Would YOU be Smiling??
By Brenda Samis
March 1, 2017
March 1, 2017
Capturing a smile on any Chin person or family is RARE. Most all captured photo's or hanging portraits are void of emotion. We have never been able to determine whether this is due to an inherent shyness or they are just not used to having their picture taken. This 77 year young lady and her 78 yr old husband live in a house given to the extreme poor by the village council in Zohkathar. Family support family in Chin culture. Grandparents often raise their grandchildren while the parents are working to support the family. In turn elders are usually cared for by their adult children. Unfortunately this couple lost their only two sons in the past two years. Their eldest son died of a single bee sting in Aizawl and their younger son died of Malaria this past rainy season!!
Now they are alone and destitute but fearlessly faithful to their Baptist beliefs.
Now they are alone and destitute but fearlessly faithful to their Baptist beliefs.
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Their home is simple, clean and warm thanks to their indoor coal fire used as well for cooking. Normally toilet facilities would be under their stilted home but at their age getting under this home by a steep dirt stair path is too risky so a chamber pot of sorts suffices.
This smiley waver no longer makes projects for market but instead for herself. She proudly showed to us her last finished project and even offered that we should 'have' it. The colour actually looked pretty good on Neil. How incredibly humbling to be offered this gift in this setting. Instead we offered that MMC would support them in this time of need and a Canadian family would help her and her husband with their nutritional and medical needs over the next year.
And so I pose the question again to you! Would you be smiling in these circumstances??