#1

The feathers of wisdom

The chief of the Blackfeet Indian tribe, who once hunted bison on foot and unarmed by scaring the beasts off the cliffs with their cries. The name Blackfeet came from the black colour of their moccasins and leggings (State of Alberta, Canada).
1980

#2

Smiley Vanina

Vanina belongs to the Guayni people, Indian farmers who were once reluctant to modernity but who must now leave their impoverished land to join the banana industry (Alto Caballero, Province of Chiriqui, Panama).
1977

#3

The look of Abakaoua

In his indigo head wrap, Abakaoua ag Kanom is a symbol of the stubborn resistance put up by the Tuareg Kel Tédélé people. He is proud of his 72 years of age and shows his tenacious will in his eyes. (Aïr region, Niger)
2000

#4

Ximena of Cajabamba

Ximena lives in Cajabamba, a village of 2300 inhabitants located in the fertile plains of Ecuador. She is wearing a traditional belt, hat and earrings, but the shawl and the sweater probably come from China. And so globalization expands across the planet (Cajabamba, Chimborazo Province, Ecuador).
1973

#5

Beauty from Rajasthan

Abhirushi, which quite fittingly means «beautiful» in Rajasthan, is a nomad. She is wearing beautiful traditional jewellery – but would it be so beautiful without the brightness of her smile and the fineness of her eyes? (Region of Udaipur, Rajasthan, India)
1990

#6

Pure among the pure

Mariam is a Peulh Bororo woman. The Bororo tribe are fundamentally animist and form an endogamous society. Marriages are therefore necessarily within the group, allowing the Bororo to proclaim themselves as the most «pure» among the Peulh (Tahoua Region, Niger).
1975

#7

Panpipes

Lucho is an Aymara Indian from the Peruvian Altiplano who plays the zampoña, a pan flute made of a double row of reed pipes. Easy to carry and essential to traditional Andean music, the zampoña has always accompanied the shepherds in the silence of their solitude.
1969

#8

Water eyes

Mârusthali, the name given to the Thar Desert, means «land of the dead». However, there is life here and little Ambu has hope for a fruitful future, for her name means «water», the source of life that shines in her eyes and on her lips. (Rajasthan, India)
1990

#9

The strength of age

In his village in Sardinia, old Azeglio does not age. In fact, there is no age limit for him. Or age simply no longer exists – unless it is hiding behind his beard. How come? In Sardinia, as in all places where wisdom is not easily acquired, the youth of the heart lasts as long as life.
1980

#10

Amaya's hat

Amaya is too cold to smile. Besides, she has been crying and her nose still shows. On the Bolivian altiplano, at an altitude of 4000 meters, the cold clenches the heart and cuts through the body like shears. With her hat pulled over her ears and her scarf wrapped tightly around her neck, Amaya can withstand a little longer. But damn, life is hard!
1977

#11

Lost in thought

What might Gabriela, the little Indian girl from Guatemala, be thinking about? Is she restless? Not really. Resigned? Certainly not. In a bad mood? A little. Deep in thought? Oh, yes! Tired? Probably. Worried? It appears so. Cheerful? As well. In love? Who knows... (San Cristobal Totonicapan, Guatemala)
1977

#12

Living memory

From the banks of the Indus River through the steppes of Central Asia to the gates of the West, this man remembers the camels and the caravans that brought fragrant spices to Europe's tables. Did he get to see them? At least he remembers being told about them. And the memories will live on as long as the eyes and the words do. (Jodhpur, Rajasthan)
1990

2013 - The world of Maximilien Bruggmann

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