Kataw (aka sepaw takraw) is a game played throughout Southeast Asia. I took this video in Namthoum village, Xiengkhouang, Laos. Some of the guys were pretty good, but there was clearly one star player. The video briefly explains how the game is played.
Archive for the 'General' Category
Lao games – Kataw
Published May 22, 2009 General 2 CommentsTags: games, hmong, kataw, Laos, sepaw takraw
Hmong Yao (hmoob yaus)
Published May 21, 2009 General Leave a CommentTags: animism, hmong, religion, video
I just uploaded this video to Youtube. It shows a Hmong shaman (txiv neeb) performing a ceremony for the spirits of this house. I asked the head of the household for permission to film the ceremony.
The ceremony was almost over when I arrived. It had been going on for several hours. This video only shows the last minute or two.
I wrote about Hmong traditional animist religion for the latest Free A Family update from Laos. Unfortunately I can’t post it online here without permission, but if you support the CRWRC Free A Family program and select Asia, you will receive updates from the Toh family in Vieng, Laos. I will continue to write stories about them for another year and a half before it rotates to a new country.
Isaiah 65:20 has been echoing through my mind recently:
“No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime.”
I stumbled across this photo album by MCC that touches on the same theme.
One of the strategic goals of our work in Laos is to help communities live sustainable lives in the place where they are, as long as that’s where they want to remain. Since most villagers are farmers, the economic side of this is the most important: can they make enough money planting crops and raising animals to live? CRWRC staff also struggle with this question, and more particularly with how to help villages chose sustainable, low-risk income sources. Continue reading ‘Communities search for sustainable agriculture’
Originally uploaded by James Zwier.
This boy was standing alone and not playing with the other chidren. His serious face gave him a mature air. The perspective and wide angle on this picture make him seem much taller than he is. I took this picture while squatting down and was about at his height.
There’s also a landscape version of this picture on flickr. Which one do you like better? Leave your opinion in the comments.
