In the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan
The Brokpa (highland nomads) of Sakten and Merak, in eastern Bhutan - live in a world deeply intertwined with spirits and a deep, profound connection to nature.
In the high altitudes, these communities believe the landscape is inhabited by numerous non-human spirits - which act as guardians of the natural world.
Sharing this on #internationalearthday
Four years on from the start of this journey, next week we’ll be launching the trailer for our FINISHED film, Folk Who Roam. 🎬📽🌿
Back in 2022, Emma H had just arrived in Sheffield and was still finding her footing, while Emma C was searching for a new film project that could say something meaningful about our relationship with the English landscape. After being introduced by a mutual friend, the project quickly began to take shape, and we were soon joined by the brilliant traditional musician Rosie Butler-Hall and ethnographic photographer Cat Vinton.
What followed has been a slow unfolding across seasons, places, and many conversations. By following the making of a special community violin, we explored how music, craft, and landscape intertwine. The film is a call for a more open England – one where access and musical tradition can be shared more freely.
We can’t wait to share the first glimpse of the finished film with you next week. Tickets for the Sheffield launch on May 17th, featuring a live performance from folk group Sāwol, are available now, link in our bios!
Original Music by @rosiebutlerhallmusic
Images by @catvinton
Supported by @blundstone_uk
#folkfiddle #fiddle #righttoroam #violinmaking #sheffield
Tibetan lunar new year LOSAR
Dzongsar Monastery - a Kham-pa woman wears beautiful pieces of turquoise and coral in her braided hair - at a Losar Festival in a remote valley of southern Dêgê - Sichuan
Happy Losar and love to my Tibetan friends
Mongolian lunar new year TSAGAAN SAR - white moon
Tuya preparing to make buuz / Mongolian dumplings - in the Bayan Gobi, the very northern edge of the Gobi desert
@panoramicjourneys
Happy new year and love to my Mongolian friends
Today marks lunar new year across the Himalaya, Tibetan Plateau and Mongolia
The Year of the Fire Horse
A restless, transformative energy, bringing strength, boundless freedom and perseverance. A year for powerful stories, bold voices and fearless ideas…
Ad Tso and her mum - on the Sichuan/Qinghai border, deep in the Bayan Kar Mountains.
THE LAST OF THE NOMADS
In search of those who listen still
Dolpo-pa (nomads of Dolpo)
A few of the (hand woven) yak-wool sacks with daily essentials - are packed and re-sewn each morning on the migration…
Most of the sacks are full of salt or grain - depending on the direction of the migration
All the sacks are tied onto the yaks - transporting salt and grain - along the ancient trade route - the life blood of the Himalaya
THE LAST OF THE NOMADS
In search of those who listen still
Dolpo-pa (nomads of Dolpo) deep in the Himalaya on the ancient salt-grain trade route - the life blood of the Himalaya
This is Tashi and Dolma carrying babies on their backs - crossing the Baga-La (Baga-pass)
These people are some of the toughest I have ever met…
Today the rhythm of their migration across the roof of the world is changing but they remain one of the last nomadic caravans of the world…
THE LAST OF THE NOMADS
In search of those who listen still
Dolpo-pa (nomads of Dolpo) on the ancient salt-grain trade route across the Himalaya
This is life along the migration
There’s something fundamental about how they live that we have lost in our broken consumerist societies. Unencumbered by the trappings and comforts of a settled life, they embody a powerful freedom, a force that binds them as communities and underscores
their resilience, and it’s this spirit that I’m drawn to, that I’m trying to listen to and communicate through my images…
Kooka - my Kazakh nomad friend - deep in Mongolia’s Altai mountains - at the place of his winter home.
He is a force - his spirit as wild as these mountains…
Such a privilege to have experienced the winter migration alongside these nomads.
Everything in the life of nomads is tied to cycles and the seasons.
Today - on the shortest day and longest night - (now) at 3:03pm - marks the Winter Solstice - here in the UK
From here - the days get longer and lighter ☀️
Thinking of the rugged spirit of my nomad friends - from the remotest corners of the world
Sending love to everyone ♥️
Deep in the Altai mountains of western Mongolia, with the Kazakh nomads on the winter migration.
Pre dawn to after dark for four days - 180kms - with Kooka and hundreds of animals
Supported by @panoramicjourneys@sidetrackedmag
Deep in the Altai mountains of western Mongolia, with the Kazakh nomads…
I’m incredibly fortunate to have roamed wild, remote, beautiful mountains all over the world and immersed in their way of life - with the people who call them home…
Kooka on the winter migration
International Mountain Day 11.12
- the day I landed Earth side ♥️
Deep in the Altai mountains of western Mongolia, with the Kazakh nomads…
- We carve our path through mountains rising on both sides that slowly disappear out of sight in the now full whiteout. We push on like this all day, the sky, the earth and the horizon all in one tone of white. We climb and descend, no trees, no marked pathways, just Kooka’s wayfinding across this ancient land of mountains and strong winds.
We catch up to another migration in a whirlwind of commotion in a full-on snowstorm at the edge of the Khar Nuur (the Black Lake). Men’s voices carry on the wind, a calf has given up and is left. A raw, brutal reality. Our mood is somber from here – we stay close to the water’s edge as dark closes in. We are cold, hungry and tired but keep going well into the moonlit night sky… -
Full story @sidetrackedmag latest volume 34
Supported by @panoramicjourneys
