Karen hilltribe children smoking tobacco

Artist: John Spies
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Karen hilltribe children smoking tobacco

In remote villages in the mountains of northern Thailand, the children in some ethnic groups including Karen Pwo, smoked rough tobacco cheroots and pipes. When schools were established in the 1980s, the practice declined. The parents, also avid smokers and betel chewers, had no idea that smoking was bad for their children’s health. Taken in the early 1980’s with a Nikon FM2, Nikkor 28mm lense and kodachrome slide film. Natural light.

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Karen hilltribe children smoking tobacco by John Spies

Yool

Excellent capture !!!!
John Spies

Yool, thanks for your positive comments on my hilltribe photos, I appreciate them all!
gato

great shot!
Shelly Hiebert

Wow…incredible journalistic type image John! I love their looks of curiousity, and interesting story behind this.
John Spies replied

Thanks Shelly, western visitors to their remote villages were an oddity back then, hence the curiousity. We could draw crowds of more than 100 villagers with mouths agape.
marcwellman2000

your images brought a smile to my face. I am an ex-pat Canadian living in China last 9 years and your images triggered a desire to see northern Thailand
John Spies replied

Thanks Marc, things have changed a bit since scenes like this were common, but the north of Thailand is still a great place to visit.
MrJoop

I couldn’t help but go: Of dear! to the screen. Fantastic capture but at the same time disturbing. Sad.
John Spies replied

It was a bit disturbing seeing children so young addicted to nicotine, but it was also hard to not record such a scene, knowing that it would soon become history.
Erin Farrar

Its such a great photo!!!!! I love it and at the same time i agree > disturbing :-(
John Spies replied

appreciate and understand your comment Erin, thanks
gato

magnificent shot! and very interesting story!
was the kid posing for you like this?
John Spies replied

No he wasn’t. Western visitors were a novelty back then and we would attract crowds of curious villagers. Most of the kids were smoking and if I pointed my camera at them they were very natural and unassuming, and would just carry on doing whatever they were doing.
Gili Orr

great image and interesting info.
John Spies replied

Thanks Gili, it is one of my favourites
Mary Campbell

Your images are very thought provoking, and some sad like this one too. One has to wonder where they picked up the habit of smoking?
John Spies replied

Thanks for your interest Mary. I have heard that Portugese traders brought tobacco from Sth America to SE Asia more than 500 years ago. In archaeological sites where i live are tobacco pipes 5-700 years old (see image Angels pipe). I think the habit spread extremely quickly, and back in those days children in Europe smoked as well…the hilltribes just took a little longer to catch up on the smoking/death connection.
Mary Campbell

Thanks for the info, I know even here in the US, my father was smoking by the age of 9 so I shouldn’t be surprised. I did see that interesting old pipe. I have a few from my grandfather similar but not as old I’m sure.
Margaret Harris

Great image and rather sad with some of your information..I guess some of these remote villages were still in the dark ages..
John Spies replied

For them, in some ways, ignorance was bliss.
Joanne Ho

That shot is unreal.
John Spies replied

Thanks Joanne, good way to describe it
Karen Stackpole

Amazing image. So thought provoking
John Spies replied

It does raise a few questions, thanks again Karen
Steve Scully

This photo will be featured with the rest of the top ten and two honorable mentions! Please submit it to the group NOW so that it may be featured! (If it is already part of the group, please remove it and resubmit it, Thanks!)
John Spies replied

Thanks Steve, that’s very nice. Will do.
Vanessa Barklay

Crazy world, your Thai images are brilliant mate! :O)
John Spies replied

Thanks Vanessa, appreciate the comment
Sharon Mau

Wonderful photojournalism John, beautiful work!
John Spies replied

Thanks Sharon for your encouraging comment
snefne

Wonderful image – very emotional response!
John Spies replied

Thanks Snefne, it is a moving scene
Behrooz Mirah...

great moment wonderful shot well done
John Spies replied

thanks for the comment
yque

Aww, these kids are soo cute and really cool too. living fast and dying young is the way to be
John Spies replied

living fast and dying old aint bad
yque

yeah, true enough. but by the time i reach 65 and havent had sex for a good 20 years me and my wife have decided to do a lot of drugs and die of overdose.
catherine walker

Amazing ..and you really have taken some wonderful photos..well done on all of them
catherine walker

fabulous!
beckykiil

I really like this! The expression on his face is great.

I was there around 4 years ago and definitely didn’t see kids smoking. They seemed a lot more cute and innocent than this lot as well! Maybe that was just in my (slightly ignorant / western) eyes?
John Spies replied

Thanks Becky, it was a bit wilder back then…