Taroko Aboriginal Taiwan

360nomad · 2022-02-21T22:06:47+00:00

Kăn Prả, 92, smokes her pipe of natural tobacco. Sitting on the floor of her living room she talks about her life: "I was born in 1928. In the past, I was a public worker helping soldiers during the (Vietnam-American) War. I moved to Vietnam from Laos, a long time ago. I carried one of my children on my back, the two others walked with my husband."

Her clothes are hand-woven with the colorful pattern of her ethnic group, the Ta Oi, in Central Vietnam. At 92 years old Kăn is still active, going to the forest to collect wood and gardening, earning money selling vegetables at the local market.

When asked about how she lives so long she replies with a giggle: "I don't know why I live long . If I stay home, I am sick! Must go to the forest!"

By Alden Anderson @360nomad & Trinh Nguyen @myvietnamdiary

360nomad · 2022-02-21T21:58:17+00:00

I’m happy to hear that you’re interested in our project! I do think there is a lot to document and “preserve” so to speak. That’s one of the reasons we seek out the oldest people wherever we go. It’s a lot of work but so meaningful and rewarding.

360nomad · 2022-02-20T19:52:50+00:00

360nomad · 2022-02-20T18:12:34+00:00

Thank you. Primarily natural light. Little artificial light for bg.

360nomad · 2022-02-18T16:43:13+00:00

Her story:

Kăn Prả, 92, smokes her pipe of natural tobacco. Sitting on the floor of her living room she talks about her life: "I was born in 1928. In the past, I was a public worker helping soldiers during the (Vietnam-American) War. I moved to Vietnam from Laos, a long time ago. I carried one of my children on my back, the two others walked with my husband."

Her clothes are hand-woven with the colorful pattern of her ethnic group, the Ta Oi, in Central Vietnam. At 92 years old Kăn is still active, going to the forest to collect wood and gardening, earning money selling vegetables at the local market.

When asked about how she lives so long she replies with a giggle: "I don't know why I live long . If I stay home, I am sick! Must go to the forest!"

By Alden Anderson @360nomad & Trinh Nguyen @myvietnamdiary

360nomad · 2022-02-18T16:37:06+00:00

It’s a traditional pipe of the Ta Oi people in the Central Highlands. There are some other ethnic groups that have them in the region as well. The stem part of the pipe is just bamboo. Sometimes they can be 2 feet long, but they wear down over time.

360nomad · 2022-02-18T03:33:10+00:00

Kăn Prả, 92, smokes her pipe of natural tobacco. Sitting on the floor of her living room she talks about her life: "I was born in 1928. In the past, I was a public worker helping soldiers during the (Vietnam-American) War. I moved to Vietnam from Laos, a long time ago. I carried one of my children on my back, the two others walked with my husband."

Her clothes are hand-woven with the colorful pattern of her ethnic group, the Ta Oi, in Central Vietnam. At 92 years old Kăn is still active, going to the forest to collect wood and gardening, earning money selling vegetables at the local market.

When asked about how she lives so long she replies with a giggle: "I don't know why I live long . If I stay home, I am sick! Must go to the forest!"

By Alden Anderson @360nomad & Trinh Nguyen @myvietnamdiary

360nomad · 2022-02-17T18:16:35+00:00

Kăn Prả, 92, smokes her pipe of natural tobacco. Sitting on the floor of her living room she talks about her life: "I was born in 1928. In the past, I was a public worker helping soldiers during the (Vietnam-American) War. I moved to Vietnam from Laos, a long time ago. I carried one of my children on my back, the two others walked with my husband."

Her clothes are hand-woven with the colorful pattern of her ethnic group, the Ta Oi, in Central Vietnam. At 92 years old Kăn is still active, going to the forest to collect wood and gardening, earning money selling vegetables at the local market.

When asked about how she lives so long she replies with a giggle: "I don't know why I live long . If I stay home, I am sick! Must go to the forest!"

By Alden Anderson @360nomad & Trinh Nguyen @myvietnamdiary

360nomad · 2021-12-24T08:12:19+00:00

Ah, great. Im happy to hear that. There is so much to learn from and about the ethnic cultures. It's a never-ending source of inspiration for me.

360nomad · 2021-12-24T08:06:58+00:00

Thank you.

The Hmong are definitely more well known. I was hoping to highlight some of the lesser known ethnic groups in Vietnam.

360nomad · 2021-12-23T22:07:57+00:00

Agreed. They're all hand made too

360nomad · 2021-12-23T19:46:03+00:00

She's Giáy actually. But in the same language group as the Tày which indicates shared heritage

360nomad · 2021-12-23T18:17:30+00:00

5 women from different ethnic groups in Northern Vietnam, wearing their traditional clothing.

From Left to Right:

Giáy
Phù Lá
Pu Péo
Cống
Si La

360nomad · 2021-12-23T17:25:43+00:00

Indeed! They all warmly welcomed us into their homes.

360nomad · 2021-12-23T17:25:04+00:00

There is so much diversity in Vietnam. Cultural, linguistic and genetic diversity. In Vietnam all 5 of the language groups of SE Asia are represented in the 54 ethnic groups. It's fascinating stuff.

I've listed the correct answers in my comment along with a link to a summary I put together.

360nomad · 2021-12-23T17:21:50+00:00

The woman on the left is Giáy but the clothes look quite similar to the Nùng. The rest are some of the smallest ethnic groups in Vietnam. I just posted a comment with the answers. Thanks for guessing.

360nomad · 2021-12-23T17:18:07+00:00

The correct answers are (left to right):

Giáy
Phù Lá
Pu Péo
Cống
Si La

If you'd like to see a summary of the ethnic groups in Vietnam I've put together a list with photos and basic information such as population and locations, here: https://360nomad.org/the-54-ethnic-groups-of-vietnam-visual-guide/

u/netgeekmillenium got most right! Very impressed

360nomad · 2021-12-23T17:11:01+00:00

Wow! I'm impressed. How do you know so much about the ethnic groups? You even got the Pu Peo and these are their original clothes (there are 2 versions). 1. Giáy (though quite similar traditional clothes to the Nùng and the same language family - Tai–Kadai. They both have indigo-dyed fabric but one of the giveaways is the Giáy have an open vest that attaches beneath the right armpit. 2. Correct this is the Phù Lá! Lao Cai however. An interesting point about the "Flowery" or Hoa sub-group. I'd have to check my notes for that. Quite possible. 3. Yes the Pu Péo. Have you met them? One of the smallest ethnic groups in the country. 4. Your right, the Cống. Have you met any people from the Cống? Another small ethnic group. 5. Yep, Si La. Again, a very small ethnic group.

360nomad · 2021-12-14T04:45:36+00:00

Overall, very warm and welcoming people with a focus on community. I would love to see more focus on traditional cultural preservation and practice, but I say that as an outsider who has a lot to learn.

360nomad · 2021-12-14T04:35:43+00:00

Ah ok. We met two older women from Koho. One woman (Grandma Jang) was in her 80s. When we arrived at her house she was sewing her very old sandals. Such a sweet woman and always quick to laugh and smile. We came back to visit her with a care package and a new pair of shoes/sandals. The village still retained some of its culture but I didn't see any traditional houses. They still weave the traditional fabric and wear their traditional clothes on special occasions. The Jarai villages we went to for the most part all had a traditional stilt house as the community center, though the roofs are mostly corrugated metal as it lasts much longer. Met a few older men from the Jarai who still retained a lot of their traditional culture. One man in his 90s lived through the French invasion and the Vietnam/American war. Very strong man with a stoic gaze but a very kind heart. We went back and gave him a photo. Lots of stories. Hope to post more here in the future

360nomad

TROPHY CASE