New Mandala

The recent discussion here on New Mandala about elephant tusks reminded me of the work of Sarinda Singh, a former PhD student at the ANU (and now at the University of Queensland). Her PhD thesis dealt with the complex relationship forests and state power in Laos. One chapter focussed specifically on the symbolism of elephants. [...]

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A few days ago, regular New Mandala contributor Aiontay asked about the tusks at the Manau ground at Laiza, the Kachin Independence Army/Kachin Independence Organisation stronghold along the Sino-Burmese border.  While I don’t have any further information on the tusks I do have a close-up taken a few years ago.

As an aside, the towers that are [...]

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New Mandala readers who have been following my recent series of posts on Manau festivals in northern Burma and northeastern India will be keen to see these pictures from Kachin State Special Region - 2, taken in February 2008.  These shots are from the Manau festival held to mark the 47th anniversary of the Kachin rebellion against Burmese rule.  The town where [...]

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This small selection of images highlights the role of two Arunachal Pradesh government ministers at the recent Singpho Manau festival held in northeast India.  The ministers flew in by helicopter and were driven to the festival (via the local circuit house) in a convoy of substantial four-wheel drives.
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- The ministers arrive on the morning of the first [...]

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Continuing New Mandala’s recent series of pictures from Manau festivals in greater Southeast Asia, over the coming weeks I will be posting material from a recent Singpho festival held in Miao, Arunachal Pradesh, India.
To whet your appetite here are a few pictures that may help to set the scene.
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- Crossing part of the Dehing river in far [...]

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At the recent Manau festival held in Myitkyina there was a huge space - of at least a few acres - devoted to gambling and sideshow alley games.  There were hundreds of different gambling and gaming outlets.

In this game of “wheel of fortune” most bets were significantly less than a dollar.  Some gamblers were, however, running through their stacks of [...]

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New Mandala readers who have been following my current series of posts about the recent Myitkyina Manau Festival will want to check out today’s report from the Kachin News Group:
Brig-Gen San Tun, the Burmese junta’s vice commander in Kachin State attended today’s inauguration of KIO/A’s 47th anniversary of Revolution Day which falls on February 5. It is [...]

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- The first morning of the Manau festival.  Excitement is in the air.
This post is designed to showcase some of the colour and diversity of the Myitkyina Manau festival held to mark the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the Kachin State.  The images should provide illustrations of life in the middle of the Manau [...]

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- Burmese Army heavy machine gun.  Part of the security detail that accompanied the Burmese Army’s Northern Commander to the Manau.�
The Manau festival marking the 60th Anniversary of the Kachin State was a significant event for everyone who is jockeying to decide the future of northern Burma.  Under the current ceasefires in the Kachin State this [...]

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The Lasang Awng Wa Group is the newest and least well-known of the Kachin armed factions.  It is also sometimes called the “Kachin Independence Organization/Kachin Independence Army Splinter Group”.  It was formed by an ex-Kachin Independence Organization Intelligence Chief, Colonel Lasang Awng Wa, after a 2004 coup attempt led to his expulsion from the KIO.  His relatively small [...]

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