauk-U friend and my special guest - German (grandfather), who visited only Rakhine in Myanmar.

This woman speaks Rakhine little bit

A dying tradition: visit to face-tattooed Chin women village

Chin state located in the remote, western part of Myanmar is the country’s poorest but most ethnically diverse region. Rarely visited by foreigners, Chin is home to more than 50 of Myanmar’s 135 recognised ethnical minorities. The highlight of a trip is a visit to villages and meeting the last living face-tattooed women of Chin tribes. The tradition of tattooing faces is dying out. In the next few years it will become increasingly difficult to experience this fascinating but disappearing habit.

Chin people use this bamboo back-bag for carrying Child or Things

This place offering this opportunity are the Chin villages in the Mrauk U area in Rakhine state. This option is relatively more convenient to reach, due to villages location on the shores of Lay Myo (Lemro) River, on the Rakhine and Chin border. A typical itinerary to visit the villages includes a morning flight to Sittwe (Sittway), the provincial capital of Rakhine, a 4 hour cruise upstream Kaladan river to Mrauk U and visiting some of the most significant temples . The following morning, set off from Mrauk U towards Lay Myo river on a pre-arranged excursion. The journey requires a combination of car/motorcycle to reach the jetty (30min) and a 2h cruise on a longboat upstream the Lay Myo river.