A collection of photographs from fieldwork and data collection in Shan State, Kachin State, and various other locations in Myanmar from 1997 to 2001.
From 1997 to 1999, Sumit Pitiphat and Samerchai Poolsuwan conducted an exploratory study of Tai Yai (Shan) communities in the Maymyo area. They presented a broad overview of the social and cultural changes occurring in the Tai Yai community of Yaungshwe, near Inle Lake, not far from the capital of Shan State, Taunggyi. The researchers collected data on the Tai Yai people of Yaungshwe and Inle Lake, uncovering information on the history of Yaungshwe, general social conditions and livelihoods, and the stories of the communities along Inle Lake, including their geography, daily life, occupations, religious beliefs, cultural traditions, and weaving handicrafts.
In 2001, the researchers returned to Shan State to study Tai Yai communities in two nearby areas: Maymyo (Pyin Oo Lwin), an old community in the Yaungshwe area, and Inle Lake. This time, they focused on the social and cultural changes within Tai communities in Myanmar, the preservation of their ethnic identity as Tai Yai or Shan, and their interactions with other ethnic groups living in the vicinity.
Kachin State – In 2001, Sumit Pitiphat, Samerchai Poolsuwan, and Phumiphat Chetiyanon studied the changing ethnic identity of the Tai Leng people in Moeng Kong and Moeng Yang in Myitkyina District, Kachin State, in the northernmost part of Myanmar. The research team conducted fieldwork to study and collect data on the lifestyles, traditions, culture, and beliefs of the Tai Leng people to understand their ethnic identity by surveying villages such as Ban Doi Lo, Ban Muang Phrai, Ban Pang Hai, and Ban Aung Sang Saeng.
In the same year, the team also surveyed a Tai community near the Myanmar-Assam border in India, in the town of Hkamti Long (presently known as Putao or Puta-o) in Kachin State. This research focused on the social organization and kinship that were crucial to the historical development of the Tai Hkamti society, as well as the ethnic consciousness of the Tai people in Hkamti Long. The study also examined the current social and cultural conditions of the Tai Hkamti people, which have changed from the past.
The collection also includes images from the Yangon, Mandalay, Bago, and Mon regions, featuring photos of significant places encountered during their surveys in Myanmar, such as important religious sites, archaeological sites, historical locations, and ancient palaces.
