Published:  00:00 Tuesday - December 11, 2007

An exhibition of photos taken between1900 and 1954 about the secret lives of the ethnic minority cultures in Tay Nguyen (the Central Highlands), runs until Sunday at the French Cultural Centre L’Espace 24, Trang Tien Street.

The 100 images on display were compiled by renowned French ethnologists Henri Maitre, Jacques Dournes and author of ethnology study Nous avons mangé la forêt (We Eat the Forest) George Condominas, amongst others.

Picked from the vast amount of material preserved at the l’École francaise d’Extrême-Orient, the images reveal a hidden world of customs and traditions, involving everything from tombs and domestic chores to Nhà Rông (communal house).

More unique moments captured by the lens include funeral ceremonies, a buffalo sacrifice and a lie-detecting ritual using leaves and molten lead.

As well as photographs, the exhibition also has on show a handwritten copy of folk-songs, collected during the period.

Condominas and his Vietnamese colleagues are also holding a conference titled Ethnology Is a Living Art at 3pm tomorrow at the same venue.