A British photographer has pictured the indigenous people of Myanmar, where he was overwhelmed by the warmth and kindness of those he met.
Rather than capturing soldiers and conflicts, Dan O’Donnell goes in search of nomadic tribes and remote villages.
He pictured the last surviving women of Myanmar’s Chin tribe to have their faces heavily tattooed in a bid to ward off abduction.
Mr O’Donnell, from Kirkintilloch, also photographed the Palaung and Shan tribes who have settled in the mountains of the Shan State, in the north-east of the country.
The Chin women in Myanmar use sharp thorns and soot to tattoo their faces to ward off abduction
![Photographer Dan O'Donnell, from Kirkintilloch, has returned home after making his way through many of the world's most troubled locations](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2018/01/07/15/47D81D0200000578-0-image-a-71_1515337325809.jpg)
Photographer Dan O’Donnell, from Kirkintilloch, has returned home after making his way through many of the world’s most troubled locations
![Rather than capturing soldiers and conflict, Mr O'Donnell went in search of nomadic tribes and remote villages](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2018/01/07/15/47D81B1900000578-0-image-a-72_1515337504102.jpg)
Rather than capturing soldiers and conflict, Mr O’Donnell went in search of nomadic tribes and remote villages
The photographer has just returned to Scotland after two years of photographing his way through many of the world’s most troubled locations.
He said: ‘Myanmar may be the most hospitable country I’ve visited yet. If it wasn’t for the media coverage, I may have never known about all the terrible things happening there.’
Discussing the tribes he pictured he said: ‘The Palaung are one of the most ancient hill tribes in Myanmar and are famous for the tea they grow and cure to sell, particularly the pickled tea (lepet) which is popular across the country.
‘Palaung women stand out among the other hill tribes for their colourful traditional dress. Their garments include velvet jackets of green, blue, or purple and lungi (a type of sarong) fastened with belts.
‘Most Shan people live today in much the same way as they always have. The majority live in small, rural villages where they farm subsistence and cash crops such as rice and tropical and sub-tropical fruit and vegetables.’
![A Chin Woman of the Mun Tribe - they tattoo their faces using sharp thorns from the local vegetation and use leaves and soot for the colour and disinfectant](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2018/01/07/15/47D81AFD00000578-0-image-a-79_1515338161049.jpg)
A Chin Woman of the Mun Tribe – they tattoo their faces using sharp thorns from the local vegetation and use leaves and soot for the colour and disinfectant
![The Scottish photographer was overwhelmed by the warmth and kindness of those he met](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2018/01/07/15/47D82BAA00000578-0-image-a-73_1515337682096.jpg)
The Scottish photographer was overwhelmed by the warmth and kindness of those he met
Mr O’Donnell also pictured the last surviving women of Myanmar’s Chin tribe.
He explained: ‘Chin legend says that many years ago a Burmese king visited the area and kidnapped the women, believing them to be the most beautiful in Myanmar.
‘To prevent any future kidnappings, the Chin women began to tattoo their faces using sharp thorns from the local vegetation and using leaves and soot for the colour and disinfectant.
‘There are six different Chin tribes, and each tribe has a specific design which tend to cover the entire face, and sometimes reach down to the neck.
‘The Burmese government banned this old tradition in the 1960s, so the women that I had the privilege of photographing will be the last faces of Chin history to bear this tradition.’
![Mr O'Donnell captured indigenous Myanmar people going about their daily lives in (pictured: a Palaung village girl)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2018/01/07/15/47D81D4200000578-0-image-a-74_1515337710663.jpg)
Mr O’Donnell captured indigenous Myanmar people going about their daily lives in (pictured: a Palaung village girl)
![The 26-year-old photographer avoids photos of conflict and goes in search of nomadic tribes and remote villages](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2018/01/07/15/47D81C0100000578-0-image-a-75_1515337830616.jpg)
The 26-year-old photographer avoids photos of conflict and goes in search of nomadic tribes and remote villages
![Mr O'Donnell said he was unaware of the situation in Myanmar when visiting but his personal experiences with the people were only positive](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2018/01/07/15/47D81CC200000578-0-image-a-76_1515337880228.jpg)
Mr O’Donnell said he was unaware of the situation in Myanmar when visiting but his personal experiences with the people were only positive
![Mr O'Donnell captured the indigenous people of Myanmar in a series of stunning images](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2018/01/07/15/47D81E6C00000578-0-image-a-77_1515337961146.jpg)
Mr O’Donnell captured the indigenous people of Myanmar in a series of stunning images
![Mr O'Donnell said: 'To have the chance of documenting all these different native tribes living their daily lives, and being accepted as one of their own really makes me love doing this type of photography'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2018/01/07/15/47D81CF800000578-0-image-a-78_1515338077348.jpg)
Mr O’Donnell said: ‘To have the chance of documenting all these different native tribes living their daily lives, and being accepted as one of their own really makes me love doing this type of photography’
The 26-year-old added: ”To have the chance of documenting all these different native tribes living their daily lives, and being accepted as one of their own really makes me love doing this type of photography.
‘I get invited into their homes; they feed me with their delicious traditional food and provide me with a bed. I have a short but meaningful connection with almost every person I have the privilege of photographing.
‘Sometimes this can be a stronger connection if I have the chance of hearing their life stories, or even some I’ve had the honour of dancing with at village festivals.
‘To have the chance of documenting all these different native tribes living their daily lives, and being accepted as one of their own really makes me love doing this type of photography.
‘You learn new languages, taste different food, wear clothes you never thought you would ever wear and gain so much fresh knowledge on how different cultures live their daily lives.’