'The Last Gunmen of Guizhou'
Basha Village, Guizhou Province, China
Basha Village, Guizhou Province, China
China's Guizhou province retains a diverse ethnic remnant of China's first inhabitants, the Miao People.
The Basha Tribe, a sub-group of the Miao, live in just one small mountain village, within Congjiang County, where they have managed to maintain a remarkable degree of ancient tradition and custom. Living in close harmony with the land, planting forests and hunting wildlife, the Basha are still permitted by the Chinese authorities to carry guns & knives. Being the last minority to do so, they have been dubbed 'China's Last Gunmen'. The men carry a strong personal pride and a surprisingly gentle nature, along with their matchlock rifles.
Unlike many Miao, who don traditional apparel only for festivities and tourists, many Basha still wear the same style indigo-died outfits their ancestors wore centuries ago, along with stunning Imperial haircuts. Whilst the men's outfit consists solely of the dark indigo fabric, the women bring a splash of colour with self-weaved embroidery, the making of which is regarded a social activity and one which seemingly occupies most of their leisure time.
A recent government incentive to promote ethnic tradition through tourism-generated income, along with a new expressway passing within just a few kilometers of their village, will doubtless bring change, but hopefully not extinction, to their ancient way of life.
The Basha Tribe, a sub-group of the Miao, live in just one small mountain village, within Congjiang County, where they have managed to maintain a remarkable degree of ancient tradition and custom. Living in close harmony with the land, planting forests and hunting wildlife, the Basha are still permitted by the Chinese authorities to carry guns & knives. Being the last minority to do so, they have been dubbed 'China's Last Gunmen'. The men carry a strong personal pride and a surprisingly gentle nature, along with their matchlock rifles.
Unlike many Miao, who don traditional apparel only for festivities and tourists, many Basha still wear the same style indigo-died outfits their ancestors wore centuries ago, along with stunning Imperial haircuts. Whilst the men's outfit consists solely of the dark indigo fabric, the women bring a splash of colour with self-weaved embroidery, the making of which is regarded a social activity and one which seemingly occupies most of their leisure time.
A recent government incentive to promote ethnic tradition through tourism-generated income, along with a new expressway passing within just a few kilometers of their village, will doubtless bring change, but hopefully not extinction, to their ancient way of life.
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