Tribal

Kaili and its surroundings are the best spots to experience Guizhou’s tapestry of minority groups. Here are a few choice spots to immerse in the ethnic color of the southern province.

Secreted away in the far north of Laos, Phongsaly is home to a mosaic of minority cultures and some of the most spectacular scenery in Southeast Asia.

Ziro Valley in Arunachal Pradesh is the ancestral land of the Apatani tribe, a pagan society famous for shamanistic traditions and the crude facial decorations of its female elders.

Nestled near the border with Myanmar, Sangkhlaburi offers fascinating cultural juxtapositions as well as some of Thailand’s impressive scenery

The relatively untouched jungles and highlands of Papua New Guinea are a haven for wildlife and a diverse array of tribal cultures unlike anywhere else in the world.

Found in the Aryan Valley, legend has it the Brokpa are the descendants of the armies of Alexander the Great, but their present is far more fascinating than their past.

Ritual combat with a thorny leaf: Perang Pandan is a tradition dedicated to a Hindu god of war, a coming of age rite for young men, and a spectacle for photographers and lovers of Balinese culture.

For lovers of all things tribal in Nagaland, there is a certain celebration that blows away other tribal gatherings in Asia: the Hornbill Festival.

The indigenous people of Hokkaido, the Ainu, are perhaps northern Japan’s greatest cultural legacy, and this will be in full display in the run up to the Summer Games 2020.

“The two most important principles were prohibition of cutting of trees and protection of wildlife around us,” Khemkaran says. “And to this day the Bishnois adhere to them until death.”

From the headhunting history of the Murut and the communal Rungus farms to the sea gypsy ways of the Bajau, Malaysian Borneo is awash in tribal cultures.

Anna Elisa Sida and Matteo Maimone travel to Sumatra for a unique look into the dwindling Mentawai tribe.