It is so refreshing to meet someone who is truly passionate about what he does. Jens is not only interested to photograph the Chin women but truly loves Burma, and is genuinely committed to working with the Chin villagers to improve their life.

Jean Ho,
Program Development Director,
Asia Society Center Hong Kong

The comprehensive photographic documentation of the different tattoos by Jens Uwe Parkitny is the first of its kind worldwide and therefore unique. His work is invaluable as the facial tattooing practice among the Chin groups is a fast vanishing tradition....For the first time, various portraits of Chin women with facial tattoos, some of them never documented before, will be displayed within the scope of a larger exhibition in our museum in June 2010.

Dr. Wolfgang Stein
Senior Curator at the Bavarian State Museum for Ethnology
Munich, Germany.

This book mirrors both Jens' achievement of attaining deep insight into the so little known culture of Chin - a task which has taken years of hard work of trust building - and his amazing artistic talent as a photographer. Jens has proven in his photographs that he has caught what is the most difficult thing to catch: Soul.

Peter Van Ham
Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society and the Royal Geographic Society
Chairman of the Society for the Preservation and Promotion of Naga Heritage (SPNH)

Tattooing in tribal societies is not simply a decorative form of art. It has to be viewed as a constituting and integral part of a people's culture. It carries social meaning at various levels of interaction and it is part of the artistic expression of a people. Besides being valued and appreciated from an anthropological point of view, Parkitny's photos speak for themselves. His composition of the images and especially his intimate and dignified depiction of the women have to be judged as independent art in the area of photography; his portraits move and touch everyone who sees them.

Richard Kunz
Curator, South and Southeast Asian Department
Museum of Cultures Basel, Switzerland

This powerful book captures the strength, the beauty and the pride of these incredible women who allowed Jens into their lives and hearts. The first time I saw these images, I was speechless. I felt I was looking straight into the souls of these women. I wouldn’t have expected any less from someone who is capable of seeing beyond the ordinary.

Yeoh Siew Hoon
Web In Travel