Bad Ethnography

We assume nothing and mean no harm.

[kvetchlandia]

Henri Cartier-Bresson Eunuch Dancers and Singers, Srinagar, Kashmir, India c.1947

[smsomah]

She protects herself from the rain & cold by wearing al-Mizarr; made from tanned pieces of leather sewn together. Al-Tafshah is a hat made from palm leaves.

Scanned from the book Abha Bilad Asir: South-Western Region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 1989; photos by Madeha al-Ajroush

[mastercontrol]

Up Helly-Aa, Shetland Combining rugged viking traditions, a massive faux-funeral pyre and crossdressing, Up Helly-Aa, celebrated on this archipelago off the northern coast of Scotland, is a tradition like any other. Marking the end of the Yule season, Shetland islanders dress up in elaborate costumes and parade through city streets performing skits. At the end of the night, they toss flaming torches onto a galley built especially for the festival, setting it ablaze.

[smsomah]

Binh Lu, Vietnam, 1993. Christine Hemmet

[postcard-from-the-past]

Woman from Bou Saada, Algeria

French vintage postcard

[smsomah]

Cormorant fishing in Yangshuo near Guilin, Guangxi, China. Christian Vaisse

Cormorant fishing is an old tradition in which fishermen use trained cormorants to catch fish.

[cosmicanger]

Miss Juneteenth, Houston (1983)

For three decades, Daniel S. Williams documented Juneteenth and Emancipation Day celebrations across the country — which included parades, cookouts, and other gatherings.

Photos in “Daniel S. Williams and the Art of Bearing Witness” (2023)

[bobbole]

Mohammed Abed, Palestinian girl flying her kite on Al-Waha Beach - Gaza, Palestine, 2011

[mioritic]

"A hajfonat koszorúba tevése" ("Putting the braid into a wreath").

Károly Kós, Judit Szentimrei, and Jenő Nagy (eds.), Szilágysági magyar népművészet. Öltözet (Bucharest: Kriterion, 1974)

[folklorespring]

Embroideresses from Chernihiv, Ukraine, 1914

[folklorespring]

An Orthodox Christian family in the Jaramana district of southern Damascus enjoying their Easter lunch in 2008. Ed Kashi.

[smsomah]

India, 1937-38. Egon von Eickstedt

[smsomah]

Scanned from the book Desert Eves: An Indian Paradise; Catherine Clement and photos by Hans Silvester; 2001

[henk-heijmans]

Niang Soli, a maestro of the Legong dance, still performing at 108 years old, Bali, Indonesia - by Giovanna Aryafara, Australian

[fragrantblossoms]

Eduard Gübelin. Ethiopia, Harar, young basket weaver, 1960-1970.

[smsomah]

Scanned from the book Desert Eves: An Indian Paradise; Catherine Clement and photos by Hans Silvester; 2001

[tinyuglyworld]

Malagasy girl, Madagascar