Tribes
In his introduction to this striking portrait collection, anthropologist David Maybury-Lewis writes, "In the beginning we were all tribal," a simple yet resonant observation that helps explain the depth of our response to the glorious displays of body ornamentation so lovingly documented here. Not only were our ancestors tribal, but they were also intimately connected to nature, a bond still celebrated in select cultures in their use of feathers, bone, seeds, and leaves in various forms of adornment. In tropical climes, where skin can be exposed to the elements, body painting, tattoos, scarification, and piercings are still used to create elaborate designs signifying religious and social identities. It is a tragedy that so few, yet a miracle that any, tribal cultures survive, a harsh reality that imparts a sense of respect and concern to this elegant volume, in the photographs themselves, in the thoughtful foreword by former model Iman, and in the capsule histories of the tribes portrayed from Africa, Thailand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and North and South America.Donna Seaman