Smithsonian magazine's 22nd Annual Photo Contest | Made possible through the support of MPB.com

22nd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
The last female chieftain of China and her compatriots(5—3)

Overall picture description: Currently, there are 9 countries worldwide that raise reindeer, including Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Mongolia, Canada, Kazakhstan, Russia, and China. In the mid-17th century, the Ewenki reindeer migrated from the Lena River area in the Baikal Lake basin of Russia to the Erguna River basin for hunting, and made a living by hunting and raising reindeer in the dense forests of the Greater Khingan Mountains in China. The reindeer Ewenki people living in Aoluguya Ewenki Ethnic Township, Genhe City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, are a special ethnic minority group that directly entered socialist society from the end of primitive society. They are the "last hunting tribe in China" and the only ethnic group in China that raises reindeer and preserves "reindeer culture". With the accelerated advancement of modern civilization, the population of reindeer Ewenki people and their "cultural environment" for survival are undergoing tremendous changes, and the normal continuation and development of ethnic culture are being strongly impacted by modern civilization. Currently, there are only over 20 pure blooded reindeer Ewenki people, and only over 1000 reindeer have survived for generations. A very small number of reindeer Ewenki people still maintain a relatively primitive and natural production and lifestyle, and they are an important part of the Pan Arctic culture. Chinese photographer Wang Wei focuses on the reindeer Ewenki people living deep in the dense forests of the Greater Khingan Range. Using large format cameras, classical wet plate photography, and digital imaging technology, he spent over ten years capturing portraits of 34 of the most representative reindeer Ewenki people, as well as the faces of the younger generation, documenting the present and past of this only surviving reindeer tribe in China. Single image description: Liu Xia (1963-2023) Liu Xia has been hunting with her parents since childhood and learning traditional ethnic skills by raising reindeer with her mother. She spent her whole life herding reindeer in the deep mountains and dense forests.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 10.2020
Date Uploaded: 11.2024
Photo Location: Daxing'anling, Inner Mongolia, China, China
Copyright: © wei wang