Late afternoon time: “They are trapped inside the economic machine that feeds off of those who have come from the plentiful and want to witness these primitive curiosities. It’s quite ironic that their way of life has such interest. They own nothing, aren’t bothered by the concepts of time, share everything, can completely live off the land without destroying it and have absolutely no idea how to operate under an economic sructure... all while being completely content.” She returned home to Venice, CA and did some anthropological research, studied the tribe and returned this past September for a three week journey with the Hadzabe tribe. Her second trip brought her closer to grasping their culture. “Africa is an incredibly powerful place. I just felt right at home. This particular trip, I was penetrating the romance of the travel, the romance of the country and really getting past the veneer and getting to the truth of what is going on.” There is a cultural tourism circuit that exploits the Masai in villages set up for tourists to ‘experience’ their culture. The Hadzabe have not yet been affected by the cultural tourism and Nicol strongly believes that they have the right
to maintain their culture and we can continue to learn from their simple existence. Nicol would like to create an art installation of the Hadzabe using mixed media including photos, video and sound. She continues to explore how we are ultimately connected to this understanding of abundance and not just ‘how can we save this tribe.’ Nicol continues to question what we can learn from the Hadzabe. “This particular project has made me realize what it is I want to do with my photography. I am an artist and I would like to create something that connects humanity. I would love to do something that offers something artistically and translates into a poetic conduit for humanity.” As we were talking over the phone for this interview, Nicol in California, me in Greenfield, a giant African bee started circling her head. She shrieked, then laughed, then exclaimed, “It’s a sign! Totally auspicious. It’s huge! It does not belong in this part of the world.” We ended our conversation with those words hanging there as a reminder of the influence the Hadzabe tribe has had on Nicol Ragland.
Sundown time: “We need to live more simply, to take pleasure and joy in things that are more grounded and our economies need to be more community oriented. This is the way of the Hadzabe and to follow will most certainly give us a more equitable and abundant world to live in.” v
photo by Nicol Ragland
The Bulletin Fall 2010
that same day, a Hadza man motioned to Nicol to follow him, bring her camera and keep taking pictures. “I began to understand that they possibly understood the importance of sharing their story and how their world needs to be understood and respected.”
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