The faces of the world's most colourful and remote indigenous cultures, in photographer Jimmy Nelson's portraits

Rights · Camilla Soldati · 2018-02-07

Indigenous traditions are inexorably disappearing. Jimmy Nelson travels the world to photograph the most striking and remote indigenous peoples on the Planet, to show us just how special they are.

Photography has always had the incredible power to reach the heart of people of every nationality, language and age, and to serve as an essential tool for raising awareness on a great many issues. And that is precisely what photographer and reporter Jimmy Nelson does on his travels across the world to visit the last remaining indigenous cultures. Through his lens he shows us the value – and the beauty – of the world's cultural diversity.

Clan Uramana, Amuioan. Tufi, Papua Nuova Guinea, 2017 © Jimmy Nelson/Before they pass away — Uramana clan, Amuioan. Tufi, Papua New Guinea, 2017 © Jimmy Nelson/Before they pass away

His photographs take us to the most remote corners of the Planet and bear witness to the inexorable speed with which these communities adapt and change as they draw closer to and embrace the future. Nelson's journeys among these tribes gave rise to the book Before they pass away (parts 1 and 2). We spoke with him about his vocation, his adventures and his connections with indigenous tribes.

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You began your journey as a photographer by travelling through Tibet. How and why did you come to focus on indigenous cultures?
I was 17, but I didn't start out as a photographer straight away. I ran away. As a child I had some strange experiences that disconnected me. At 16 my hair fell out, which changed my appearance considerably, and on top of that I was a very creative boy, so people called me stupid. Essentially, I wasn't a happy teenager. So I disappeared to Tibet — not because there were indigenous peoples there, but because there were monks without hair. It was a connection. My journey was a process of reconnecting: Who am I? How do I look? How do you see me? How do I see you? My camera, then, was a metaphor for describing the people I met. In two years of travelling I received more love and kindness than I had ever received from my own culture. And today, 33 years on, I am doing the same thing. I am not an anthropologist or an ethnologist. Perhaps, selfishly, I am trying to stay connected with people who are real and humanly rich. The story, and therefore the project, has grown bigger and bigger, and I am photographing more and more indigenous groups, but the motivation behind it all remains the same.

"Before they pass away, parte 1" parla di 35 comunità indigene. Come le ha scelte e come si è messo in contatto con loro?
The goal was to create a visual kaleidoscope of geographical diversity. So I chose the most colourful communities in the world, the most isolated ones, set against ever-changing landscapes. The general idea is an aesthetic cross-section of the world. I connected them through the experiences I've gathered spending my entire life travelling, so I have a broad sense of where the communities are located. When I'm on the road I have all the ingredients, but I don't know what the final result will be. I leave it to chance — once I arrive, I see what happens. The second part of the project (Before they pass away, parte 2), which will be released in autumn, features 85 new indigenous communities. But now it's they who approach me: "Come and visit us. We are special, unique." What's more, in the second part I return to some of the tribes I had already visited in the first, to complete the circle of discussion.

Maori, Huka Falls, New Zealand. The Maori participate fully in New Zealand culture and society, leading largely Western lifestyles while at the same time maintaining their own social and cultural traditions © Jimmy Nelson

Maori, New Zealand. Due to centuries of isolation from the rest of the world, the Maori formed a distinct society with its own characteristic art, a separate language and a unique mythology © Jimmy Nelson

Cormorant fishermen, Yangshuo, China. Cormorant fishing is a traditional form of fishing in which fishermen train cormorants to fish in the Li River © Jimmy Nelson

Huaorani people. For at least a thousand years the Amazonian Oriente forest has been the home of the Huaorani (meaning 'human beings' or 'the people'). The Huaorani consider themselves the most courageous indigenous group in the Amazon. Until 1956 they had never had contact with the outside world. The Huaorani have an extensive knowledge of animals, plants and trees, owing to a total dependence on the natural world © Jimmy Nelson

The Kazakhs are descendants of Turkic, Mongol and Indo-Iranian indigenous groups and of the Huns, who inhabited the territories between Siberia and the Black Sea. They are a semi-nomadic people and have traversed the mountains and valleys of western Mongolia with their herds since the 19th century. The ancient art of eagle hunting is one of the traditions and skills that the Kazakhs have passed down over the decades © Jimmy Nelson

Chukchi people. The ancient Chukchi people live on the Chukotka Peninsula. Due to the harsh climate and the difficult life of the tundra, generosity and hospitality are valued qualities among the Chukchi. They believe that all natural phenomena have their own spirit. The traditional way of life still survives but is increasingly integrated © Jimmy Nelson

Maasai, Kenya/Tanzania. The entire Maasai way of life depended on livestock, following the rains across vast areas in search of food and water. Today it is common to see young Maasai in cities selling not only goats and cows, but also beads, mobile phones, charcoal and grain © Jimmy Nelson

Maasai. "Lions run faster than us. But we run further" © Jimmy Nelson

Maori. Taupo Village, New Zealand © Jimmy Nelson

Mustang, Nepal. The Mustang culture is one of the last surviving Tibetan cultures. Until 1991 no one was permitted to enter Mustang. The traditions of the Lo people are connected to early Buddhism. They are religious and prayer and festivals are integral parts of their lives. The grandeur of their monasteries reflects the prominent role of religion © Jimmy Nelson

Mursi, Ethiopia. The nomadic Mursi population lives in the lower reaches of the African Rift Valley. Extreme drought has made it difficult to depend on traditional farming and herding. Their economy is based on barter and sharing. Increasing numbers of tourists visit Mursi villages offering money in exchange for photographs, and so their economy is changing © Jimmy Nelson

Goroka, Papua New Guinea. The indigenous population of the world's second largest island is one of the most heterogeneous on the Planet © Jimmy Nelson

Nenets. Yamal Peninsula, Urals, Siberia. The Nenets are reindeer herders who have moved across the Yamal Peninsula for centuries, enduring temperatures that range from -50 degrees in winter to 35 in summer. The discovery of oil and gas reserves in the 1970s and the expansion of infrastructure on the peninsula have changed their indigenous way of life © Jimmy Nelson

Nenets. Today more than 10,000 nomads herd 300,000 reindeer across the grazing lands of the Arctic tundra. After thousands of years, the Nenets today are perhaps facing one of their greatest challenges. Since the discovery of oil and gas reserves in the 1970s, the Nenets have had increasing contact with the outside world © Jimmy Nelson

Karo. Omo Valley, Ethiopia. The Omo Valley, in the African Rift Valley, is home to around 200,000 indigenous people who have lived in these areas for millennia. Among them are between one thousand and three thousand Karo who inhabit the eastern banks of the Omo River and practise a form of agriculture made possible by the river's floods, growing sorghum, maize and beans © Jimmy Nelson

Karo. The most important ceremony in a man's life is called Dimi. Its purpose is to celebrate and bless his daughter's fertility and marriage. Once the Dimi has been celebrated, a man becomes an elder. 10 cows and 30 smaller animals are usually slaughtered, while others are traded for coffee. Men and women dress in furs to celebrate and dance, while the village leaders bless the girl © Jimmy Nelson

Karo children in the village of Korcho. Omo Valley, Ethiopia © Jimmy Nelson

Banna people, village of Bori. Omo Valley, Ethiopia © Jimmy Nelson

Arbore people, Omo Valley, Ethiopia. The Arbore believe in a supreme being, creator and father of mankind, whom they call Waq © Jimmy Nelson

Huli people. Ambua Falls, Papua New Guinea. The Huli are traditionally animists who adhere to strict offering rituals to appease the spirits of their ancestors © Jimmy Nelson

Huli. Ambua Falls, Papua New Guinea. The Huli believe that illness and misfortune are the result of witchcraft and magic © Jimmy Nelson

Huli. Ambua Falls, Papua New Guinea. The largest highland tribe is that of the Huli Wigmen, who paint their faces yellow, red and white, and are famous for the traditional wigs made from their own hair. These wigs resemble feathered hats, intricately decorated with bird-of-paradise and parrot feathers © Jimmy Nelson

Goroka. Misty Mount Jalibu, Papua New Guinea © Jimmy Nelson

Goroka, Eastern Islands, Papua New Guinea © Jimmy Nelson

Simbai is home to the indigenous Kalam people, in the heart of the Madang Highlands, one of the most isolated places in Papua New Guinea, where people still lead a subsistence lifestyle in traditional villages scattered across unspoilt wilderness © Jimmy Nelson

Rabari people. For as long as the group's collective memory goes back, Rabari women have embroidered fabrics as an expression of creativity, aesthetics and identity. The designs are drawn from mythology and desert landscapes © Jimmy Nelson

Chukchi, Siberia. Sculpture and carving in walrus bone and tusk are the most highly developed forms of folk art among the Chukchi © Jimmy Nelson

Rah Lava is one of two small remote islands belonging to the Banks Islands group in the nation of Vanuatu, in the southern Pacific Ocean. Their isolation from the rest of the world and their pristine, resource-rich natural environment have led to the gradual emergence of a unique culture and way of life © Jimmy Nelson

The three days of the Toka Festival on the island of Tanna are one of the most traditional celebrations in Vanuatu. The event, which traditionally marked the end of a tribal war, is today a symbol of alliance and friendship between different indigenous groups © Jimmy Nelson

Longhorn Miao. In Guiyang Province, in southern China, there are a small number of remote and traditional villages of the Miao people © Jimmy Nelson