Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Ni Vanuatu men. Rah Lava Island, Torba Province, Vanuatu, South Pacific © Jimmy Nelson © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Chukchi. The ancient Arctic Chukchi live on the peninsula of the Chukotka. Due to the harsh climate and difficulty of life in the tundra, hospitality and generosity are highly prized among the Chukchi. They believe that all natural phenomena are considered to have their own spirits. Traditional lifestyle still survives but is increasingly supplemented © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Cormorants fishermen, Yangshuo, China. Cormorant fishing is a traditional fishing method in which fishermen use trained cormorants to fish in the Li river © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Huaorani people. For at least a thousand years, the Amazonian Oriente rainforest, has been home to the Huaorani (meaning ‘human beings’ or ‘the people’). They consider themselves to be the bravest indigenous group in the Amazon. Until 1956, they had never had any contact with the outside world. The Huaorani have a vast knowledge of animals, plants and trees, which stems from a total reliance on the natural world © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

The Kazakh are the descendants of Turkic, Mongolic and Indo-Iranian indigenous groups and Huns who populated the territory between Siberia and the Black Sea. They are a semi-nomadic people and have roamed the mountains and valleys of western Mongolia with their herds since the 19th century. The ancient art of eagle hunting is one of many traditions and skills that the Kazakh have held onto for the last decades © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

The Maori, Huka Falls, New Zealand.

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

The Maori participate fully in all spheres of New Zealand culture and society, leading largely Western lifestyles while also maintaining their own cultural and social customs © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

The Maori, New Zealand. Due to centuries of isolation from the rest of the world, the Maori established a distinct society with characteristic art, a separate language and unique mythology © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Marken, The Netherlands © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Masai, Kenya/Tanzania. The Maasai’s entire way of life has historically depended on their cattle, following patterns of rainfall over vast land in search of food and water. Nowadays, it is common to see young Maasai men and women in cities selling not just goats and cows, but also beads, mobile phones, charcoal and grain © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Masai. “Lions can run faster than us, but we can run farther” © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Mustang, Nepal. The Mustang culture of Lo stands alone as one of the last Tibetan cultures existing today. Until 1991 no outsiders were allowed to enter Mustang. The traditions of the people of Lo are closely related to early Buddhism. Most still believe that the world is flat. They are religious, prayers and festivals are an integral part of their lives. The grandeur of the monasteries illustrates the prominent position of religion © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Mursi, Ethiopia. The nomadic Mursi people live in the lower area of Africa’s Great Rift Valley. Extreme drought has made it difficult for them to feed themselves by means of traditional cultivation and herding. Their economy is concentrated on bartering and sharing possessions. As tourists are now often visiting Mursi villages, offering money in exchange for photographs, the communal economy is changing © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Goroka, Papua New Guinea. The indigenous population of the world’s second largest island is one of the most heterogeneous in the world. The harsh terrain and historic inter-tribal warfare has led to village isolation and the proliferation of distinct languages. A number of different groups are scattered across the highland plateau © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Nenets. Yamal Peninsula, Ural Mountains, Siberia.

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

The Nenet are reindeer herders, migrating across the Yamal peninsula for more than a millennium already, facing with temperatures ranging from -50°C in winter to 35°C in summer. The discovery of oil and gas reserves in the 1970s and the expanding infrastructure on the peninsula has challenged their indigenous lifestyle

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Nenets. Today, more than 10,000 nomads herd 300,000 domestic reindeer on the pastures of the Arctic tundra. After thousands of years of existence, the Nenet now perhaps face perhaps their greatest challenge. Since the discovery of oil and gas reserves in the 1970s, the Nenet have had increasing contact with the outside world and the infrastructure on the Yamal Peninsula has been rapidly expanding © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Karo. Omo Valley, Ethiopia.

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

The Omo Valley, situated in Africa’s Great Rift Valley, is home to an estimated 200,000 indigenous peoples who have lived there for millennia. Amongst them are 1,000 to 3,000 Karo who dwell on the eastern banks of the Omo river and practise flood-retreat cultivation, growing sorghum, maize and beans © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Karo. The biggest ceremony in a man’s life is called Dimi. Its purpose is to celebrate and bless his daughter for fertility and future marriage. When he has gone through Dimi, a man becomes an elder. About 10 cattle and 30 smaller animals are slaughtered and other stock is traded for coffee. Men and women dress in animal fur capes to feast and dance, and the leaders of the village bless the girl © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Karo children in Korcho village. Omo Valley, Ethiopia © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Banna people. Omo Valley, Ethiopia. Bori village. © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Arbore people, Omo Valley, Ethiopia. The Arbore believe in a Supreme Being creator and father of men whom they call Waq © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Huli people. Ambua falls, Papua New Guinea. The Huli are traditionally animists who abide by strict ritualised offerings to appease the spirits of their ancestors © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Huli people. Ambua falls, Papua New Guinea. Sickness and misfortune are thought to be the work of witchcraft and sorcery © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Huli people. Ambua falls, Papua New Guinea. The largest highland tribe are the Huli Wigmen, who paint their faces yellow, red, and white. and are famous for their tradition of making ornamental wigs from their own hair. These look like plumed hats, intricately decorated with feathers of birds of paradise and parrots. Other ornaments include shells, beads, pig tusks, hornbill skulls and foliage.

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Goroka. Misty Mount Jalibu, Papua New Guinea © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Goroka, Eastern Islands, Papua New Guinea © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Simbai is the home of the Kalam indigenous people in the heart of the highlands of Madang. It is one of Papua New Guinea’s most secluded places where people still live a subsistence lifestyle in traditional villages scattered through pristine wilderness territory and untouched by Westernisation © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Rabari people. As far back as the group’s collective memory stretches, Rabari women have diligently embroidered textiles as an expression of creativity, aesthetics and identity. Designs are taken from mythology and the indigenous peoples' desert surroundings © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

The Samburu live in northern Kenya, where the Ndoto mountains give way towards the Chalbi desert. As cattle-herding Nilotes, the Samburu reached Kenya some five hundred years ago, moving southwards along the plains of the Rift Valley in a rapid advance © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Terschelling is a municipality and an island in the northern Netherlands, one of the West Frisian Islands. It is situated between the islands of Vlieland and Ameland © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Tsaatan people, Mongolia. Tsaatan (Mongolian for "those who have reindeer") descend from reindeer herders who have inhabited the remotest subarctic taiga for thousands of years, moving between five and ten times a year. Presently, only 44 families remain, their existence threatened by the dwindling number of their domesticated reindeer

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Rah Lava is one of two small, remote islands that belong to the Banks Islands group of the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu. Their isolation from the rest of the world and the pristine, resource-abundant surrounding natural environment have led to the emergence of a unique culture and lifestyle © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

The three-day Toka Festival on the island of Tanna is one of the most significant traditional celebrations of Vanuatu. The event, which used to mark the end of a tribal war, is nowadays a symbol of alliance and friendship between different indigenous groups © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Longhorn Miao. In the Southern Chinese province of Guiyang there is a small number of exceptionally remote and traditional villages of the Miao people © Jimmy Nelson

Before they pass away – Jimmy Nelson

Hakahau, Ua Pou, Marquesas Islands French Polynesia, 2016