shawad-photography

[shawad-photography]

A Look at the Western Wilds

By Shawad Photography

Forward

I love people. Above all else, I truly do love people and all the myriad ways they come to exist. I love the fact that every culture around the world has their own dance, their own style of dress and architecture, their own games that they play. People today are divided by all kinds of silly things, including such concepts as invisible territory lines or ownership of certain ideas or thoughts, but what delights me overall is that, despite our best efforts, we are united by so much. I see that. Whenever I look at people, I see first among them their dazzling humanity, flavored so beautifully by their individual fashion, customs, behavior, and so on. The next thing I see is whatever they deem appropriate to show me. And what an honor it is, to be given the privilege of such intimate insight into the life of another so far outside your own. Even among those we might count as having lived fairly similar lives to our own, there is still and always will be immeasurable hidden nuance to their experiences. These infinities of experience both highlight the differences between two individuals and, perhaps paradoxically, draw us closer together in terms of the things we all do as people.

That is how I see the world: full of beautiful, expansive, and limitless ways for a person to be a person. Thus I began my mission to try and translate this wonder I feel to any audience curious enough to engage with my work.

The inspiration to document the lands of the infamous Forbidden West started first with one Savior of Meridian, the Nora Seeker Aloy. When she saved us from certain doom on that darkened day that the Shadow Carja struck, what blossomed within me soon after could be described as nothing lesser than divine revelation: I was born into this world to change it for the better, much like selfless Aloy did. However, how was one to go about changing the world? Unlike Aloy, I had not the body of a warrior. As a Meridian native, I was raised on the scholarly pursuits befitting a nobleman of my social class. It was a work I dearly loved, but in time my curiosity outgrew the stagnant scrolls of our magnificent libraries. I could not be satisfied on rampant rumors and baseless gossip alone. No, the urge within me to experience the truths of that which we knew little about, and the even greater urge to prove to my fellow scholars that we separate tribes have more in common with each other than we think, prompted me to petition Aloy as my guide to the Forbidden Lands of the Untempered West.

Part 1: Aloy

My Key to the West

As mentioned above, I formally petitioned Aloy to be my guide for my expedition into the west. Although I will not go into the details here, let us just say that Aloy is not an easy woman to reach. I was lucky she agreed to accompany me at all. As much as she might exude an air of barely-concealed tolerance for all the shenanigans political and social pressures push onto her, I trust that, deep down, much like me, she has an innate desire to treat all with the same respect as is given her.

"Aloy...only ever posed for a picture once. This was when the camera was new and novel to her, making it an interesting phenomenon to play with. After I revealed the finished pictures to her though, she soon lost interest in my work, claiming it did little to benefit our world. In reality, I think she was perhaps self-conscious of her teeth, because afterward she smiled very rarely in my presence. Though that could also be attributed to her brusque and forthright nature."

- Excerpt from an interview with Shawad Photography

"When traveling with Aloy, there was always this sense of apricity with her…the same feeling of the sun warming one’s skin during winter."

Part 2: The Utaru

The Simple Life

Tales from the West are usually sensationalized around the Tenakth tribe, renowned for their violence and enthusiasm for war. Seldom does news of their quite diametrically opposed neighbors, the Utaru, leak through. While on my journey to document the peoples and cultures of the west in their natural environments, I was as pleased as I was baffled to discover a nation of peaceful farmers who refused to eat meat living next to one of the most ruthless tribes in the known land. The Utaru know enough of warfare to defend themselves if the need arises, but for generations they have struck a truce with the Tenakth that somehow results in them being left alone. If only such peace accords could be had in our own crowded city of Meridian!

Unfortunately, the period within which we arrived was not a good one for the Utaru. A blight had swept through their lands, shriveling up their food supplies and poisoning what little fresh growth they could make blossom in the sickly soil.

The tenacity of the Utaru people is nothing to sneer at—certainly one must have tenacity when neighboring with one of the fiercest warrior tribes to ever exist—but I wondered, as I watched them scurry to salvage what little crops they could rescue from the torrential downpour, if they were perhaps starting to regret their reliance on stalwart tradition. Because in order to be an Utaru, one must reject other food sources such as those found in fishing or hunting. Though, in hindsight, it probably would not have served them much better, as the animals that swam in the poisoned rivers and ate the withering crops grew infested and sickly themselves. No doubt there was little they could have done to escape their grievous situation.

"When that which we pride ourselves upon fails...what else are we left with but the rawest realization of ourselves?"

Hidden Strength

It would be careless of me, as a self-proclaimed illuminator of truth, to leave the audience with the impression that a nation centered around peace cannot prosper. The Utaru, after all, have prospered for many a healthy generation. Furthermore, they have learned enough from their warfaring cousins to find ways to defend themselves if need be.

During my stay, I was given the unique opportunity to observe their trained warriors in a live demonstration of their warcraft: bows, spears, clubs, machetes, and more. Much how a tree bears the scars of its youth, the Utaru people have learned from their own history the basics in tactics and weaponry. And, as it turns out, farming equipment can be quite deadly in a pinch!

Unsurprisingly, the Utaru are keenly skilled in the art of weaving. Almost everything they build, they make out of plant material: their clothes, their architecture, their figures of worship. When once I asked if they made some weapons out of plants as well, a farmer looked me dead in the eyes and announced, "Of course. Petrified fruit makes for the deadliest of clubs." Only later was I informed that this was a joke.

Part 3: The Tenakth

As Human As You or I

At last we come to what I'm sure many of my readers are looking forwards to the most. Contrary to all the gossip, I was not forced to drink blood or fight wild animals to amuse my subjects. If anything, the Tenakth seemed relieved when I announced that my interest in them was purely academic, a kind reserved exclusively for peaceful communication and education for all. The Carja's unfortunate history with the previous Sun King and his Red Raids have made the Tenakth rightfully wary of any foreigners, let alone those clad in Carja armor. But with Aloy's help, and with much embarrassing gesturing to my own, poorly-muscled figure, the Tenakth deemed me non-threatening, and afterwards had much to show me.

Although I am more a photographer than an academically-appointed anthropologist, I feel the need to address the comparisons between "us" and "them." First and foremost, the Tenakth are no more brutal and bloodthirsty than we Carja are. We have had our gruesome wars, our insufferable infighting and classicism. Many Tenakth go through the same. But similar to us, Tenakth rear their children with love and fierce determination. They engage one another in games of sport that also teach them valuable life skills necessary to survive in the harsh desert where they live. Many share the bonds of brotherhood and kinship that go beyond that of blood relations, banding together in groups of "soldiers" that startlingly mimic our own clubs and factions within Meridian, such as the Hunters' Lodge. Ergo, it is my wish that if you must read my words with room for only one new enlightenment today, it is that people, no matter how different and frightening they may seem, often go through many of the same trials and tribulations as you do. So approach that which you fear with kindness, curiosity, and respect. A little goes a long way, in my experience.

Inked Histories

Most Tenakth had never seen a Carja that was not engaging with them in battle. Many were curious about me, as well with my photography equipment. It took me several long hours of associating with them before they would stop glancing awkwardly at the camera. Soon, I became as much of a hindrance to them as any stray vulture might be.

While I was there, I was approached by some Tenakth who expressed their desire for literacy. For Tenakth, they write the deeds and histories of personal achievements on their bodies, engaging in elaborate tattooing rituals year-round. Unfortunately, as one Tenakth put it, when they die, their histories die with them. This is different for us privileged Carja in Meridian, who have the benefit of scrolls to record our long and complicated histories far more accurately than any word of mouth surely could.

Architectural Design

Notice the difference between Tenakth achitecture and, say, the Utaru's. While the Utaru employ rounded shapes conducive to their traditional art of weaving and fabric-making, the Tenakth prefer sharper angles, with jutting teeth and jagged geometry. When considering the cultural values of each tribe, it becomes apparent why they made these aesthetic choices. For the Tenakth, “might is right.” The Tenakth, made up of three smaller sub-factions called “clans,” have waged war with each other for centuries, as part of a traditional competition to see who is strongest and therefore deserving of the most respect. It only makes sense that they would design clothes and architecture around an intimidating, armored approach. Have you ever felt the sting of a porcupine? Likely you haven’t, because you have seen the creature’s spikes and known instinctively to stay well away. The same applies to the Tenakth.

On the other side of the spectrum lies the Utaru. One of their strongest cultural values is the honor and worship of the natural circle of life. Each Utaru carries a person seed pouch on their person at all times, so that when they die, their body may become the fertilizer for new life. These circular, organic motifs are present throughout all of their beliefs, language, and aesthetic choices, including but not limited to their own style of dress and architectural design. [] Understanding and appreciating differences like those I have shown in this comparatively brief photo series is key to becoming more open, well-rounded people. This series was never meant to shock or exaggerate; there are plenty of sensational articles available today that will achieve exactly that. Instead, by looking past our perceived differences, I hope to show the world the overturned rock of wonders that reverberates throughout all human life and culture. United, we are, through the very same things we often claim separate us.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, I hope to instill in my audience the same sense of wonder, curiosity, and appreciation for the diversity of the human experience. What a privilege it is for me to not only experience these delightful experiences of human variety, but to get the chance to communicate that wonderment to those who might not have otherwise interacted with something so far outside their comfort zone. I only hope my construction of the images, narrative, and overall composition of this project ends up effectively achieving my goals for this collective. Most importantly, I hope you have enjoyed this journey to the West, and carry the sense of amazement with you when you next explore something unusual or different to your experiences.

Acknowledgements

This project would not have been possible without the help of my Meridian patrons, the Oseram Delving Guild, and of course, my fiery-spirited and good-natured wilderness guide Aloy. May the sun always light the path of everyone who worked hard to make this dream project come true.