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Stunning Portraits of Primitive Tribes and the Photographer Behind Them

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NEW YORK—Since photographer Jimmy Nelson announced the release of his new book, “Before They Pass Away,” the Internet has been ablaze with its stunning images, the result of three years spent photographing 30 remote tribes.

For this project, Nelson traveled to places like the farthest reaches of Siberia, the highlands of New Guinea, and the desert of Namibia. It took perseverance, patience, and vulnerability to overcome cultural and language barriers—the long exposure time of Nelson’s traditional plate camera required that the subjects stay still for several seconds, moments that became meditative points of connection.

The images present a fresh look at peoples we thought we understood, and challenge us to rethink our assumptions—not only about tribal people, but also about what they have to teach the modern world.

Nelson is quick to point out that he is not an anthropologist, but an “idealistic photographer” who bemoans the loss of culture in a rapidly globalizing world. He acknowledges that tribal people will inevitably adopt nontraditional lifestyles, and hopes that when they do, they will hold on to their rich cultures, without which the world would be poorer. 

“Before They Pass Away” is published by teNeues, Germany’s second largest publisher. I spoke to Nelson before a Nov. 21 book signing at The Strand bookstore. 

Epoch Times: Tell me about your first time immersed in a foreign culture
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Mr. Jimmy Nelson: From ages 0 to 7 I lived abroad. My father was a geologist working for an oil company, so each year we lived in a different country, all Third World countries. Ever since I can remember we lived abroad. 

Epoch Times: So there was no one home culture for you.

Mr. Nelson: No, and ironically the first real home I’ve ever had is now, living in Amsterdam, but I’m not Dutch.

Epoch Times: There’s long been a notion among modern people that tribal societies are primitive or violent. 

Mr. Nelson: Not once was I ever harmed in any way. I’m more afraid of walking through the streets here with my computer in my bag. The only harm I encountered was danger of transport. There, it’s all about human contact. If you put yourself in a vulnerable situation so far from home, they will take you in. There’s so little materialism, they’ve got so little to gain because they don’t need it anyway. 

Epoch Times: In your experience, how do tribes view modern society?

Mr. Nelson: They’re curious. Wherever we went, no matter how remote it was, we weren’t more than two or three days away from the Internet. They will get Internet access very soon. There’s this feeling among them, I think, that they’ve missed out on something. What I want to suggest to them when I return [next spring] to show them their pictures is that they haven’t—that they already have something very valuable, which we (in modern societies) have lost. 

Epoch Times: What are the biggest threats to tribal societies today?

Mr. Nelson: The only real conflict around them is the governments that want to use their land for mining, deforestation, things like that. In all the environments, their lands are embedded with rich resources, and they will all eventually be pushed out. The threat is as much their feeling that they’ve been missing out on something.

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    • FarmerX

      Dude, those are the scariest clowns ever. They are likely the pygmies mentioned in “strange wilderness”. The white man in the photo was never found……..

      But seriously, Primitive people are so beautiful. Except the scary clowns of course.

      I would liked to have seen Inuits represented here also.

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