Hill people keep a photo record

A photo exhibition on the culture and lifestyle of the E De ethnic group, which lives in remote areas in Dak Lak, opened at the provincial museum this week.

Van Hoa Cua Minh – Truyen Thong va Bien Doi (Our Culture – Tradition and Changes) features 176 colour photos selected from more than 1,000 taken by 15 E De villagers in Ea Kar District.


The amateurs were encouraged to participate in a photography programme launched by the museum and its partner, the non-profit Institute for Studies of Society, Economy and Environment, last year.

The programme organisers provided the participants with cameras for training.

The outcome is the result of their hard work over eight months, with each picture representing a report on the E De.

"My photos feature my villagers' daily life," H'lil Milo of Tring village, one of the photographers, said.

"Through my works, I hope people can learn more about our traditional culture and lifestyle."

Many of the event's highlights speak the language of the people's spirit.

Around 200,000 E De people live in stilt houses built from wood and bamboo. Their long house can be up to 100m in length.

Their worship Fire and Water among a host of animist deities.

The girls propose marriage to men, and children bear the mother's family name.

The exhibition, open from 9am to 5pm every day, will run through August 15.

The Dak Lak Province Museum in at 19 No Trang Long Street, Buon Ma Thuot City.