The ash from the fires is part of the essence of camp life. They use it to massage their Ankole Watusi cattle, which mitigates against bites from Tsetse flies. Children and adults are involved in this, and it serves to connect the tribe with their livestock. Each animal is known to its owners, and their bond is built on affection and care. They are seen leading their cows to their stakes, where they spend the night.
The boys and men of the tribe also veneer themselves with ash which gives them a ghostly appearance as they walk between their animals. As the sun sets in African style, the light, smoke, and dust create an ethereal atmosphere, where tribal traits and traditions are perpetuated in the twenty-first century. These ancient practices ensure harmony with the environment and have a small ecological footprint, which is local and ensures cultural longevity. These people have a very sustainable existence, and their connection with nature should be a message to us all.
When the day starts, the work starts, and they gather the fresh dung deposited overnight and place it on the ground to dry out. This is their fuel, a fuel for life in an existence that transcends time. Later in the day, the children and teenagers gather the dried dung to fuel the fires, which still have embers from the morning. These conical piles of dung light slowly and create the smoke haze that the cattle camps are renowned for. The air loses its clarity, and there are plumes of smoke in all parts of the camp, which creates a scene where the Mundari and their animals, cattle, sheep, and goats, appear to fade into a nebulous mist. Their bond with the Earth is inextricable and sustainable.
The fires are fed by the children using the dried leather skins of the cattle; even children of four or five years old participate. The impact on their lungs must affect their long term health. The ash from the fires is part of the essence of camp life. They use it to massage their Ankole Watusi cattle, which mitigates against bites from Tsetse flies. Children and adults are involved in this and this serves to connect the tribe with their livestock. Each animal is known to its owners, and their bond is built on affection and care. They are seen leading their cows to their stakes, where they spend the night. The boys and men of the tribe also veneer themselves with ash which gives them a ghostly appearance as they walk between their animals. As the sun sets in African style, the light, smoke, and dust create an ethereal atmosphere, where tribal traits and traditions are perpetuated in the twenty-first century.
These ancient practices ensure harmony with the environment and have a small ecological footprint, which is local and ensures cultural longevity. These people have a very sustainable existence, and their connection with nature should be a message to us all.
What are the TWO most impactful features that make your image a good photograph? Don’t be shy!
The dynamism of the moment and the visual impact of it.
If you could make this photo again, what would be the ONE thing you would like to do better or different?
Perhaps catch more of his face?
Trevor Cole shared this photograph with the FRAMES Facebook Group.
Photographer
Trevor Cole, Donegal, Ireland
Equipment and settings
Nikon Z8, 24-70, f2.8
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