Posted by cucicov in 
Here I want to talk a bit about a great photographer named Phil Borges. He doesn’t just shoot great photographs, he comes also with a social message through his works. Phil wants to bring us closer to the tribal cultures and see them as individuals, rather than just part of some ethnic groups. He released a few books on this subject, containing his works.
Phil manages to give a personality to his characters and the description of the photos comes just as a confirmation on how you perceived the message of the image. In the 1998 he got the “Photoperson of the Year” award of Photo Media Magazine.
Internationally recognized, Phil’s works are exhibited in museums worldwide. It took him about twenty five years of living among indigenous people, studying their character and personality, to achieve the results he’s got today.
Borges is one of the many famous photographers that started his career in photography much later after finishing an university and not having a higher education in arts. From the very first works, Phil was good at portraits and this is the genre he had chosen to pass his message to the others.
I advice you to watch Phil Borges on TED where he speaks about his work, about his life and people he met - an interesting speech about cultural diversity and endangered cultures.
Now, I think, it’s time for some of his works (but don’t forget to visit Phil Borges webpage for more pictures).
1. Lama 8, Lhasa, Tibet
Yama came with her parents and three sisters on a 6 week pilgrimage to the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa from the province of Kham. “Yama helped carry our 10 month old daughter much of the way.” Her father said. “We noticed very early that she was born with the true spirit of wanting to help others.”
2. Dawa 15, Drigung Valley, Tibet
Dawa is a student and the eldest son of a barley farmer. Although responsible for his families herd of 400 goats, he spends most of his free time reading–especially anything written in Tibetan. He proudly showed me a well worn copy of an English–Tibetan phrase book that a western traveler had given him two years before.
3. Agion 27, Mursi Hills, Ethiopia
Agino, a Mursi warrior, was adamant about wanting a Polaroid of himself. However, when I pointed the camera at him, he immediately looked down. I later learned that the Mursi believe that looking directly into the lens can cause blindness. Although unauthorized fighting within the Mursi tribe is a taboo, warriors who kill an enemy are accorded great status. Each curved scar on Agino’s arm represents an enemy killed. Mursi Tribe
4. Dobo 15, Turmi, Ethiopia
I saw Dobo in the market selling firewood and asked my interpreter, a young Hamar boy, to let her know that I wanted to photograph her. He looked at me like I was crazy and said, “She is ugly — too thin and tall.” I told him I thought she was beautiful. He looked at me quizzically, then slowly asked her. The next day he asked me if he should marry her. I laughed and asked, “Are you serious?” He said he was. Hamar Tribe
5. Moi 35, Huaorani Territory, Amazon
In 1990, Moi coordinated the first Huaorani National Assembly to unite his people against oil companies that want to drill in Huaorani territory. He has even travelled to New York and Washington, DC to appeal his cause. As a child, Moi began his shamanic initiation with his grandfather Mengatohue, and continued with the extremely difficult discipline until quitting three years ago. He said he was not mentally ready - he felt he had too much anger toward the people who want to invade his land. (Huaorani)
6. Mima 10, Bameno, Amazon
Mima is the youngest of four brothers and two sisters. She is known as the child who always loves to go into the forest, where she helps her mother gather herbs and her father hunt for monkeys, birds and wild pigs. Her father is teaching Mima how to make poison darts and use the blow gun. Mima, who is barely four feet tall, was struggling to steady and aim the eight foot-long blow gun. (Huaorani )
7. Saruul 7, Tsaatan Camp, Mongolia
Saruul is one of the few remaining Tsaatan (reindeer people) living in the Mongolian taiga near the Siberian border. Leading a nomadic life, the Tsaatan move their camp every two to three weeks so the reindeer can have fresh moss and grass. Every night, Saruul hops on a reindeer’s back and rides into the valley to help round up the rest of the herd. She started riding when she was only four. If the reindeer aren’t brought back to the camp to be milked every night, they will turn completely wild within a few weeks. (Tsaatan)
8. Joseph 2, Cro Agency, Montana
Joseph traveled with his parents all the way from Window Rock, Arizona, to dance in the Crow powwow in Montana. He actually decided to start dancing in powwows when he was just nine months old. As the first in his immediate family to participate in traditional Navajo dance, Joseph represents a general return to Native American culture. Navajo Tribe
9. Anaceli 12, Quinn, Peru
10. Pao 79, Sappong, Thailand
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