Two Miao boys with topknots and flintlock pistols, Basha Gun Village, Guizhou Province, China

Basha village in the southeast of Guizhou province, China, is the home of the last tribe of gunmen in China. The Basha are the only tribe that can legally carry real guns in China. The village is isolated from the outside world and the villagers lead a self-sufficient life in the hilly areas of southern China and retain the dressing and living customs hundreds of years ago. Their traditional dress is a hand woven indigo-dyed black cotton made waterproof and shiny by coating with egg white. The young boys have their heads shaven at around 7 to 15 years of age leaving just a long shank of hair that is twisted into a topnot. The villagers worship trees as gods. They believe the topnots on their heads represent trees, while the purple-brown clothes they wear represent bark.