navajo nation

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

USA | Wednesday, September 1, 2010 | 4 photos

I took these photos while leading a group of teens from around the United States on a three week trip in the Four Corners region. We spent one week on the Navajo Reservation in Northeastern Arizona. We lived with a Navajo family and helped build a traditional hogan to protect their lambs during the winters. We were fortunate to be able to participate in the slaughter of two sheep for the 80th birthday of the grandmother of the family. These photographs describe that slaughter: the way my students took part, their various reactions, and the overall scene. I see these photographs as a commentary on loss: the loss of traditional customs, the loss of innocence, the loss of life. I like to see things both in their context and removed from it - hence the photo of the student holding the membrane and the one of the intestines on their own. I find beauty in texture and color and would love the opportunity to explore the field of photography more in Bhutan. Thank you for your consideration.