Last Tribes Project —

Years ago, I met a man in the Karakoram mountains of Northern Pakistan. His remote village had no electricity and the local water flowed from a glacier in the valley above the community. After sharing a long meal of fresh apricots, grilled goat, and salt tea, he pulled me aside and quietly asked —

“Tell me, sir. Is it true the earth is round? I’ve heard the earth is round. Tell me if it’s true.”

Ahmad lived in a world of mountains and that’s all he ever considered. There were no oceans, no deserts, and certainly no cities in his world; he knew the seasons and could navigate by the stars.

Today, the same man is on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Within our lifetime, people like this will no longer exist. The mountains around us will still look the same, but cultures evolve and change. Sometimes rapidly. One hundred years ago, there were thousands of different tribes, languages, and unique traditional customs. We are quickly losing this diversity; within the next 100 years, most ancient cultures will be gone or assimilated.

Globalization is ultimately a good thing; it’s enabled today’s population to collectively live healthier, longer lives and have a better standard of living than ever before. But globalization is leading to homogenization. In the coming decades, civilization will transform into a one-world monoculture. Along with this progress, we will lose vast quantities of knowledge, diverse ways of thinking, and cultural differentiation.

In the future, the entire world will be interconnected; isolated and distinct groups of people will no longer exist. This moment is an extraordinary window of opportunity to document some of the last remaining traditional communities still following their ancestral customs and traditions.

By definition, I’m a photographer. But when the lights go out, what really matters? People, relationships, and our interconnected humanity. I’m currently working with several indigenous communities around the world — creating portraits, conducting interviews, and documenting the richness of their ancient cultures. A book may or may not be in the works….

The photos you see on this website are part of the project. Please enjoy —