30
Picture Essay
t he s un day gua rdia n 20: s up p lement to t he s unday guardi an | 16. 03. 2014 | new delhi
th e s un day gua r d ia n 2 0 : s uppl e m e nt to t he s unday g ua r d i a n | 1 6 . 0 3 . 2 0 1 4 | ne w d e l hi
IMAGINED HOMELAND
Picture Essay 31
Photos & Text: Sharbendu De The Lisus are a Tibeto-Burmese tribe that had migrated from the Yunnan province in China via Myanmar into the Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh, eventually making a home in the deep forests of Namdapha. In 1985, the government of India notified part of the 20,000 sq. km. contiguous forest stretching from Arunachal into the Hukong Valley in North Myanmar, declaring it a Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve. Without any knowledge or informed consent, the life and residency status of these peaceful Lisu tribals changed overnight. Accusing the Lisus of poaching, the government has been trying to evict them from the park. But the Lisus say they belong there, in the land where their ancestors lived and died. For them, life outside the forest is inconceivable. Once evicted, their future will be uncertain, risking loss of identity. The series deals less with their life inside the park, but more with what might happen in the absence of it. Thus the anthropological portraits devoid of a context, suggest not what exists, but who they are. There aren't too many details on immediate view. So the viewer is compelled to look for signs and codes to figure out more about these people, their origin, and life.
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