Show Navigation

Search Results

Refine Search
Match all words
Match any word
Prints
Personal Use
Royalty-Free
Rights-Managed
(leave unchecked to
search all images)
{ 199 images found }

Loading ()...

  • The mask and castanets of El Colacho, the devil incarnate, and the drum, tophat and drumstick of the drummer, both important figures at the celebration of the Fiesta del Colacho, in Castrillo de Murcia, Burgos province, Spain. The Fiesta del Colacho is held every year at the time of the Catholic feast Corpus Christi.
    5023.jpg
  • The masked El Colacho, the devil incarnate, chases the troublesome village youngsters, trying to hit them with his whip, during the Fiesta del Colacho, in Castrillo de Murcia, Burgos province, Spain. The Fiesta del Colacho is held every year at the time of the Catholic feast Corpus Christi.
    5001f.jpg
  • Family houses in Radburn, a district in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, USA, and one of America's first planned communities. One third of the population of Fair Lawn are Jewish.
    5478.jpg
  • Jewish boys wearing kippah, or scullcap, during a girl's bat mitzvah, her coming-of-age ritual, at Temple Avoda, a Reform synagogue, in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, USA.
    5487.jpg
  • Worhisppers receive the consecrated bread known as the Eucharist, at the celebration of mass during the Fiesta del Colaco, in Castrillo de Murcia, Burgos province, Spain. The Fiesta del Colacho is held every year at the time of the Catholic feast Corpus Christi.
    5009.jpg
  • The masked El Colacho, the devil incarnate, chases the troublesome village youngsters, trying to hit them with his whip, during the Fiesta del Colacho, in Castrillo de Murcia, Burgos province, Spain. The Fiesta del Colacho is held every year at the time of the Catholic feast Corpus Christi.
    4999.jpg
  • A crimson poppy field with the village Castrillo de Murcia in the background, in Burgos province, Castilla y Leon, Spain.
    4984.jpg
  • Friends join a Jewish bat mitzvah girl in party games in New Jersey, USA. She belongs to a Reform Jewish synagogue, where Sabbath observance rules are less strict than among Conservative or Orthodox congregations, and her reception is held straight after the synagogue ceremony.
    5486.jpg
  • After giving her a prayer shawl and blessing, the rabbi talks to a Jewish girl before she goes through her bat mitzvah, her coming-of-age ritual, at her Reform Jewish synagogue in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, USA. After this she will enter the synagogue hall to read extracts from the Torah, the holy scriptures, to the congregation. Jewish tradition dictates that a girl comes of age at twelve, though in Reform and Conservative Jewish congregations they usually become bat mitzvahs at thirteen, the same age as boys.
    5481.jpg
  • A monk shaves the head of a Shan boy during Poy Sang Long, a yearly ceremony at which boys are ordained as novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand. The shaving takes place inside the Buddhist temple Wat Hua Wiang. Practically every Shan boy goes through this three-day ceremony sometime between the age of eight and fourteen. After the ordination, the boy spends about one month in a Buddhist monastery and then usually returns to normal life again.
    3975.jpg
  • Two Korowai men look down from their treehouse in Papua, Indonesia. September 2000. The Korowai are a so-called treehouse people, building their homes high up in the trees.This particular house, which has been built some fifteen meters above ground, is occupied by two families.
    3662.jpg
  • Traditional Apache female moccasins, worn by a young Apache woman at a Sunrise Dance held at the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona, USA.
    4550.jpg
  • Three Kombai men stand outside a newly built treehouse some 25 meters up in a tall tree in Papua, Indonesia. September 2000. The Kombai are a so-called treehouse people, building their homes high up in the trees.
    3652.jpg
  • Male guests, all armed with bows and arrows, run into the festival house during a sago grub festival held by a Kombai clan in Papua, Indonesia. September 2000. The Kombai are a so-called treehouse people, building their homes high up in the trees, and the sago grub festival, during which large quantities of sago grubs are consumed, is their most important religious rite.
    3041.jpg
  • Armed Kombai sentries watch as guests arrive at the site of a sago grub festival in Papua, Indonesia. September 2000. The Kombai are a so-called treehouse people, building their homes high up in the trees, and the sago grub festival, during which large quantities of sago grubs are consumed, is their most important religious rite.
    3036.jpg
  • An Apache girl, dressed in buckskin dress, runs during her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, the San Carlos Apache Reservation, Arizona, USA. She runs four times, each time a little bit longer. This symbolises the four stages of life. Close behind her godmother and relatives  follow, the women dressed in camp dresses. The food, snacks and drinks on the ground symbolise a life without material want. The Sunrise Dance is supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life. The ceremony is also an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers.
    4538.jpg
  • An Apache girl dressed in traditional buckskin clothes dances beside a bonfire at a Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Reservation, Arizona, USA. The figures in the background are mountain spirits (gaan) or crown dancers. The girl is not the young girl for whom the puberty rite is held, but one of four girls chosen to dance with her and the mountain spirits by the evening bonfire. The Sunrise Dance is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4607.jpg
  • Two young Xhosa, who have recently become men by going through the traditional Xhosa male initiation rite, are going for a walk in Khayalethu South Township, Knysna, South Africa, in December, 2006. As signs of their manhood they are wearing red facial paint, long trousers, a shirt, a jacket and a cap, and, following local customs, they will continue to do so for about six months.
    5440.jpg
  • Sisters and female cousins of a young Hamar man who will to perform the bull jump, a ritual making him eligible for marriage, show their devotion to him by dancing and singing about their excitement about his forth-coming jump in South Omo, Ethiopia. The 40,000-strong, cattle-herding Hamar are among the largest of the 20 or so ethnic groups which inhabit the culturally diverse Omo region in south-west Ethiopia.
    5402.jpg
  • A young Hamar man with painted face who takes part in a bull jump, a ritual at which a man runs across the backs of a row of bullocks in order to become eligible for marriage, in South Omo, Ethiopia. The man is a maz, somebody who has completed the bull jump but has yet to marry, and the painted rings around his eyes show that he performed the jump eight days ago. The 40,000-strong, cattle-herding Hamar are among the largest of the 20 or so ethnic groups which inhabit the culturally diverse Omo region in south-west Ethiopia.
    5413.jpg
  • A Kombai man, with a rat tail headband around his forehead, holds up an arrow with a pierced but still live lizard in Papua, Indonesia. September 2000. The lizard was shot down from a tree. The Kombai are a so-called treehouse people who build their homes high up in the trees.
    3011.jpg
  • A family calls down the spirit of a dead family member with the help of incense at Todos Santos or All Saints Day in Oruro, Bolivia. An altar has been built at home, and it is the father of the dead man who kneels with the incense in front of it. Beside him kneels the widow, and to the right stands the mother. In the Altiplano of Bolivia, it is customary that a family, in which there has been a death within the last three years, build a shrine at home at Todos Santos, decorating it with religious symbols as well as a picture of the deceased and food and drink that he or she liked, and then call down the spirit for a three day visit. During the spirit’s visit, the family and friends chew coca leaves, drink alcohol and eat food together.
    3670.jpg
  • A novice monk carries a food bowl during a morning alms walk in the streets of Mae Hong Son, Thailand. April 2003. People will put food into the bowl as an offering, thereby gaining religious merit.
    4027.jpg
  • Novice monks walk the streets with their food bowls early in the morning, Mae Hong Son, Thailand. April 2003. People will stop them on the way to put food into their bowls as an offering.
    4026.jpg
  • The San Carlos Lake on the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona, USA. June 2004. The lake was about to dry out at the time the photograph was taken, threatening the tribal economy, since much of the tribal income derives from the sale of fishing permits.
    4629.jpg
  • A happy couple embracing each other after just having been married at a drive-thru wedding at A Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. They are standing in the sunroof of a rented Limousine and the bride is holding the marriage certificate. They groom is an immigrant from Nepal. The wedding industry is the third largest in Las Vegas after gambling and entertainment.
    4720.jpg
  • Xhosa male initiates light a fire, fuelled by car tires, around which they will dance before returning home after one month in seclusion in a special initiation camp. December 2006 in Knysna, South Africa. The boys are going through the traditional Xhosa male initiation rite. They have been circumcised, and their faces are painted white to ward off attacks by witches.
    5434.jpg
  • Two cousins dressed up as princes and their attendants leave the house of a relative during Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand.
    4006.jpg
  • Saguaro cactuses on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA.
    4637.jpg
  • An Uru Murato fisherman returns from a fishing trip with the catch in a wooden box strapped to his back at Lago Poopo, the Altiplano, Bolivia. He walks over the dry bed of the partially dried up lake.
    3667.jpg
  • Two Kombai men collect sago grubs found inside a rotten sago palm in Papua, Indonesia. September 2000. The palm was felled seven weeks earlier, wrapped in leaves and then left to rot in order for the scarab beetle to come and lay its eggs inside. The grubs will be consumed during a a sago grub festival. This is the most important religious rite of the Kombai, who are a so-called treehouse people, building thir homes high up in the trees.
    3029.jpg
  • Four Kombai women chop and pound the pith of a sago palm with a tool made of of a piece of bamboo in Papua, Indonesia, in order to extract the edible, starchy sago flour. September 2000. The Kombai are a so-called treehouse people who build their homes high up in the trees, and sago is one of their staple foods.
    3021.jpg
  • A Kombai man with an edible insect in his mouth in Papua, Indonesia. September 2000. The Kombai are a so-called treehouse people who build their homes high up in the trees.
    3019.jpg
  • A group of Kombai men fish with the use of poisonous crushed bark in Papua, Indonesia. September 2000. The bark is placed in a part of the creek where the water runs slowly. A piece of crushed bark is seen to the right. The man in the foreground carries a stone axe. The Kombai are a so-called treehouse people who build their homes high up in the trees.
    3013.jpg
  • A Kombai woman carries a child on her hip during a hunting and foraging trip in the rainforest in Papua, Indonesia. September 2000. The Kombai are a so-called treehouse people who build their homes high up in the trees. The woman also carries a string bag in which to put foodstuff or her child when it gets sleepy.
    3010.jpg
  • A new treehouse built some 15 meters above ground in Papua, Indonesia. September 2000. The house belongs to a group of Kombai, one of the rainforest groups referred to as Treehouse People, since they buid their homes high in the trees.
    2996.jpg
  • Dani women engaging in a ritual mud battle during a girl's hotaly, her first menstruation ceremony, in the Baliem Valley, Papua Region, Indonesia. The mud battle takes place after a night of singing and dancing in the cooking house of the settlement where the girl lives.
    3063.jpg
  • Xhosa male initiates dancing and singing beside a fire the night before returning home after one month in seclusion in a special initiation camp in Knysna, South Africa, in December 2006. The boys are going through the traditional Xhosa male initiation rite, after which they will be accepted as men by the Xhosa society. They have been circumcised, and their faces are painted white to ward off attacks by witches.
    5435.jpg
  • Young Xhosa initiates, who spend about a month together in a special initiation camp, play traditional games with their guardian in Ciskei, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, in December, 2006. The initiates go through the traditional Xhosa male initiation rite, which transforms them into adult men. They have been circumcised, and they wear white body paint to ward off attacks by witches.
    5442.jpg
  • While men hold a row of bullocks still a Hamar initiate runs over their backs at a bull jumping ritual, in South Omo, Ethiopia. By successfully completing the bull jump a Hamar man becomes eligible for marriage. The 40,000-strong, cattle-herding Hamar are among the largest of the 20 or so ethnic groups which inhabit the culturally diverse South Omo region in south-west Ethiopia.
    5419.jpg
  • A Hamar bride-to-be takes of her fiancé's bark headband and hangs it in a tree during the couple's betrothal ceremony, in South Omo, Ethiopia. The ceremony is supervised by the young man's uncle. The 40,000-strong, cattle-herding Hamar are among the largest of the 20 or so ethnic groups which inhabit the culturally diverse South Omo region in south-west Ethiopia.
    5423.jpg
  • Attendants dance with boys dressed up as princes on their shoulders on their way to the house of some relatives during Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand. One of the relatives throws rice on them as a blessing.
    4333.jpg
  • Attendants dance and carry boys dressed up as princes on their shoulders at Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand.
    3988.jpg
  • Members of her husbands family dance for a young mother and present her with gifts when she emerges and shows hereself at the end of her first childbirth ritual. Palau, Micronesia, in February, 2005. For five days prior to this coming-out ceremony, the young mother has twice daily been given hot cleansing baths by a medicine woman. Every Palauan woman goes through a first childbirth ritual, a ngasech, two to three months after giving birth for the first time. The grass skirt which this woman is wearing is made of wool.
    4909.jpg
  • A group of Kombai men build a new treehouse some 25 meters up in a  tall tree in the rainforest of Papua, Indonesia. September 2000. The Kombai are a so-called treehouse people, building their homes high up in the trees.
    3651.jpg
  • Kombai men, armed with bows and arrows, dance during a sago grub festival in Papua, Indonesia. September 2000. The Kombai are a so-called treehouse people, building their homes high up in the trees, and the sago grub festival, during which large quantities of sago grubs are consumed, is their most important religious rite.
    3039.jpg
  • Kombai men collect sago grubs found inside a rotten sago palm in Papua, Indonesia. September 2000. The palm was felled seven weeks earlier, wrapped in leaves and then left to rot in order for the scarab beetle to come and lay its eggs inside. The grubs will be consumed during a a sago grub festival. This is the most important religious rite of the Kombai, who are a so-called treehouse people, building thir homes high up in the trees.
    3030.jpg
  • Young Hamar men and women take part in a courtship dance after a bull jumping ritual, in South Omo, Ethiopia. The bull jump is a ritual at which a man runs over a row of bullocks in order to become eligible for marriage, and the erotic dances that follow continue all night and into the following morning. The 40,000-strong, cattle-herding Hamar are among the largest of the 20 or so ethnic groups which inhabit the culturally diverse South Omo region in south-west Ethiopia.
    5421.jpg
  • While men hold a row of bullocks still a Hamar initiate runs over their backs at a bull jumping ritual, in South Omo, Ethiopia. By successfully completing the bull jump a Hamar man becomes eligible for marriage. The 40,000-strong, cattle-herding Hamar are among the largest of the 20 or so ethnic groups which inhabit the culturally diverse South Omo region in south-west Ethiopia.
    5418.jpg
  • Hamar men hold bullocks still during a bull jump, in South Omo, Ethiopia. The bull jump is a ritual at which a man runs across the backs of a row of bullocks in order to become eligible for marriage. The 40,000-strong, cattle-herding Hamar are among the largest of the 20 or so ethnic groups which inhabit the culturally diverse Omo region in south-west Ethiopia.
    5417.jpg
  • A Hamar man’s face is painted before taking part in a bull jump, in South Omo, Ethiopia. The bull jump is a ritual at which a man runs across the backs of a row of bullocks in order to become eligible for marriage. The 40,000-strong, cattle-herding Hamar are among the largest of the 20 or so ethnic groups which inhabit the culturally diverse Omo region in south-west Ethiopia.
    5410.jpg
  • A double rainbow arches over a Hamar village and a Hamar girl who carries and infant on her hip, in South Omo, Ethiopia. The 40,000-strong, cattle-herding Hamar are among the largest of the 20 or so ethnic groups which inhabit the culturally diverse South Omo region in south-west Ethiopia.
    5466.jpg
  • A man gives rice to novice monks who walk the streets with their food bowls early in the morning, Mae Hong Son, Thailand.
    4078.jpg
  • In rememberance of the Buddha, family members dress a boy in princely clothes inside a temple during Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand.
    3985.jpg
  • An Apache girl learns how to make corn bread as part of the preparation for her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. June 2004. Her mother looks out through the kitchen door. The Sunrise Dance is the most important ceremony of the Apache Indians. It is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4579.jpg
  • A sign when entering the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. June 2004.
    4587.jpg
  • An Apache girl and her godfather, who sprinkles sacred white clay around him as a blessing, dance with mountain spirits (gaan) or crown dancers during a Sunrise Dance on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The Sunrise Dance, the first menstruation rite of an Apache girl, is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4610.jpg
  • Mountain Spirits (Gaan) or Crown Dancers dance beside a big bonfire at night during an Apache Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The Sunrise Dance is the most important ceremony of the Apache Indians. It is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4606.jpg
  • An Apache girl and her helper, both dressed in buckskin dresses, dance at her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The girl holds a cane that symbolises longevity. Behind her the medicine man and drummers sing and beat their drums. The Sunrise Dance is supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.The ceremony is also an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers.
    4535.jpg
  • An Apache girl and her helper, both dressed in buckskin dresses, dance at her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The girl holds a cane that symbolises longevity. Behind her the medicine man and drummers sing and beat their drums. The Sunrise Dance is supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants. The ceremony is also an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers.
    4534.jpg
  • A wickiup used by an Apache girl during her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The Sunrise Dance is the most important ceremony of the Apache. It is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4599.jpg
  • A 10-year old Newar girl, dressed in school uniform, sits outside her family's house in Kathamndu, Nepal. She has just come home from school, and is waiting to begin her bahra ceremony, a mock first-menstruation rite, during which she will be secluded in a room for twelve days. Her mother and female relatives and friends may enter the room, but no male can go inside and its windows will be covered so that the sun cannot shine in.
    4421.jpg
  • Armed sentries keep watch as the hosts and their invited guests dance inside the festival house during a sago grub festival held by a Kombai clan in Papua, Indonesia. September 2000. The Kombai are a so-called treehouse people, building their homes high up in the trees, and the sago grub festival, during which large quantities of sago grubs are consumed, is their most important religious rite.
    3043.jpg
  • Women with children on their shoulders run into the festival house during a sago grub festival held by a Kombai clan in Papua, Indonesia. September 2000. The Kombai are a so-called treehouse people, building their homes high up in the trees, and the sago grub festival, during which large quantities of sago grubs are consumed, is their most important religious rite.
    3042.jpg
  • A Kombai boy eats fresh marrow from a palm tree in Papua, Indonesia. September 2000. In the background a man cuts more marrow from the tree with a stone axe. The Kombai are a so-called treehouse people who build their homes high up in the trees.
    3018.jpg
  • A Kombai man with an edible river tortoise that he has caught in the rainforest in Papua, Indonesia. September 2000. The Kombai are a so-called treehouse people who build their homes high up in the trees.
    3014.jpg
  • A Kombai man with a dog´s tooth necklace watches three other men empty a dammed part of a creek in Papua, Indonesia, a fishing method allowing them to catch the fish living in the creek. September 2000.  The men use woody shafts of sago leafs as bailers. One such bailer is leaning against the tree to the left. A stone axe is lying on the ground beside it. On the other side of the creek three women are waiting. The Kombai are a so-called treehouse people who build their homes high up in the trees.
    3012.jpg
  • A Kombai woman picks lice from the hair of a pregnant friend during a break in a hunting and gathering trip in the rainforest in Papua, Indonesia. September 2000. The Kombai are a so-called treehouse people who build their homes high up in the trees. The woman wears a dog's tooth necklace and a rat tail headband.
    3003.jpg
  • A young Amerindian woman, taking part in the wayunka ceremony in the Cochabamba Area, Bolivia, catches a decorated basket with her feet while sitting on a swing. The ceremony, which is a fertility rite and sexual flirt with the men watching it, is held at the end of Todos Santos and symbolises the return of life after several days of death rites.
    4085.jpg
  • A girl and her family in Oruro, Bolivia, buy bread with which to decorate the shrine that they will build at Todos Santo for her dead father who died two years before. In the Altiplano of Bolivia, it is customary that a family, in which there has been a death within the last three years, build a shrine at home at Todos Santos, decorating it with religious symbols as well as a picture of the deceased and food and drink that he or she liked, and then call down the spirit for a three day visit. The bread is a particularly important type of decoration. There are pieces of bread shaped like human beings, representing the dead, and there are also pieces in the shape of various old Inca symbols such as the sun and the moon.
    4845.jpg
  • Relatives dance in the family yard together with boys dressed up as princes during Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand. April 2003.
    4016.jpg
  • Procession with young boys dressed up as princes during Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand. April 2003. The invisible guardian spirit of the town rides on the horse in front.
    4326.jpg
  • Three boys dressed up as princes in remembrance of the Buddha stand inside a temple during Poy Sang Long, the ordination of novice monks in Mae Hong Son, Thailand. April 2003.
    3977.jpg
  • An Apache girl dances with her godmother and godfather at her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Reservation, Arizona, USA. The three are covered with sacred yellow pollen from the cattail plant, which has been applied as a blessing by the medicine man and the relatives. The Sunrise Dance is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4539.jpg
  • An Apache girl together with her godmother and helper at her Sunrise Dance on the San Carlos Apache Reservation, Arizona, USA. As a blessing, and an enactment of part of the Apache creation myth, the girl has been painted with white clay mixed with sacred corn meal. The Sunrise Dance, the first menstruation rite of an Apache girl, is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. During the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4621.jpg
  • Two young Xhosa male initiates, who have just returned home as men after one month of seclusion, are having their faces painted red by their guardian and teacher in Khayalethu South Township, Knysna, South Africa, in December, 2006. As initiates they were first circumcised, and they then spent one month in a special initiation camp, away from the normal living areas. For one week they will now wear red facial paint, a turban, long trousers, a shirt and a jacket, all signs that they have become men. When the week is over, the turban will be changed for a cap, which will then be worn for another six months.
    5439.jpg
  • A family holds down infant from balcony to a sculpture of the town's patron saint, San Isidro, for good luck at the Fiesta de San Isidro in Periana, Spain.
    3057f.jpg
  • Young Xhosa initiate, who is going through the traditional Xhosa male initiation rite in Knysna, South Africa, in December 2006. He has been circumcised and is now spending a month in a special initiation camp just outside the township Khayalethu South. His face is painted with white clay to ward off attacks by witches.
    5431i.jpg
  • Without looking back, Xhosa initiates leave the initiation camp, where they have spent about a month in seclusion. December 2006 in Ciskei, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The camp is set on fire after their departure as a symbolic farewell to childhood. The traditional Xhosa male initiation rite, which transforms the teenager into an adult man, starts with circumcision. The initiates then spend about a month in a special initiation camp, away from settled areas.
    5445.jpg
  • A Hamar bride who following local traditions lives alone in the loft of her parents-in-law's home for three months before consummating the marriage, in South Omo, Ethiopia. She is covered from top to toe in red ochre and butter to ward off evil.  The 40,000-strong, cattle-herding Hamar are among the largest of the 20 or so ethnic groups which inhabit the culturally diverse South Omo region in south-west Ethiopia.
    5426.jpg
  • Two bark headbands hang in a betrothal tree in Hamar territory, in South Omo, Ethiopia. During the Hamar betrothal ceremony, the bride takes off her fiancé's headband and hangs it in a special tree used for the purpose. The 40,000-strong, cattle-herding Hamar are among the largest of the 20 or so ethnic groups which inhabit the culturally diverse South Omo region in south-west Ethiopia.
    5424.jpg
  • Before his bull jump a Hamar initiate wanders naked among the herd, in South Omo, Ethiopia. The bull jump is a ritual at which a man runs across the backs of a row of bullocks in order to become eligible for marriage. Nudity represents his death and rebirth, as he is about to assume a new social role. The 40,000-strong, cattle-herding Hamar are among the largest of the 20 or so ethnic groups which inhabit the culturally diverse Omo region in south-west Ethiopia.
    5416.jpg
  • A Hamar woman participating in a bull jump, a ritual at which a man runs across the backs of a row of bullocks in order to become eligible for marriage, gets help from a female friend to soothe her scars with butter, in South Omo, Ethiopia. The woman, who is a close relative of the initiate, has been ritually whipped by maz, men who have performed the bull jump but have yet to marry. The Hamar view a scarified back as proof of a woman's love and devotion to her brothers. The 40,000-strong, cattle-herding Hamar are among the largest of the 20 or so ethnic groups which inhabit the culturally diverse Omo region in south-west Ethiopia.
    5409.jpg
  • A Hamar woman bugling and dancing at a bull jump, a ritual at which a young man runs across the backs of a number of bullocks in order to become eligible for marriage, in South Omo, Ethiopia. Her hair and neck are coated in butter and red ochre. The 40,000-strong, cattle-herding Hamar are among the largest of the 20 or so ethnic groups which inhabit the culturally diverse Omo region in south-west Ethiopia.
    5405.jpg
  • A Hamar man taking part in a bull jump in South Omo, Ethiopia. The bull jump is ritual at which a young man runs across the backs of a number of bullocks in order to become eligible for marriage. The man is a maz, somebody who has performed the bull jump but has yet to marry, and he is recognized as such by the strip of bark around his head and his painted face. The 40,000-strong, cattle-herding Hamar are among the largest of the 20 or so ethnic groups which inhabit the culturally diverse Omo region in south-west Ethiopia.
    5407.jpg
  • A Hamar man’s face is painted before taking part in a bull jump, in South Omo, Ethiopia. The bull jump is a ritual at which a man runs across the backs of a row of bullocks in order to become eligible for marriage. The 40,000-strong, cattle-herding Hamar are among the largest of the 20 or so ethnic groups which inhabit the culturally diverse Omo region in south-west Ethiopia.
    5411.jpg
  • Two cousins about to become novice monks pose for a photograph with their families during Poy Sang Long, the ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand.
    4009.jpg
  • Procession with young boys dressed up as princes during Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand. April 2003. On the horse in front rides the invisible guardian spirit of the town.
    3990.jpg
  • Attendant dances with a boy on his shoulders during Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand. April 2003. The boy is dressed up as a prince in rememberance of the Buddha.
    3989.jpg
  • A small Shan orchestra plays in a temple at Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand.
    3986.jpg
  • Hon-Dah Casino sign on the Fort Apache Reservation in Arizona, USA. June 2004. The Hon-Dah Casino is owned by the local Apache tribe.
    5041.jpg
  • A Mountain Spirit (Gaan) or Crown Dancer dances inside a ceremonial tepee and in front of an Apache girl during her Sunrise Dance, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The Sunrise Dance, the first menstruation rite of an Apache girl, is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4619.jpg
  • A basket filled with candy, maize and money is poured over an Apache girl at her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. This symbolises good luck and material wealth. The Sunrise Dance is the most important ceremony of the Apache Indians. It is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4567.jpg
  • Apache Indians dance at a Sunrise Dance, the first menstruation ceremony of an Apache girl, ton the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The girls herself dances in a kneeling position. During the ceremony the girl ‘becomes’ Changing Woman, the mythical founder of the Apache Tribe, and this part of the ceremony is an enactment of when Changing Woman was impregnated by the sun and gave birth to a son. Behind the girl stands her godmother and behind her the medicine man  and his assistants sing and beat their drums. The long row of cartons filled with snacks and drinks in front of the girl symbolises a life without material wants. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life.
    4561.jpg
  • Apache Indians dance during a Sun Rise Dance, an Apache girl’s first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The women are dressed in camp dresses. Behind the long row of cartons filled with snacks and drinks, symbolising a life without material want, the girl herself dances dressed in buckskin clothes. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life.
    4565.jpg
  • An Apache girl, dressed in buckskin dress, runs during her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. She runs four times, each time a little bit longer. This symbolises the four stages of life. Close behind her godmother and relatives  follow, the women dressed in camp dresses. The food, snacks and drinks on the ground symbolise a life without material want. The Sunrise Dance is supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life. The ceremony is also an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers.
    4603.jpg
  • Apache Indians dance at a Sunrise Dance, the first menstruation ceremony of an Apache girl, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. Behind the girl, who is dressed in buckskin clothes, the medicine man and his helpers sing and beat their drums. The long row of cartons filled with snacks and drinks, in front of the girl, symbolises a life without material want. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life. During the rites the girl also becomes Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers.
    4556.jpg
  • In the early morning of the first day of her Sunrise Dance an Apache girl and her assistant (a friend who has already gone through the ceremony herself) bake four different kinds of corn bread on the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona, USA. The girls are dressed in camp dresses. The Sunrise Dance, the first menstruation rite of an Apache girl, is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4554.jpg
  • An Apache woman on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA, makes the traditional buckskin dress for her niece's Sunrise Dance and attaches to it a symbol representing Michael Jordan. The girl plays basketball and Michael Jordan is her favourite player. The Sunrise Dance is the first menstruation rite of an Apache girl. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants
    4600.jpg
  • Two Kombai men sit on the veranda of their treehouse in Papua, Indonesia. September 2000. The Kombai are a so-called treehouse people, building their homes high up in the trees.
    3659.jpg
Next
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
x

Anders Ryman

  • Portfolio
  • About
  • Books
  • Exhibitions
  • Archive
    • All Galleries
    • Search
    • Cart
    • Lightbox
    • Client Area
  • Contact