Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Shan Tattoos

Most of the Shan men have blue-black tattoos on their arms; tattoos of writing in Shan; one line of writing with other lines of writing branching off like domino chicken foot. Many of them have explained these tattoos to us. They are a magic charm that will protect them from violence; knives and bullets. They admit the charms won't really make them invincible, but they make them a little braver when they need it. They get them up अत the monastery when they're teenagers. The women and the other ethnicities don't have tattoo charms.

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