Myanmar Lake Inle D3x_0803 - a photo on Flickriver

Taking a bath in a floating village on Lake Inle.

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The Intha

The dominant ethnicity of Lake Inle are the Intha, meaning sons of the lake. They are thought to have arrived from the Tavoy region of Southern Burma many centuries ago, and are linguistically related to the Bamar group. Today they speak an antiquated Burmese and are Buddhist.

The Intha live in bamboo houses built over the water on stilts and grow vegetables and fruit hydroponically on floating gardens that rise and fall with the tidesthus giving rise to the perception of 'floating villages'. The fertile water ensures an abundant harvest which get sold on 'floating markets' where goods are traded from one boat to another. The itinerary follows a five day cycle, rotating between the five larger villages on Lake Inle.

Most transport is by flat bottom canoes, propelled by a particular rowing style where the rower stands on one leg on the flattened stern of the canoe and wrapping the other around a long oar. The standing rowing method evolved to enable rowers to see over the tall reeds. Nevertheless the women row seated, eventhough they are equally adept at the standing style.

The Intha are best known for their unique fishing method, which is an extension of the rowing style, using a cone shaped bamboo framed wrapped with a fishing net, which is lowered to the bottom of the shallow Lake Inle with one hand and one foot. A bamboo stake is then driven into the net to agitate the water and drive the fish up. The net is then closed and the entire contraption is raised from the water.

The Intha should also be noted as weavers, producing the lotus cloth unique to the area, and worn by monks as ceremonial robes. They are best known however for creating traditional distinctive cotton cloth, the Inle Longyi. The patterns were originally Cambodian inspired, but now also drive from Thai and Indonesian influences. Silk brought in from China and Thailand are also used for more luxurious textiles, which are sold to tourists.

Lake Inle

Lake Inle is a freshwater lake of around 115square kilometers in Myanmar's Shan State located at an altitude of 880 meters. The lake is very shallow reaching no more than 2 or 3 meters depending on the season.

The lake is a tourist attraction for its images of the fishermen and their flat bottom canoes on mirror still water, as well as the the floating villages and markets. Time of course never stands still, and larger motor powered boats have made their way onto the lake, mainly as tourist transport, causing wakes that never existed before, while the market increasingly caters for tourist souvenirs. However given the political situation, tourism is still limited in Myanmar, but a number of very high quality lodges have sprung up along the lake shores.

Shan State

Shan State forms Myanmar's border with China, Laos and Thailand, and encompasses a quarter of Myanmar's total territory. Shan State derives its name from the local Shan people, who live largely rural lifestyles.

From the 1948 Myanmar independence, Chinese state and ethnic activity has increased, as have armed rebellions fueled by the emergence of war lords, who developed Shan State into a major opium growing area. Accordingly, the state is better known as the Golden Triangle or Shwe-Tri Gan and to this day, Myanmar is the world's second largest opium producer after Afghanistan, whilst the local people growing poppy continue to live below the poverty line. Heroin base is mostly produced within Myanmar and then transported by donkey across the mountainous Thailand border for conversion to heroin and transport to Bangkok and wider trafficking.

The heavily armed insurgence groups, including the 20,000 strong United Wa State Army (UWSA) that represent an undefined independent Wa State which would enclose Shan State, still render the zone unstable. The Wa people openly use the Yuan as currency, as opposed to the Myanmar Kyat, and in 2008 parts of Shan State were ceded autonomy.

Myanmar

Burma, or Myanmar as it has been renamed by the military dictatorship, derives its name from the Burmese word Bamar, which is pronounced 'Bama', and became 'Burma' in the colonial days. However in old Burmese it is pronounced Mranma or Myanmah, thus giving rise to Myanmar. The renaming remains the subject of debate, where the UN refers to 'Myanmar', the US, UK and France still refer to 'Burma', and yet the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal refer to 'Myanmar'. We've followed the UN and used current naming throughout this collection of photos, however with the alternatives included in the tags.

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Taken in: Myanmar / Shan State (show map)

Taken on: December 22, 2009

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D3X_0803

0912

Myanmar

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Lake Inle

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Inle

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Intha

Myanmarese

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Tribes

Village

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Sets appears in: • Lake Inle

Camera: Nikon D3X, f/4.0, 1/1000 sec, 280mm, ISO 640 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D3X
Lens:	70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8
Aperture:	f/4.0
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/1000)
Focal Length:	280mm
ISO:	640
Exposure Bias:	-2/3 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Shutter speed priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Spot
White Balance:	Manual
Light Source:	Fine Weather
Gain Control:	Low gain up
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Ver.1.00
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