Albuquerque, USA

When the Drums Sound, the Indians Resist


Native American Crowd
Thousands of Native Americans swirl around The Pit.
The Future of the Tribe
Indigenous youth watches the unfolding of traditional dances, further down in the pavilion.
in full adolescence
Young people participating in a competition, dressed and painted to perfection.
in ecstasy
Indian girl twirls during a Native American dance display.
Headdresses and more Headdresses
Hundreds of Indians display the costumes of their tribes during the Pow-wow of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Indigenous young man late for the event
Native American has help finishing his costume in The Pit arena parking lot.
a communal drum
Drum players display the melodies and rhythms of their tribes.
Native American-Pow Pow-Albuquerque-New Mexico-United States
Native American with a lush headdress.
A Mere Retouching
Indigenous women touch up their looks in a bathroom.
Native American Elegance
Indigenous participant of the Gathering of the Nations prepares to enter the grounds of The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
A spectator apart
Indigenous dressed in formal wear stands out from the rest of the public.
Dance Exhibition-Pow Pow-Albuquerque-New Mexico-United States
Indigenous shows an intense dance of their tribe.
Marjorie Tahbone
Winner of the Miss Indian World contest parades around the enclosure.
Native American Elegance
Three-feather headdress on the head of a young indigenous woman.
A Communal Drum II
Drummers and singer carry out their exhibition.
With more than 500 tribes present, the pow wow "Gathering of the Nations" celebrates the sacred remnants of Native American cultures. But it also reveals the damage inflicted by colonizing civilization.

The weekend arrives and Albuquerque switches to its playful mode. Various sporting and musical events take place on the premises of the local university.

Aware of the inevitable student irreverence, a battalion of superb New Mexico police patrols the vast academic facilities with a mission to avoid overly chaotic parking lots and behavior.

One of them, extroverted as well as haughty, notices our car's license plate and the disorganized air inside and can't resist commenting: “California??

Participant, Pow Pow, Albuquerque-New Mexico, United States

Native American has help finishing his costume in The Pit arena parking lot.

You've really come from far away. Are they coming because of the concert or the Indians ?? By that time, we had no idea of ​​one thing or the other. Comparing the eccentricity of the hypotheses, we choose to question the authority over the latter.

The Amazing Discovery of Albuquerque Pow Wow

The agent tells us that The Pit – the large sports arena that is home to the local basketball team, the Lobos – is about to host a Gathering of the nations. Faster than we expected, we confirmed the information.

We left the old but elegant Buick Le Saber arranged within the legality between the institution's pavilions. We cross a busy avenue and come across another crowded parking lot.

We noticed that, there, instead of euphoric teenagers, they get out of their cars and cross the road Indians confused, dressed, painted and adorned with feathers, feathers, jewelry and other ethnic ornaments that sometimes formed similar looks, in other cases, completely different.

We approached the caravans that make up box office and discovered the posters that, even if no longer needed, proved that one of the biggest was held there. pow wows (indigenous meetings) from North America.

Elements from over 500 tribes had come from the four corners of the US and Canada to celebrate their mother cultures and renew spiritual beliefs.

They were divided into different age groups, from the elderly to children, with the purpose of participating in 32 dance competitions, others in singing, in drum competitions and even in the Miss Indian World competition.

We entered the pavilion.

Hundreds of these participants and many more supporters walk up and down the upper aisle entertained to socialize, buy food and drink or peek at the numerous small business stalls.

Native Crowd, Americans-Pow Pow-Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

Thousands of Native Americans swirl around The Pit.

The Gathering of the Nations Ceremonial Gathering

We found a stairwell opening and finally managed to peek into the arena. The benches are full of people and color.

Below, an exuberant army of Indians dances around the ring, in sync with the hypnotic soundtrack produced by groups of drummers and singers from a falsetto deep tribal.

The various drums distributed around the enclosure are huge and echo the heartbeat of the Earth. We are punished by groups of powerful men, some of which are also exaggerated in size.

Drum Show, Pow Wow, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

Drummers and singer carry out their exhibition.

We had already noticed the type of food fast food served by most of the stalls and bars abroad and on the top floor, in everything consistent with what undermines the health of the American nation.

Shown before us were some of the most unlikely victims of the Yankee obsession with easy and immediate profit. In the audience itself, who admired his musical gifts, there were numerous large natives.

Once upon a time, their tribes survived on what they gathered from Nature and hunted.

High Headdress, Pow Pow-Albuquerque-New Mexico, United States

Native American with a lush headdress.

The Generalized Destruction of Native American Civilizations

Centuries after the conquest of West, after repeated persecutions, slaughters and confinement on reservations, the Indians were reduced from many millions to just 500.000, a tiny population if we take into account the total population of the United States and Canada, almost 350 million.

We are now also victimized by sugary drinks and king size burgers, dogs, clubs, burritos, nachos and french fries soaked in oils and sauces, one of several cultural aggressions that they suffer in an already long process of conformation.

Driven by the shrewdness of its brands, the capitalist civilization developed by the European settlers of North America conquered the world with relative ease.

Coming from an intimate relationship with the land, the natives could never resist. That weekend, the headdresses, typical costumes and exuberant rituals of each tribe have temporary prominence.

Native Americans Parade, Pow Pow-Albuquerque-New Mexico, United States

Hundreds of Indians display the costumes of their tribes during the Pow-wow of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

After the participations, most of the natives give in to jeans, sneakers and compliments of fashion, to the t-shirts and baseball and baseball caps, to the made expressions and packaged notions of the nation that has shattered the identities of its tribes.

The Gathering of the Nations Resistance Demonstration

The Gathering of The Nations we watched, like others across North America, were still impressive manifestations of resistance and survival.

During the Eagle Staff's sacred Great Entrance – the banner that symbolizes the unity of all Native Americans – representatives from each tribe line up to hear the Eagle Staff Song and the gathering's MC (Master of Ceremonies) speech.

They also share a prayer to the Creator of the World, a communal prayer for happiness and for the cure of the ills caused by man on Mother Earth.

Native American in the Crowd, Pow Pow-Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

Indigenous dressed in formal wear stands out from the rest of the public.

We had already descended on the playing field when the inter-tribal dance competitions continued, all with simplistic names inspired by Nature or by everyday life: Dance of the Beautiful Shawl, Dance of Smoke, Dance of the Blanket or Dance of the Owl.

The singing followed, interspersed with more majestic displays by the drummers and curious juvenile tastings. At the level at which the action was taking place, participants circled the field over and over again.

Some passed very close to us, given to the rhythm, their heads swaying low, repeating movements of pure trance.

Trance Dance, Pow Pow, Albuquerque-New Mexico, United States

Indigenous shows an intense dance of their tribe.

An Unusual Sponsored and Awarded Spirituality

Certain exhibits radiated deep spirituality. When we least expected it, the song ended and the MC announced the sponsoring brand of the upcoming competition, or the value of his prize in dollars.

All mysticism was gone. It wasn't the next test that brought him back.

The presenter gives the signal and the dancers hurry to leave the field. Little by little, women from different tribes and regions of North America, from the Tiwa from the Puebla civilization around Taos, the tribes of Florida those of the northernmost part of Canada.

Native American Women, Pow Wow, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

Indigenous women touch up their looks in a bathroom.

Place for the Miss Indian World Election

They start by lining up in front of the main bench, but once the presentation is over, they are free for another dance that a panel of juries evaluates with strict criteria.

The results of the dance are added to the Public Discourse, Personal Interview, Traditional Presentation and Rehearsal. The final score determines the election of Miss Indian World.

Dance, Pow Pow, Albuquerque-New Mexico, United States

Indian girl twirls during a Native American dance display.

As a rule, last year's winner appears to the public to summarize in a few words the honor of the title.

We see Canadian Dakota Brook Brant, from the clan Mohawk Turtle does it with a somewhat automated confidence and pride that lives up to the title: “I was glad I was chosen to serve as an ambassador. It was a pleasure to help build healthy relationships among our relatives throughout the Indian territory.”

Marjorie Tahbone, an Alaskan Inupiaq/Kiowa, short, round and, in a way, gawky is anything but the prototype of a conventional Miss World or Universe.

Miss Indian World Winner, Pow Wow, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

Winner of the Miss Indian World contest parades around the enclosure.

Despite the surprise that arouses us, he collects the new crown, awarded according to values ​​that have little to do with those we are used to in these events. As a reward, he spent the year traveling the world promoting the culture of Native American tribes.

Fawn Wood: The Chosen Voice of the Gathering of the Nations

Enter Fawn Wood. In the center of the arena and the attention, this singer, famous among the indigenous people, sings a theme that those present seem to know. It makes them vibrate, alternating with its high-pitched and powerful voice, much appreciated guttural sounds and English lyrics that speak of jealousy, love and loved ones but already broken.

In between the songs, the MC intervenes again: “don't forget that we have Fawn's CDs for sale. Here in Dallas, keep asking me to repeat the warning!"

Native American, Pow Pow, Albuquerque-New Mexico, United States

Indigenous participant of the Gathering of the Nations prepares to enter the grounds of The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Fawn moves on to another theme. Halfway through, two spectators approach her and leave money at her feet. Before long, hundreds of others do the same, and the dollar smear that will complete your paycheck expands.

The final day of the Gathering of The Nations draws to a close but The Pit's outdoor bunkers don't disarm. To the Americanized way of doing things, while the meeting drags on The Profit Must Go On.

We left the room wondering how much longer Native Americans will be able to avoid the total bankruptcy of their cultures.

Key West, USA

The Tropical Wild West of the USA

We've come to the end of the Overseas Highway and the ultimate stronghold of propagandism Florida Keys. The continental United States here they surrender to a dazzling turquoise emerald marine vastness. And to a southern reverie fueled by a kind of Caribbean spell.
Cape Coast, Ghana

The Divine Purification Festival

The story goes that, once, a plague devastated the population of Cape Coast of today Ghana. Only the prayers of the survivors and the cleansing of evil carried out by the gods will have put an end to the scourge. Since then, the natives have returned the blessing of the 77 deities of the traditional Oguaa region with the frenzied Fetu Afahye festival.
Overall, Mexico

The Most Caribbean of the Mayan Ruins

Built by the sea as an exceptional outpost decisive for the prosperity of the Mayan nation, Tulum was one of its last cities to succumb to Hispanic occupation. At the end of the XNUMXth century, its inhabitants abandoned it to time and to an impeccable coastline of the Yucatan peninsula.
Jaisalmer, India

There's a Feast in the Thar Desert

As soon as the short winter breaks, Jaisalmer indulges in parades, camel races, and turban and mustache competitions. Its walls, alleys and surrounding dunes take on more color than ever. During the three days of the event, natives and outsiders watch, dazzled, as the vast and inhospitable Thar finally shines through.
Bhaktapur, Nepal

The Nepalese Masks of Life

The Newar Indigenous People of the Kathmandu Valley attach great importance to the Hindu and Buddhist religiosity that unites them with each other and with the Earth. Accordingly, he blesses their rites of passage with newar dances of men masked as deities. Even if repeated long ago from birth to reincarnation, these ancestral dances do not elude modernity and begin to see an end.
tombstone, USA

Tombstone: the City Too Hard to Die

Silver veins discovered at the end of the XNUMXth century made Tombstone a prosperous and conflictive mining center on the frontier of the United States to Mexico. Lawrence Kasdan, Kurt Russell, Kevin Costner and other Hollywood directors and actors made famous the Earp brothers and the bloodthirsty duel of “OK Corral”. The Tombstone, which, over time, has claimed so many lives, is about to last.
Bacolod, Philippines

A Festival to Laugh at Tragedy

Around 1980, the value of sugar, an important source of wealth on the Philippine island of Negros, plummeted and the ferry “Don Juan” that served it sank and took the lives of more than 176 passengers, most of them from Negrès. The local community decided to react to the depression generated by these dramas. That's how MassKara arose, a party committed to recovering the smiles of the population.
Grand Canyon, USA

Journey through the Abysmal North America

The Colorado River and tributaries began flowing into the plateau of the same name 17 million years ago and exposed half of Earth's geological past. They also carved one of its most stunning entrails.
Monument Valley, USA

Indians or Cowboys?

Iconic Western filmmakers like John Ford immortalized what is the largest Indian territory in the United States. Today, in the Navajo Nation, the Navajo also live in the shoes of their old enemies.
Navajo nation, USA

The Navajo Nation Lands

From Kayenta to Page, passing through Marble Canyon, we explore the southern Colorado Plateau. Dramatic and desert, the scenery of this indigenous domain, cut out in Arizona, reveals itself to be splendid.
PN Tayrona, Colombia

Who Protects the Guardians of the World?

The natives of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta believe that their mission is to save the Cosmos from the “Younger Brothers”, which are us. But the real question seems to be, "Who protects them?"
Red Center, Australia

Australia's Broken Heart

The Red Center is home to some of Australia's must-see natural landmarks. We are impressed by the grandeur of the scenarios but also by the renewed incompatibility of its two civilizations.
Jabula Beach, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa
Safari
Saint Lucia, South Africa

An Africa as Wild as Zulu

On the eminence of the coast of Mozambique, the province of KwaZulu-Natal is home to an unexpected South Africa. Deserted beaches full of dunes, vast estuarine swamps and hills covered with fog fill this wild land also bathed by the Indian Ocean. It is shared by the subjects of the always proud Zulu nation and one of the most prolific and diverse fauna on the African continent.
Hikers on the Ice Lake Trail, Annapurna Circuit, Nepal
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit: 7th - Braga - Ice Lake, Nepal

Annapurna Circuit – The Painful Acclimatization of the Ice Lake

On the way up to the Ghyaru village, we had a first and unexpected show of how ecstatic the Annapurna Circuit can be tasted. Nine kilometers later, in Braga, due to the need to acclimatize, we climbed from 3.470m from Braga to 4.600m from Lake Kicho Tal. We only felt some expected tiredness and the increase in the wonder of the Annapurna Mountains.
Bertie in jalopy, Napier, New Zealand
Architecture & Design
Napier, New Zealand

Back to the 30s

Devastated by an earthquake, Napier was rebuilt in an almost ground-floor Art Deco and lives pretending to stop in the Thirties. Its visitors surrender to the Great Gatsby atmosphere that the city enacts.
Era Susi towed by dog, Oulanka, Finland
Adventure
PN Oulanka, Finland

A Slightly Lonesome Wolf

Jukka “Era-Susi” Nordman has created one of the largest packs of sled dogs in the world. He became one of Finland's most iconic characters but remains faithful to his nickname: Wilderness Wolf.
4th of July Fireworks-Seward, Alaska, United States
Ceremonies and Festivities
Seward, Alaska

The Longest 4th of July

The independence of the United States is celebrated, in Seward, Alaska, in a modest way. Even so, the 4th of July and its celebration seem to have no end.
View from Pico Verde to Praia Grande, São Vicente, Cape Verde
Cities
São Vicente, Cape Verde

The Volcanic Arid Wonder of Soncente

A return to São Vicente reveals an aridity as dazzling as it is inhospitable. Those who visit it are surprised by the grandeur and geological eccentricity of the fourth smallest island in Cape Verde.
Meal
Markets

A Market Economy

The law of supply and demand dictates their proliferation. Generic or specific, covered or open air, these spaces dedicated to buying, selling and exchanging are expressions of life and financial health.
Bride gets in car, traditional wedding, Meiji temple, Tokyo, Japan
Culture
Tokyo, Japan

A Matchmaking Sanctuary

Tokyo's Meiji Temple was erected to honor the deified spirits of one of the most influential couples in Japanese history. Over time, it specialized in celebrating traditional weddings.
Swimming, Western Australia, Aussie Style, Sun rising in the eyes
Sport
Busselton, Australia

2000 meters in Aussie Style

In 1853, Busselton was equipped with one of the longest pontoons in the world. World. When the structure collapsed, the residents decided to turn the problem around. Since 1996 they have been doing it every year. Swimming.
Boat and helmsman, Cayo Los Pájaros, Los Haitises, Dominican Republic
Traveling
Samaná PeninsulaLos Haitises National Park Dominican Republic

From the Samaná Peninsula to the Dominican Haitises

In the northeast corner of the Dominican Republic, where Caribbean nature still triumphs, we face an Atlantic much more vigorous than expected in these parts. There we ride on a communal basis to the famous Limón waterfall, cross the bay of Samaná and penetrate the remote and exuberant “land of the mountains” that encloses it.
Moa on a beach in Rapa Nui/Easter Island
Ethnic
Easter Island, Chile

The Take-off and Fall of the Bird-Man Cult

Until the XNUMXth century, the natives of Easter Island they carved and worshiped great stone gods. All of a sudden, they started to drop their moai. The veneration of tanatu manu, a half-human, half-sacred leader, decreed after a dramatic competition for an egg.
Sunset, Avenue of Baobabs, Madagascar
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio

days like so many others

Dark day
History

Lake Cocibolca, Nicaragua

sea, sweet sea

Indigenous Nicaraguans treated the largest lake in Central America as Cocibolca. On the volcanic island of Ometepe, we realized why the term the Spaniards converted to Mar Dulce made perfect sense.

Cilaos, Reunion Island, Casario Piton des Neiges
Islands
Cilaos, Reunion Island

Refuge under the roof of the Indian Ocean

Cilaos appears in one of the old green boilers on the island of Réunion. It was initially inhabited by outlaw slaves who believed they were safe at that end of the world. Once made accessible, nor did the remote location of the crater prevent the shelter of a village that is now peculiar and flattered.
Correspondence verification
Winter White
Rovaniemi, Finland

From the Finnish Lapland to the Arctic. A Visit to the Land of Santa

Fed up with waiting for the bearded old man to descend down the chimney, we reverse the story. We took advantage of a trip to Finnish Lapland and passed through its furtive home.
Almada Negreiros, Roça Saudade, Sao Tome
Literature
Saudade, São Tomé, São Tomé and Principe

Almada Negreiros: From Saudade to Eternity

Almada Negreiros was born in April 1893, on a farm in the interior of São Tomé. Upon discovering his origins, we believe that the luxuriant exuberance in which he began to grow oxygenated his fruitful creativity.
ala juumajarvi lake, oulanka national park, finland
Nature
Kuusamo ao PN Oulanka, Finland

Under the Arctic's Icy Spell

We are at 66º North and at the gates of Lapland. In these parts, the white landscape belongs to everyone and to no one like the snow-covered trees, the atrocious cold and the endless night.
Mother Armenia Statue, Yerevan, Armenia
Autumn
Yerevan, Armenia

A Capital between East and West

Heiress of the Soviet civilization, aligned with the great Russia, Armenia allows itself to be seduced by the most democratic and sophisticated ways of Western Europe. In recent times, the two worlds have collided in the streets of your capital. From popular and political dispute, Yerevan will dictate the new course of the nation.
Traveler above Jökursarlón icy lagoon, Iceland
Natural Parks
Jökursarlón Lagoon, Vatnajökull Glacier, Iceland

The Faltering of Europe's King Glacier

Only in Greenland and Antarctica are glaciers comparable to Vatnajökull, the supreme glacier of the old continent. And yet, even this colossus that gives more meaning to the term ice land is surrendering to the relentless siege of global warming.
Aswan, Egypt, Nile River meets Black Africa, Elephantine Island
UNESCO World Heritage
Aswan, Egypt

Where the Nile Welcomes the Black Africa

1200km upstream of its delta, the Nile is no longer navigable. The last of the great Egyptian cities marks the fusion between Arab and Nubian territory. Since its origins in Lake Victoria, the river has given life to countless African peoples with dark complexions.
Ooty, Tamil Nadu, Bollywood Scenery, Heartthrob's Eye
Characters
Ooty, India

In Bollywood's Nearly Ideal Setting

The conflict with Pakistan and the threat of terrorism made filming in Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh a drama. In Ooty, we see how this former British colonial station took the lead.
Princess Yasawa Cruise, Maldives
Beaches
Maldives

Cruise the Maldives, among Islands and Atolls

Brought from Fiji to sail in the Maldives, Princess Yasawa has adapted well to new seas. As a rule, a day or two of itinerary is enough for the genuineness and delight of life on board to surface.
Balinese Hinduism, Lombok, Indonesia, Batu Bolong temple, Agung volcano in background
Religion
Lombok, Indonesia

Lombok: Balinese Hinduism on an Island of Islam

The foundation of Indonesia was based on the belief in one God. This ambiguous principle has always generated controversy between nationalists and Islamists, but in Lombok, the Balinese take freedom of worship to heart
Back in the sun. San Francisco Cable Cars, Life Ups and Downs
On Rails
San Francisco, USA

San Francisco Cable Cars: A Life of Highs and Lows

A macabre wagon accident inspired the San Francisco cable car saga. Today, these relics work as a charm operation in the city of fog, but they also have their risks.
Mahu, Third Sex Polynesia, Papeete, Tahiti
Society
Papeete, French Polynesia

The Third Sex of Tahiti

Heirs of Polynesian ancestral culture, the Mahu they preserve an unusual role in society. Lost somewhere between the two genders, these men-women continue to fight for the meaning of their lives.
Busy intersection of Tokyo, Japan
Daily life
Tokyo, Japan

The Endless Night of the Rising Sun Capital

Say that Tokyo do not sleep is an understatement. In one of the largest and most sophisticated cities on the face of the Earth, twilight marks only the renewal of the frenetic daily life. And there are millions of souls that either find no place in the sun, or make more sense in the “dark” and obscure turns that follow.
São João Farm, Pantanal, Miranda, Mato Grosso do Sul, sunset
Wildlife
Fazenda São João, Miranda, Brazil

Pantanal with Paraguay in Sight

When the Fazenda Passo do Lontra decided to expand its ecotourism, it recruited the other family farm, the São João. Further away from the Miranda River, this second property reveals a remote Pantanal, on the verge of Paraguay. The country and the homonymous river.
Bungee jumping, Queenstown, New Zealand
Scenic Flights
Queenstown, New Zealand

Queenstown, the Queen of Extreme Sports

In the century. XVIII, the Kiwi government proclaimed a mining village on the South Island "fit for a queen".Today's extreme scenery and activities reinforce the majestic status of ever-challenging Queenstown.