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20120414KonTum136.JPG

A wooden spirit guardian stands watch over a grave in a Jarai cemetery in the Central Highlands near Kon Tum, Vietnam. The Jarai are the largest of more than two dozen Montagnard, or Dega, hill tribes. They believe the spirits of the deceased linger for a long time, often years, after death, and relatives bring food and drink to appease the spirits before they pass on to the next world.  After the spirit has been determined to have passed on, the grave is abandoned, and a carved wooden statue is erected to watch over it. April 14, 2012.
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