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I Travelled 25000 Km In Siberia To Photograph Its Indigenous People, 6 Months Later Here’s The Result
Hi! My name is Alexander Khimushin. Nine years ago I packed my backpack to see the world and have been globe-trotting ever since visited 84 countries. While travelling the world, I realized that people are the most amazing part of it.
Three years ago I came up with an idea of the photo project 'The World In Faces' that would celebrate beauty and diversity of the world through the portraits of ordinary people. Especially from those remote places, where culture and traditions are still alive. Since then I have taken thousands of portraits all over the world. Last six months I photographed indigenous people of Siberia.
An enormous region, almost a double size of Australia and 30% larger than the United States, Canada or the whole Europe. Siberia is one of the world’s last frontiers of the unknown. No doubt, everyone heard that it is very cold and sparsely populated, but what do we know about people living there?
During my half-a-year-long solo journey, I covered 25,000 km to visit many remote locations across Siberia: from lake Baikal shores to the coast of Japan sea, from endless steppes of Mongolia to the coldest place on Earth - Yakutia. All with only one mission - to capture faces and traditions of various groups of indigenous people living there. While some of the ethnic groups are dominant in their regions, many others are on the edge of disappearance, with a total population as low as only a hundred people left. They remain largely unknown to the outside world.
More info: khimushin.com | Facebook | Instagram
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Dolgan Girl
Final score:
267points
Agnes Jekyll 8 years ago
Amazing, look at her clothes! They are works of art. I'd love to hear what they mean.
Lisa Georgette 8 years ago
Is this traditional attire? Beautiful beadwork! I didn't know other cultures created, what I believed to be native American, beadwork such as this.
RELATED:
#2
Ulchi Woman
Final score:
231points
Agnes Jekyll 8 years ago
That coat she's wearing is incredible...i imagine its waterproof? So interesting how she's incorporated silks and cotton.
Kim Westmorland 8 years ago
Oh I sooo love this one ... Ancestral power and beauty .. the expression in her face and the timeless lines of wisdom and knowledge <3
Nadine Lujan 8 years ago
Wow - she has such a "presence" - power, strength, determination just flow from her. Regal, beautiful and amazing.
Kenny Kulbiski 8 years ago
I just know she's thousands of years old and knows all kinds of powerful magic.
Fifyhun Enw 8 years ago
A wonderful photo showing peace, wisdom and respect. A very elegant lady
Terri Rowland 8 years ago
I wonder what stories she would tell about the history of the people there
#4
Evenki Little Reindeer Herder
Final score:
223points
Jeremie Guerra 8 years ago
Daddy, daddy, I want a dog...wait no, a caribou! for my birthday :D
Agnė Kam 8 years ago
Fine fine, if You will promisse to go for a walk with him.
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#5
Ulchi Girl
Final score:
202points
Agnes Jekyll 8 years ago
The cut aways on the cuffs of her sleeves are reversed--and it's like a kimono. Fascinating and beautiful. I wonder if she made it?
John Browne 8 years ago
cuffs remind me of molas (from indigenous people of Panama) ^..^
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Kim Westmorland 8 years ago
The innocence .... the future of what is to be learned .. the responsibility to carry on ancient tradition <3
#6
Evenki Elder
Final score:
182points
Nadine Lujan 8 years ago
So first I see his face, which has that "hmmpf I have seen the worst of times" look...then I scroll down and see this adorable pupper and know there is a softie under that gruff exterior!
#7
Uilta Little Girl
Final score:
179points
Kimberly Putney 8 years ago
What a cutie! Love the dimple. She looks like a happy child. Innocent and unburdened.
Bob 2.0 8 years ago
Yeah, in Siberia she doesn't know about the horrors of the outside world.
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#8
Sakha Girl
Final score:
149points
Agnes Jekyll 8 years ago
Wow. I want to hear the story behind what she's wearing and its tradition
Summerkat 8 years ago
Probably to keep warm or to keep the wind off the face esp if its in colder temperatures. Wind can blister skin badly.
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Misha Yakovlev 5 years ago
For everyone who is wondering, the face covering is there to protect the wearer from the cold weather. Temperatures in Sakha can fall to less than -50 Celsius.
#9
Evenki Little Girl
Final score:
143points
M Diane Mattson 8 years ago
Looks like living in Siberia leaves a lot of time for beadwork and sewing. Beautiful workmanship in every photo.
rick hctep (Rick45) 8 years ago
Where do they get all the beads from for decorating their clothes.
Maria Rozhina 8 years ago
Nowadays just buying them, in the special shops, online. Chinese beads are probably the cheapest.
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Lisa Georgette 8 years ago
Did they pose for you in their "dress" clothes, or everyday attire?
Cecily Burke 8 years ago
Beadwork is similar to - yet different in color choices and some styles - Native American beadwork, which is used similarly to embellish clothing and furs.
#10
Nivkhi Man
Final score:
137points
Alessia Facchin 8 years ago
exactly, I was thinking the same thing...charming face
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Jaime Schwarz 8 years ago
Plains Indian of Montana at a Pow Wow. See more at blackfeet2020.com 20170422_0...064503.jpg 
Millie Giovinazzo 8 years ago
He doesn't have the same kind of eyes to more like the American eyes!
Terri Rowland 8 years ago
He reminds me of my ex husband, he came from a small village in Turkey near the border of Russia. He has beautiful eyes too
Jaime Schwarz 8 years ago
First Native to show at NY Fashion week and this upcoming fall in Paris. More stories like this at blackfeet2020.com 20170422_0...f93753.jpg 
#11
Soyot Girl
Final score:
104points
#12
Evenki Girl
Final score:
100points
M Diane Mattson 8 years ago
I love this headress! I wonder if they sell this beadwork on the internet, if they have internet in Siberia, but probably not. Too bad!
Misha Yakovlev 5 years ago
They do have the internet in Siberia, because most of Siberian population are ethnic Russians who moved there to steal the indigenous people's natural resources and are now living in highly-polluting cities and mine villages. But, some indigenous communities have no access to the internet.
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#13
Buryat Girl
Final score:
95points
#14
Buryat Shaman
Final score:
92points
Kathleen Lovell 8 years ago
She can access all years, all millennia in her work to heal her People.
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Nadine Lujan 8 years ago
She looks beautiful and tough - yet something about her says she also has a surprising sense of humor.
#15
Tazy Woman
Final score:
91points
Rae Turner 7 years ago
The photos are beautiful. I love this one. She appears like a beautiful gentle happy lady. The orange flower looks like a type of gloriousa lily. Does anyone know?
Tanya Kysel'ova 8 years ago
оо, эти цветы! я в детстве их так любила! мы называли их "золотые шары"
Terri Rowland 8 years ago
She looks so happy and content with everything, they have a much harder life than people in the western world
#16
Ainu Young Man
Final score:
91points
Agnes Jekyll 8 years ago
that robe is so gorgeous! What's the story behind it? the work is incredible--and the fabrics--are they made by the Ainu or traded?
Summerkat 8 years ago
Researched Ainu and it's the Indigenous Japanese people. Their traditional clothing was made out of many things such as bird skin, bark skin, deer, fox, fish skin like salmon. At some point they were able to obtain cotton and started to make clothing with cotton and then like this outfit made traditional clothing with applique. Interesting for sure!
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#17
Negidal Girl
Final score:
88points
#18
Oroqen Man
Final score:
84points
Andrew Cas 8 years ago
Maybe Diana hey should have just eaten the meat thrown the head and hide away like your McDonald's trash, then he should have cut down some of the amazon rainforest to grow cotton and send that to Asia to gets some kids or slaves to make a beanie! Life must be good inside your rock/head grow up !
Leni 8 years ago
Oh help, people without western luxuries trying to keep warm in a frozen tundra, somebody call the police.
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#19
Evenki Mom With Baby
Final score:
80points
#20
Russkoustintsy Woman
Final score:
76points
Marilyn Roberts 8 years ago
I loved everything about this photo! A wise old woman, the eye's say it all! Love her costume, the colours, textures, beautiful! May you have many more venture's Alexander!
Marilyn Roberts 8 years ago
I loved everything about her and her costume. The rich colours, and the textures, you do an amazing job Alexander, may you have many more venture's in the future!
#21
Shenehen Buryat Girl
Final score:
72points
Lyone Fein 8 years ago
Wonder why the photographer calls all the young women "girls"? They look like women to me.
#22
Chukcha Girl
Final score:
71points
Miina Abotossaway 8 years ago
The clothes she's wearing probably aren't her everyday clothes. Just traditional clothes, or maybe regalia for ceremony. I have a buckskin dress and moccasins, even a jingle dress. You'll most likely find me in a rayon skirt and cotton blouse though on a typical day. Beaded jewellery just depends on my outfit though. Sometimes it looks good with.
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Jessie Hunter 8 years ago
It's their gorgeous faces we want to see, to see the souls in their eyes.
Jessie Hunter 8 years ago
These photographs are beautiful but incredibly sexist. Grown women are called "girls" if the photographer thinks they're attractive; a woman with a baby is a "mom"; old women are "women," and there are children but very few men who are not old. I doubt the photographer is aware of this, but a more inclusive range of these exquisite people and their clothing would have been a better choice.
Viki Banaszak 8 years ago
Women usually dress in fancier clothes and have more needle work and beadwork on their costumes. Whereas men usually wear clothes that are more utilitarian for rugged outdoor work.
Load More Replies... #23
Yukagir Girl
Final score:
69points
M Diane Mattson 8 years ago
The work that goes into their garments is mind boggling. You cannot just go into a store and buy that stuff!
#24
Buryat Man
Final score:
67points
Misha Yakovlev 5 years ago
If made in the traditional way, it's a zero-carbon, zero-waste garment which is far most sustainable than any cotton shirt sold on the us/eu high street.
Load More Replies... #25
Even Young Man
Final score:
66points
Kathleen Lovell 8 years ago
He's not sure about the photography thing but proud of his clothes totally matching.
Yugan Talovich 8 years ago
Or, more likely, he's comparing the photographer's camera to his own. They do live in the 21st century, you know.
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#26
Ulchi Young Man
Final score:
65points
#27
Nanai Girl
Final score:
63points
#28
Udege Man
Final score:
62points
Flavia Slag 8 years ago
He has been on many hunts to feed his family and perhaps the whole tribe.
#29
Semeyskie Woman
Final score:
62points
Heather Lofthouse 8 years ago
She looks like my grandma, the same red hair and cheek bones.
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Anna von 30sto50s 8 years ago
What do think is Siberia? It's in Russia! And it's so sad, that no country seems to teach about Russia. It's a great country, full of many people, religions, colours, etc. I have many uncles and aunts from Seberia, because I lived near the Ural mountains.
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#30
Tofalar Man
Final score:
61points
#31
Orochi Woman
Final score:
61points
Rae Turner 7 years ago
The leather looks like snake, but the design suggests a lizard leather. From her clothes, it suggests shes coastal or desert. I need to google now!
#32
Udege Shaman
Final score:
59points
#33
Tuvan Mongolian Man
Final score:
58points
#34
Yakut Shaman
Final score:
58points
Terri Rowland 8 years ago
The design of the eagle is incredible, what is it made from and how is it attached?
Heather Lofthouse 8 years ago
You can see its sewn on in 4 places, it looks like carved bone
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#35
Buryat Gelugpa Monk
Final score:
51points
Deborah Coyte 8 years ago
The detail and beauty of the clothing is outstanding... the people as well as their clothes are beautiful... No detail spared... thank you for this beautiful look into other cultures... dlc
Winter 8 years ago
Hasn't anyone else noticed the lack of stress on all these faces? Probably most of them live very hard lives (by Western standards, anyway) But *none* of them look stressed or harassed in any way! What wonderful, beautiful people - so much diversity, so much strength of character! Thank you so much for making these fantastic photos available for all of us! Well done!
M Diane Mattson 8 years ago
I agree, phenomenal photos. Wonderful to see what people from Siberia look like. Thank you!
Terri Rowland 8 years ago
This is wonderful, I'm not any particular religion but wondering what their beliefs are
Mary Tonningsen 8 years ago
This monk is a Buddhist. I don't know what other religions might be common there.
Load More Replies... Alessia Facchin 8 years ago
this is a stylish monk...look at this red dress how well is made, the details are so carefully sew...
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What do you think ?
Agnes Jekyll 8 years ago
Wow. These photos are so beautiful, and the clothing shows such a range of styles--did they explain any of the stories behind them? the processes or their traditions or history? They are just amazing.
Miklós Nagy 8 years ago
And god said: "Let's put the hottest girls to the coldest place of the Eatrh."
Danika Strong 8 years ago
proudly indigenous! their outfits remind me of the pictures of my native american ancestors 🙂
Leni 8 years ago
I think people used to cross the bering strait (very very long time ago) so might be distantly related to one another.
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Crystal El 8 years ago
i think that you did a great job, it must be a great acheivment to travel the world. I have always dreamt to do that, im very curious about what people from different parts of the world are spending their days in. they are very beautiful, im impressed.
Alexander Khimushin (Post author) 8 years ago
Thank you! It took me almost a year all up to share this 35 photos today with you! Working on it more that a full time job I would say it's been a double of what's normally called a full time job )) I can't complain though! It was my own idea, my own choice and I love every minture of working on the project! Will continue doing so!
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-- 8 years ago
I wish someone could tell them that people all over the world thought they looked beautiful in the pictures
Katya Sokolova 8 years ago
Most of them will have internet. They'll probably see the reactions.
Load More Replies... Lyone Fein 8 years ago
It is interesting that the photographer chose to go with a more formal style of prearranged portraiture--where people know in advance that they are going to be photographed, and they all make sure to wear the nicest clothes they own, etc.--instead of a more candid style of photographing people doing their daily activities at home and work, out and about.
Maria Rozhina 8 years ago
In daily life we just wear t-shirts, jeans, it's probably not so interesting for the viewers.
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Agnes Jekyll 8 years ago
Wow. These photos are so beautiful, and the clothing shows such a range of styles--did they explain any of the stories behind them? the processes or their traditions or history? They are just amazing.
Miklós Nagy 8 years ago
And god said: "Let's put the hottest girls to the coldest place of the Eatrh."
Danika Strong 8 years ago
proudly indigenous! their outfits remind me of the pictures of my native american ancestors 🙂
Leni 8 years ago
I think people used to cross the bering strait (very very long time ago) so might be distantly related to one another.
Load More Replies... Crystal El 8 years ago
i think that you did a great job, it must be a great acheivment to travel the world. I have always dreamt to do that, im very curious about what people from different parts of the world are spending their days in. they are very beautiful, im impressed.
Alexander Khimushin (Post author) 8 years ago
Thank you! It took me almost a year all up to share this 35 photos today with you! Working on it more that a full time job I would say it's been a double of what's normally called a full time job )) I can't complain though! It was my own idea, my own choice and I love every minture of working on the project! Will continue doing so!
Load More Replies... -- 8 years ago
I wish someone could tell them that people all over the world thought they looked beautiful in the pictures
Katya Sokolova 8 years ago
Most of them will have internet. They'll probably see the reactions.
Load More Replies... Lyone Fein 8 years ago
It is interesting that the photographer chose to go with a more formal style of prearranged portraiture--where people know in advance that they are going to be photographed, and they all make sure to wear the nicest clothes they own, etc.--instead of a more candid style of photographing people doing their daily activities at home and work, out and about.
Maria Rozhina 8 years ago
In daily life we just wear t-shirts, jeans, it's probably not so interesting for the viewers.
Load More Replies... 
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