A man smokes local tobacco with a bamboo pipe in Hoykhe...

HOYKHE VILLAGE, LUANG PRABANG, LAOS - 2003/06/01: A man smokes local tobacco with a bamboo pipe in Hoykhe Village, with 42 houses and 32 Hmong inhabitants. Situated on the Mekong River 50 km north of Luang Prabang, the village is a popular stop for foreign tourists. The Blue Hmong (Mong Njua) are also known as the Black Meo, Flowery Meo or Striped Meo in Thai. Women in this minority tribe wear the distinctive indigo-dyed pleated skirt or kilt with a batik design. The Hmong or Mong prefer to locate their villages at high altitudes (1,000-1,200 m). They are the pioneers among primary-shifting cultivators. Rice and corn are the main subsistence crops, and opium is the principal cash crop. The Lao Government is trying to relocate the Hmong people from the forest and the highlands, to lowlands. The main reason is to stop them from growing opium, and to prevent rebellious anti-Government activities. The latter date back to the 1970's and were sponsored by the American CIA. This village was established in 1994. During the spring of 2003, the police confiscated all the rifles from the Hmong tribesmen, while other hill-tribes were allowed to keep theirs. (Photo by Gerhard Joren/LightRocket via Getty Images)