Picture of Myanmar (Burma)
Caption: _______ THANAKA The Biggest Surprise of Myanmar
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Caption: When I was in Myanmar with Mission Restore doing plastic surgery procedures, I kept on seeing women, and some men, with yellow powder on their face.
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Caption: I saw it on our patients as well. I finally had to ask- What is this stuff? Sunscreen? Ethnic group identification?
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Caption: The nurses were kind enough to tell me that the yellow powder is the ground up bark of the thanaka/ thanakha tree. Pictured here is the thanaka bark and the stone that is used to grind the bark.
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Caption: Here, you can see the yellow thanaka powder after it is ground against the stone.
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Caption: You can get thanaka tree branches and trunks in all of the markets in Myanmar.
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Caption: You can also buy thanaka powder pre-made and packaged.
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Caption: The different patterns and placement in then face of thanaka varies mainly by what the person wants to do. According to my hosts, people are creative and put it on based on what they feel is aesthetic.
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Picture of Old Bagan
Caption: Thanaka seller in Bagan
Picture of Myanmar (Burma)
Picture of Myanmar (Burma)
Caption: I hope that thanaka continues to flourish as Myanmar modernizes- It's unique to Myanmar! Read more about it here- http://www.drkim.com/2014/03/11/thanakha-one-biggest-surprises-myanmar/
