Lekkapin Village (A Hat-making Village)
About 30 miles downstream from Sagaing, soon after the Ayeyarwaddy River bends to the south, there are several small villages scattered along the western shore. We stop at one of these, five or six miles beyond Myinmu, referred to by our guide as "Lekkapin Village". One of the village's attractions is its production of hats; it is also surrounded by agricultural fields, as the satellite image shows (very likely providing raw materials for the making of hats).
Orange tags show the locations of the 35 photographs on this web page.
Arrival
The village's main river landing is seen above, but we tie up a bit further downstream. We are met by a small welcoming committee of children. The jungle canopy seen above covers much of the village, providing essential shade from the tropical sun.
After walking back along the shoreline path we enter the village next to its temple -- always by far the most expensive and best maintained structure in every village.
The Village
Most village houses are made from thatch and mats over poles, but there are also a few more substantial wooden structures.
Hatting
Many (probably most) homes in the village are directly involved in the hat making business.
I ask the woman in the photo below if she can make a hat to fit me (I have a big head). She looks at me, nods, and tells our guide that it will be finished when we are are ready to leave. She takes no measurements, but when I return my hat is done, and it fits perfectly.
Finished hats are set out in the sun to dry in one of the few open areas. We are told that this one village alone can export as many as 10,000 hats a week! This is hatting on an almost industrial scale.
Villagers
Villagers throughout Burma are almost always friendly to visitors. We don't know how many boatloads of tourists may stop here in a typical month (certainly we are not the only ones), but the villagers always seem as interested in us as we are in them. Few men are seen in this mid-morning visit; they are probably at work in the nearby agricultural fields.
Departure
