I recently received an email with a series of photos of people in obscure tribes. The photos are well-done and intriguing. But the introduction bothered me:
Photographer Jimmy Nelson set out on a journey to
the remote homelands of ancient, isolated
civilizations. "My dream had always been to preserve
our world's tribes through my photography. Not to stop
change from happening -- because I know I can't -- but
to create a visual document reminding us, and the
generations after us, of the beauty of pure and honest
living.
How about another video or document that shows the rampant disease, the malnutrition, the demagoguery, and the astoundingly short life expectancies that have been associated with this so-called "pure and honest living"?
This is not to denigrate the photographic preservation of different cultures and styles. Rather, it is to emphasize that paying homage to mythical Nirvanas is misleading at best. Life was and is hard for nearly all the participants in cultures like the ones studied in these photographs. Modern life, with relative abundance and security, and far better health care, is amazing and so wonderful in comparison.