Issue No. 28 – Control

What is the nature of control? The desire for it—and to be free of it—are essential parts of both life and art.

Photo Journal Monday: Guillaume Petermann

Photo Journal Monday: Guillaume Petermann

Shadow figure of a Wakhi man with his horseEvery year Wakhi people migrate with their livestock from the Wakhan corridor to the highland pasturage of the Big and Little Pamir looking for meadows. During the annual seasonal migration, Wakhis use a wa…

Shadow figure of a Wakhi man with his horse

Every year Wakhi people migrate with their livestock from the Wakhan corridor to the highland pasturage of the Big and Little Pamir looking for meadows. During the annual seasonal migration, Wakhis use a walking trails network in order to bring supplies from the lower valley to the highland settlements.

Little Pamir - Afghanistan © Guillaume Petermann

Project: Pamirs

Pamirs are a mountain range in Central Asia at the junction of the Himalaya, Hindu Kush and Karakoram ranges. But the word “Pamir” actually is translated from ancient Persian as “rolling pastureland” and refers to the valleys between those interconnected mountain ranges.

A “Pamir”, from a geological point of view, is a flat plateau surrounded by mountains that forms when a glacier or ice field melts leaving a rocky plain. This type of terrain is princi- pally found in the north east of Afghanistan, an area known as Wakhan Corridor and at the south west of Tajikistan known as Wakhan Valley.

Wakhi man with his horse on the way to reach his family’s settlementAll along the walking trails, a network of shelters have been built for caravans to stay overnight.Little Pamir - Afghanistan © Guillaume Petermann

Wakhi man with his horse on the way to reach his family’s settlement

All along the walking trails, a network of shelters have been built for caravans to stay overnight.

Little Pamir - Afghanistan © Guillaume Petermann

Whaki man milking a goatWhakis are agropastoralists cultivating wheat, barley, peas and potatoes, but the production is rarely sufficient because of the climate. Wakhis depend mostly on their livestock to supplement agriculture. Milk and bread are t…

Whaki man milking a goat

Whakis are agropastoralists cultivating wheat, barley, peas and potatoes, but the production is rarely sufficient because of the climate. Wakhis depend mostly on their livestock to supplement agriculture. Milk and bread are their main food resources.

Big Pamir - Afghanistan © Guillaume Petermann

The Whakan corridor in Afghanistan and the Whakan Valley in Tajikistan are deep valleys formed by the Panj River, which originates from the junction of Pamir River and Wakhan River that marks nowadays the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
This separation is the result of the geopolitical rivalry between Great Britain and the Tsarist Russia, known as “The Great Game”, which led to the dissolution of the principality of Wakhan at the end of the 19th century and the formation of the new border.

All of the Wakhan is a semi-arid zone. Agriculture is only possible through irrigation, fed by melted water in the streams descending from the mountains. Apart from occasional clusters of shrubs and other small trees, the landscape is largely barren of vegetation.

Whaki man looking for fresh airDuring their stay in the highland of the Big and Little Pamir, Whakis live in the small rocky houses or in yurts. During meal preparation, when the shelter becomes absorbed with smoke, the only relief that can be found…

Whaki man looking for fresh air

During their stay in the highland of the Big and Little Pamir, Whakis live in the small rocky houses or in yurts. During meal preparation, when the shelter becomes absorbed with smoke, the only relief that can be found is the small hole in the roof – the source of light and oxygen.

Big Pamir - Afghanistan © Guillaume Petermann

Wakhi man going to collect animals’ poopAs there is no wood around because of the lack of vegetation, the only burnable possible for making fire is the dry animal’s poop. Every day, Whakis are going to collect their livestock’s poop before to dry th…

Wakhi man going to collect animals’ poop

As there is no wood around because of the lack of vegetation, the only burnable possible for making fire is the dry animal’s poop. Every day, Whakis are going to collect their livestock’s poop before to dry them and use it as a fuel.

Big Pamir - Afghanistan © Guillaume Petermann

Nowadays, the Wakhan Valley in Tajikistan is the homeland of the Pamiris people also called the Pamirian or Mountain Tajiks. The Wakhan corridor in Afghanistan on the other hand is mostly inhabited by the agropastoralist Wakhi people and the last remaining Kyrgyz nomads who live at the eastern end where the Afghan Pamirs - the Big Pamir and the Little Pamir - are located, also known in Persian as the “Bam-e Dunya”, or “the roof of the world”

The Tajiks Pamiri and the Afghan Wakhi people share common linguistic, cultural and reli- gious ties. They are Nizari Isma’ili Muslims, a sect of Shia Islam that follows the Aga Khan as a spiritual leader, and speak both a Persian origin language.
The Kyrgyz nomads are a proud pastoral nomadic group of Turkic language that live in yurts which they move seasonally according to available pasture and weather conditions.

Wakhi man and boys going to check on the cattle.Wakhis have huge herds of sheep, goats, yaks and horses. Every day, Wakhis take their cattle for grazing in the meadow. During the annual migration, their main activity is to herd, take care and fatten…

Wakhi man and boys going to check on the cattle.

Wakhis have huge herds of sheep, goats, yaks and horses. Every day, Wakhis take their cattle for grazing in the meadow. During the annual migration, their main activity is to herd, take care and fatten up their animals.

Big Pamir - Afghanistan © Guillaume Petermann

Ibrahim, a 13 year old Kyrgyz nomad boyThe harsh winds and the bitterly cold winter temperatures of the Pamir take a toll on his skin and reveal all the time that he already spend laboring outside. Kyrgyz nomads live in extremely difficult condition…

Ibrahim, a 13 year old Kyrgyz nomad boy

The harsh winds and the bitterly cold winter temperatures of the Pamir take a toll on his skin and reveal all the time that he already spend laboring outside.
Kyrgyz nomads live in extremely difficult conditions. Their settlements are permanently between elevations of 4000m and 5000m and in winter the temperature often goes down as low as 40 degrees below zero.

Little Pamir - Afghanistan © Guillaume Petermann

Isolated in a mountainous remote area with few resources and forgotten from their central governments and from any basic infrastructure, the Kyrgyz, Wakhis and Pamiris challenge the elements to survive in one of world’s most desolated area. Their ability to adapt to nature in order to survive prove that human resilience is greater than hardship, and that life at the end of the world is possible.

Hussein with his last sonKyrgyz are extremely proud of their children, particularly when it is a boy. Due to the extreme cold, the harsh environment and the intense isolation, the death rate among Afghan Kyrgyz’s children is one of the highest in th…

Hussein with his last son

Kyrgyz are extremely proud of their children, particularly when it is a boy. Due to the extreme cold, the harsh environment and the intense isolation, the death rate among Afghan Kyrgyz’s children is one of the highest in the world.

Little Pamir - Afghanistan © Guillaume Petermann

Pamiri familyIn Tajikistan, especially in Pamir, most of the men leave for Russia to hunt for a job. Only women and elderly remain to look after the children and households. In certain villages, apart elders and children it is almost impossible to m…

Pamiri family

In Tajikistan, especially in Pamir, most of the men leave for Russia to hunt for a job. Only women and elderly remain to look after the children and households. In certain villages, apart elders and children it is almost impossible to meet a man.

Wakhan Valley - Tajikistan © Guillaume Petermann

For more information about Guillaume Petermann, click here.

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