Biography:
Giacomo d’Orlando is an Italian freelance documentary photographer committed in exploring the relationship between the human and the environment. His work looks at how the increasing pressure brought about by climate change and the human...
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Focus:Photographer, Photojournalist, Travel, Environment, Documentary, Photography, Portraiture, Arts & Culture, Freelance, Civil Rights and Social Inequality, Assignments, International, Climate, Environmental Stories
The village of Pokhari is located above 3000 meters at the foot of Himalaya. Here the roofs of the houses are made by sloping wooden planks due to the high possibility of snowfall during the winter.
n the valleys of Jumla the most cultivated variety of cereal is wheat. The inhabitants of the surrounding villages spend from 10 to 14 hours a day in the fields.
After the harvest season, the farmers plows the earth in order to prepare it for the next sowing. When seen from above, the empty fields reminds a kind of natural mosaic.
The sickles are the most common agriculture instrument of the people who inhabits the lands of Mid-Western Nepal. They use it to cut every type of plant, from wheat to beans and even in the kitchen to peel potatoes.
The typical houses of a lower valley village are made by rocks layers and mud. Once finished the structure the inhabitants of the villages paints the exterior walls white and brown, using a mixture of water and natural materials.
The cultivated terracing of Garjyangkot. Here the most cultivated cereal is rice. This area of Nepal is famous for its red rice, rich in protein and flavour.
A villager supervises its breeding. Among the mammals, buffalos and the goats are the most commons in this zone, used both for their meat and thei milk.
The village of Ripi during the first light of the day. This particulary remote village is connected just with small paths in the middle of the mountains. Their inhabitants needs to walk at least 8 hours in order to reach the closest village.
The common grindstone is usually located on the banks of the local river. The grindstone works with the power of the river's water that activate the rotation of the central stone. Grinding the wheat, the villagers produce the flour that will be set aside before the winter season.
The red beans are another typical speciality of the Mid-Western Nepal. These beans are used mainly to make the "Dal", a very common soup that accompany the white rice and the "Tarkari" that is the vegetables cooked with curry.
Drinking tea is a fundamental part nepali people's day, and a deep-rooted tradition. Usually the villagers can drink even from 6 to 10 tea per day in order to warm themselves or just to have a break from the working day.
The people who most believe in hindu religion, are used to smokes a mix of herbs inside a pipe called "Ciloom" for feel more the proximity to Lord Shiva, the most important God of Hinduism.
The Karnali zone is an area of Nepal which takes its name from the majestic river that flows through it. Located in the northern part of Mid-Western region, is one of the most remote and hard to reach zones of the whole Country. The Mid-Western Nepal is part of the underdeveloped regions, and its road network has not undergone major changes over the years. This area is home of natural wonders, such as Rara Lake (the biggest lake in Nepal) and the Sinja Valley. However, the narrow gravel roads, dug into the hills that leads to this unique place, keep it outside from the classic touristic routes. Just consider that, in order to reach the region's bigger town named Jumla, are necessary from 2 to 3 days of bus trip from the capital Kathmandu, for "only" 800km. The most of the villages located on the mountainous area, are connected between them just with small steep paths, where no vehicle is able to drive. Due to this, the majority of the people who lives here have never travel outside the region. The lack of easy connections, makes the impact of globalization less invasive on this communities, and life here seems to be trapped in a time bubble. The most of the inhabitants of this area are descendent from Chhettri caste. According to the Nepali society, the Chhetris are considered as the sacred thread bearers (Tagadhari) and are twice-born people. The bond that these people share with their territory and the environment which surround them is very deep. In fact, althought Hinduism and Buddhism are the main religions in Nepal, the ancient religion "Masto", which worship Nature in all its form, is still highly spread. This connection with nature is represented even in their daily life, unaltered since the ancestral times. These communities lives mainly by agriculture and animal breedings. They eat what they cultivate depending on the season, they still cook with wood fire and they still collect water from the rivers. Even their houses are made by natural material present in the environment such as wood, rock slabs and mud. All habits that in this world are increasingly rare and doomed to disappear. Even thought this area is currently resisting to the modernization process that is happening in the whole Country, is not credible that this will be able to last for long. The climate change is continuosly modifying the territory, influencing negatively the agricolture. The lower abundance of the crops is not enough to satisfy the livelihood of the inhabitants anymore. This is forcing the inhabitants of these communities to move and buy other goods at local markets. Consequentely, the need of money is bringing a major change in their life style. At the same time, the Government is investing in infrastructers and roads improvements for new commercial routes, which will make this area more and more accessible. As the time passes, all these changes will inexorably modify the Karnali zone, sweeping away another piece of heaven in our world.