Documentary photographer and anthropologist Alegra Ally travelled to the Yamal Peninsula in Siberia from October through December 2016 to study and document the Nenet way of life. For thousands of years,indigenous Nenets have lived nomadic lifestyles herding reindeer across the Yamal Peninsula in the Russian Arctic. Lena’s family is one of 12,000 Nenets still migrating the same routes as their ancestors have done for centuries.
By following the Khudi family, New Path opens a window onNenet life today, highlighting how they have adjusted to modern life, how their culture evolved in light of recent resource extraction developments, globalization, climate change –factors which both enrich and threaten their collective identity.
The journey takes another dramatic turn as Lena –nine months pregnant –prepares for giving birth while the family needs to continue their annual winter migration in order to ensure the future of their herd of 800 reindeer. The birth saga thus becomes emblematic ofthe struggle for survival of the culture.
This book is part of a larger initiative, Wild Born Project, documenting and revitalizing through ethical photography the traditional practices and beliefs of major life events of indigenous women such as rite of passage initiations, pregnancy, birth and postpartum rituals.
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ANZEC Member - Allegra Ally
Alegra Ally is ethnographer and award-winning explorer and photographer, best known for her in-depth work focusing on indigenous women. Her ability to produce photographs with profound emotional resonance and sensitivity earned her the Scott Pearlman Field Award for her expedition: ‘Women at the End of the Land’ in 2016 and dozens of other international awards both from the photography and exploration communities. Ally first travelled solo to Papua New Guinea in 1997 at the age of 17, where she spent months living remote tribes. She crossed the Sepik River by canoe twice, trekked the Kokoda Trail, and became initiated into one of the Sepik tribes as well as into the Kosua tribe. Her first book describing her travels in Papua, “Touching Genesis”, was published in 2001. Ally’s photography is featured in several publications. The New York Times, Huffington Post, The Walt Disney Company, Maptia, Ocean Geographic, Sidetracked and more. She serves as a member in the Scott Pearlman Field award and the Flag and Honours Committees of The Explorers Club. Recently she was invited to serve as an advisor to the BBC Natural History Unit for a “Human Planet” series. As an internationally recognised speaker Ally was invited to present the Wild Born Project in several midwifery organisations, including midwifery departments at various hospitals, photography schools and the Explorers Club Headquarters. Ally is currently writing her theses as pert for her Masters Of Research degree with focus on Anthropology at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. She lives in Sydney with her husband Erez Beatus and is expecting their first child. Together, they operate Freediving Holidays, leading expeditions to Hawaii, Mexico and Tonga
