Their faces covered in elaborate black patterns and, in some cases, totally dark with ink, these smiling villagers are some of Burma's last surviving tattooed women. A custom that, according to legend, began when an ancient king tried to make slaves of the women, the inkings were first intended to repel incomers and then became a symbol of beauty. But with  younger people increasingly reluctant to be inked for fear of ridicule and for fear of the heavy fines imposed by the ruling military junta, Burma's tattooing tradition is on borrowed time and could disappear within a generation. Sign of beauty: The women of the Chin, Magan and Muun tribes say facial tattoos are a sign of beauty . Customs: The tradition exists alongside other customs such as playing the flute through the nose. A Magan woman is pictured. Isolated: The tribes live far from the Burmese capital Naypyidaw in a mountainous area that was cut off until two years ago . Fines: The military junta has done its best to eradicate the tattoo tradition and levies a hefty fine of half a cow on anyone who gets one . Meaning: Each of the facial tattoos is replete with symbols, although the most frequently seen design is the spider's web (pictured) Variation: These women, both from the Chin tribe, have less prominent tattoos than those from the Muun and Magan peoples . Attractive: This lady told MailOnline that her spider's web tattoo caught men like the real thing catches flies . As a result, few women now have the markings, with the majority of those who do living hidden away in the mountainous Chin, Rakhine and Arakan regions - all of which were closed off to visitors until two years ago. Now an estimated 700 tourists travel to the area each year, although few are inclined to attempt the precipitous climb up to the mountain eyries of the Magan, Chin and Muun tribes. Those who do will be rewarded with a warm welcome - and a glimpse into one of Asia's oldest, and most threatened, cultures. Most of the tattooed women boast spider's web designs which, as one villager quipped to MailOnline, 'attract the men like a spider's web catches insects'. Others bear full-face tattoos, with every part of their face covered in ink - again, a symbol of beauty. So popular did the look become, one elderly lady, Pa Late from the remote Kanpelet village, revealed that women who chose not to have it 'looked ugly to all the men'. Must-have: The tattoos are thought to be an ancient custom that arose in response to a slave-hungry king. It was supposed to make girls ugly . Mandatory: In the centuries that followed, the tattoos became a sign of beauty and were insisted upon by parents . Generation gap: Although Ma Aung Seim has facial tattoos, her granddaughter Yi Yi (left) has refused to have them for fear of ridicule . All black: Pa Late, who says her tattoos took three days to complete, says an all-black face was once thought to be the most attractive . Youngest: 67-year-old Miss Heu is one of the youngest women to have the tattoos in Kanpelet. She was tattooed by her grandmother . Delicate: Women of the Chin tribe have smaller and more delicate tattoos that only cover part of the face . Painful: The facial tattoos are made using thorns (pictured) and ink made from a mixture of pig fat, cow bile, plants and soot . Toothless: Many of the women regularly chew betel nuts which results in tooth loss and brown stains on the rest . The tattoos, which are created using thorn needles and an ink made from a mixture of cow bile, soot, plants and pig fat, are also a sign of bravery - particularly those etched on the neck, which are the most painful of all. In the past, women who tried to avoid being tattooed found themselves thrown into the family pig pen where, says Pa Late, they stayed until they changed their minds and submitted to the procedure. Now, however, the tables have been turned on the tribesmen, with the brutal military junta that dominated the country until 2011 declaring the tattoos illegal and imposing harsh fines on anyone to break the rules. Although the country is currently undergoing a political renewal under current president, Thein Sein, the fines remain in place - and as a result, fewer and fewer women are getting the tattoos. Other tribal customs, such as changing a woman's name when she becomes a mother, remain intact, as does a continuing belief in the power of the village shaman and his totems. High on Mount Victoria in a Chin village called Pan Baung, the skulls of pigs and buffaloes sacrificed during shamanic ceremonies adorn each house, while outside, the family totems are arranged in a wooden palisade. Traditional lives: All three tribes live in remote mountain villages and, as a result, are still adept at handicrafts and believe in shamans . Few visitors: The Mount Victoria area in which they live was closed to outsiders until two years ago. Now 700 tourists arrive each year . English: To the tribespeople, all foreigners are 'English' - a legacy from the UK's time as the colonial power in Burma . Pale: They also believe that white skin is the result of boiling the individual concerned in water . Smoke break: Nearly all the women smoke pipes, although their frequent smoke breaks don't seem to affect their ability to move around . Relaxed: Most of the women smoke tobacco in their clay pipes, from which they are rarely parted . No problem: The women's daily routine, which involves heavy lifting and mountainous paths, is seemingly unaffected by their smoking . Hard work: For the Chin, Muun and Magan (Chin pictured) women, life revolves around collecting water and gathering food . Most homes have a small post topped with an egg beside their front doors, which according to local lore, is a way to bring the family good luck and happiness, while also repelling evil spirits. Other Chin traditions include a ban on men eating meat in his wife's family's home in case it brings bad luck and an emphasis on having sons who will, should a family member be murdered, be expected to avenge their death in person. That many of the Chin, Muun and Magan traditions, including, rather charmingly, a penchant for playing the flute using the nose, exist intact only because of the villages' remoteness. Although many villagers have left in search of work in Naypyidaw, the capital of Burma, and in countries such as Singapore, those who remain live much as they always have - without electricity and with sightings of foreigners few and far between. With so few visitors, any non-Burmese to appear in the village is immediately deemed to be English - a hangover from the colonial times. Amusingly, many of  locals remain convinced that white skin is the result that person being boiled. But, as with their tattoos, the future looks uncertain for the Chin and other Burmese tribes, whose traditions are beginning to be eroded by incomers - not least in the non-Chin teachers who teach the children different traditions and a different language. In Pan Baung village only six tattooed women, all of whom are now in their 80s, remain. They truly are the last of their kind. Totems: The people still believe in totems such as pig skulls (left behind boy) and eggs, which are thought to bring good luck and happiness . Family: Wooden totems represent different stages in a family's life. Each is paid for with a buffalo so the more there are, the richer the family . Extra money: Most of the tribes are self-sufficient but make extra money through weaving and basket making . Housework: Women do all the cooking and housework. The tribes say it brings bad luck if men cook . Precipitous: The tribes live deep in the mountains in small villages that cling precariously to the steep slopes . Spectacular: Many live on Mount Victoria (pictured), which is too steep for most visitors to navigate .
The Muun, Magan and Chin tribes of remote north-western Burma consider tattoos a sign of beauty .
Women bear elaborate inked patterns that cover their whole face, with many also having them on their neck .
Tattoo culture is under threat after being banned by Burma's military junta and punished with huge fines .
Many tribal villages are high on Mount Victoria and were completely cut off by the regime until two years ago .
Any foreigner is deemed 'English' by the tribes who think white skin is the result of boiling the person concerned .
Their faces covered in elaborate black patterns and, in some cases, totally dark with ink, these smiling villagers are some of Burma's last surviving tattooed women. A custom that, according to legend, began when an ancient king tried to make slaves of the women, the inkings were first intended to repel incomers and then became a symbol of beauty. But with  younger people increasingly reluctant to be inked for fear of ridicule and for fear of the heavy fines imposed by the ruling military junta, Burma's tattooing tradition is on borrowed time and could disappear within a generation. Sign of beauty: The women of the Chin, Magan and Muun tribes say facial tattoos are a sign of beauty . Customs: The tradition exists alongside other customs such as playing the flute through the nose. A Magan woman is pictured. Isolated: The tribes live far from the Burmese capital Naypyidaw in a mountainous area that was cut off until two years ago . Fines: The military junta has done its best to eradicate the tattoo tradition and levies a hefty fine of half a cow on anyone who gets one . Meaning: Each of the facial tattoos is replete with symbols, although the most frequently seen design is the spider's web (pictured) Variation: These women, both from the Chin tribe, have less prominent tattoos than those from the Muun and Magan peoples . Attractive: This lady told MailOnline that her spider's web tattoo caught men like the real thing catches flies . As a result, few women now have the markings, with the majority of those who do living hidden away in the mountainous Chin, Rakhine and Arakan regions - all of which were closed off to visitors until two years ago. Now an estimated 700 tourists travel to the area each year, although few are inclined to attempt the precipitous climb up to the mountain eyries of the Magan, Chin and Muun tribes. Those who do will be rewarded with a warm welcome - and a glimpse into one of Asia's oldest, and most threatened, cultures. Most of the tattooed women boast spider's web designs which, as one villager quipped to MailOnline, 'attract the men like a spider's web catches insects'. Others bear full-face tattoos, with every part of their face covered in ink - again, a symbol of beauty. So popular did the look become, one elderly lady, Pa Late from the remote Kanpelet village, revealed that women who chose not to have it 'looked ugly to all the men'. Must-have: The tattoos are thought to be an ancient custom that arose in response to a slave-hungry king. It was supposed to make girls ugly . Mandatory: In the centuries that followed, the tattoos became a sign of beauty and were insisted upon by parents . Generation gap: Although Ma Aung Seim has facial tattoos, her granddaughter Yi Yi (left) has refused to have them for fear of ridicule . All black: Pa Late, who says her tattoos took three days to complete, says an all-black face was once thought to be the most attractive . Youngest: 67-year-old Miss Heu is one of the youngest women to have the tattoos in Kanpelet. She was tattooed by her grandmother . Delicate: Women of the Chin tribe have smaller and more delicate tattoos that only cover part of the face . Painful: The facial tattoos are made using thorns (pictured) and ink made from a mixture of pig fat, cow bile, plants and soot . Toothless: Many of the women regularly chew betel nuts which results in tooth loss and brown stains on the rest . The tattoos, which are created using thorn needles and an ink made from a mixture of cow bile, soot, plants and pig fat, are also a sign of bravery - particularly those etched on the neck, which are the most painful of all. In the past, women who tried to avoid being tattooed found themselves thrown into the family pig pen where, says Pa Late, they stayed until they changed their minds and submitted to the procedure. Now, however, the tables have been turned on the tribesmen, with the brutal military junta that dominated the country until 2011 declaring the tattoos illegal and imposing harsh fines on anyone to break the rules. Although the country is currently undergoing a political renewal under current president, Thein Sein, the fines remain in place - and as a result, fewer and fewer women are getting the tattoos. Other tribal customs, such as changing a woman's name when she becomes a mother, remain intact, as does a continuing belief in the power of the village shaman and his totems. High on Mount Victoria in a Chin village called Pan Baung, the skulls of pigs and buffaloes sacrificed during shamanic ceremonies adorn each house, while outside, the family totems are arranged in a wooden palisade. Traditional lives: All three tribes live in remote mountain villages and, as a result, are still adept at handicrafts and believe in shamans . Few visitors: The Mount Victoria area in which they live was closed to outsiders until two years ago. Now 700 tourists arrive each year . English: To the tribespeople, all foreigners are 'English' - a legacy from the UK's time as the colonial power in Burma . Pale: They also believe that white skin is the result of boiling the individual concerned in water . Smoke break: Nearly all the women smoke pipes, although their frequent smoke breaks don't seem to affect their ability to move around . Relaxed: Most of the women smoke tobacco in their clay pipes, from which they are rarely parted . No problem: The women's daily routine, which involves heavy lifting and mountainous paths, is seemingly unaffected by their smoking . Hard work: For the Chin, Muun and Magan (Chin pictured) women, life revolves around collecting water and gathering food . Most homes have a small post topped with an egg beside their front doors, which according to local lore, is a way to bring the family good luck and happiness, while also repelling evil spirits. Other Chin traditions include a ban on men eating meat in his wife's family's home in case it brings bad luck and an emphasis on having sons who will, should a family member be murdered, be expected to avenge their death in person. That many of the Chin, Muun and Magan traditions, including, rather charmingly, a penchant for playing the flute using the nose, exist intact only because of the villages' remoteness. Although many villagers have left in search of work in Naypyidaw, the capital of Burma, and in countries such as Singapore, those who remain live much as they always have - without electricity and with sightings of foreigners few and far between. With so few visitors, any non-Burmese to appear in the village is immediately deemed to be English - a hangover from the colonial times. Amusingly, many of  locals remain convinced that white skin is the result that person being boiled. But, as with their tattoos, the future looks uncertain for the Chin and other Burmese tribes, whose traditions are beginning to be eroded by incomers - not least in the non-Chin teachers who teach the children different traditions and a different language. In Pan Baung village only six tattooed women, all of whom are now in their 80s, remain. They truly are the last of their kind. Totems: The people still believe in totems such as pig skulls (left behind boy) and eggs, which are thought to bring good luck and happiness . Family: Wooden totems represent different stages in a family's life. Each is paid for with a buffalo so the more there are, the richer the family . Extra money: Most of the tribes are self-sufficient but make extra money through weaving and basket making . Housework: Women do all the cooking and housework. The tribes say it brings bad luck if men cook . Precipitous: The tribes live deep in the mountains in small villages that cling precariously to the steep slopes . Spectacular: Many live on Mount Victoria (pictured), which is too steep for most visitors to navigate .
imposed by the ruling military junta, Burma's The women of the Chin, Magan and Muun tribes say mountainous area that was cut off until two years the tattoos became a sign of beauty and were remote mountain villages and, as a result, are white skin is the result of boiling the the result that person being boiled. But, as with slopes . Spectacular: Many live on Mount Victoria