In an effort to document some of the lasts indigenous tribes in existence for the purposes of preserving a historical record for future generations, British photographer, Jimmy Nelson, has traveled to numerous countries such as Ethiopia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Ecuador, India, and New Zealand.
Using a 50-year-old, 4×5 camera, Jimmy’s three year project, “Before They Pass Away,” has documented over 30 isolated tribes, showing us their rich culture and traditions that will someday be obsolete in the face of a rapidly changing world.
 I wanted to witness their time-honoured traditions, join in their rituals and discover how the rest of the world is threatening to change their way of life forever. Most importantly, I wanted to create an ambitious aesthetic photographic document that would stand the test of time. A body of work that would be an irreplaceable ethnographic record of a fast disappearing world.
The poignant photos are published in a beautiful, coffee table book and there are talks to create a TV series based on his adventures. Take a look at some of the rarely seen people groups from around the world:
CREDITS : Photographs by Jimmy Nelson have been used with permission for SLR Lounge. Do not copy, modify or re-post this article or images without express permission from SLR Lounge and the artist.
How important do you think it is to capture a way of life that is almost untouched by modern conveniences? What can we learn from the beauty and simplicity of these tribes? Feel free to comment below.
