Observations · Ethnography
A rarity indeed. Today the speakers of the Orok language number only a few dozen. The Oroks are a small indigenous people of the north. How small? According to the 2010 census, Russia had 295 Oroks. The Orok language belongs to the Tungusic (Manchu-Tungus) language group. Not to be
NB! · The East · Observations · Ethnography
A toy camel on wheels from Morocco, early twentieth century. Made for the French market. A magnificent camel!
NB! · Architecture · Art · Museums · Ethnography
Heddal Museum of Traditional Norwegian Folk Art, a house of 1784 built by Olav Hansen. The walls and ceiling are decorated with the folk painting known as rosemaling
Observations · Society · Nature · Ethnography
Macron embraces Chief Raoni, founder of the movement to save the Amazon. Thanks to Raoni, 12 foundations for the rescue of the rainforests have been created. One of his main goals is the creation of a national park in Amazonia covering some 180,000 square kilometres, for which he has
Archive · Books · Ethnography
This legendary story recurs in one form or another, invariably linking the hill of Dinas Emrys, which really does exist in north-west Wales, with dragons and a wizard. In some legends Merlin hid his treasures in this hill. Elsewhere it is said that beneath the hill lay a burial
Archive · Cinema · Observations · Ethnography
A Hungarian girl in national wedding dress. A colour photograph taken in Mezőkövesd in 1925-1930, and a wedding photograph from present-day Hungary. Firstly, it is fantastically beautiful and delightful that this beauty has survived to our own day. Secondly, we have undoubtedly found the reference for the costumes
NB! · The East · Museums · Ethnography
Nature · Ethnography · Humour
The little wolpertinger is a folkloric creature of the Alpine forests of Bavaria. This tiny mammal, furnished with horns, wings, claws and webbed feet, belongs to a whole family of European fairy-tale chimeras, which includes the dilldapp, the rauracle, the raselbock, the squonk and the elwedritsch, each assembled from
Observations · Pop Culture · Ethnography
Today the most significant Russian fashion house, Ulyana Sergeenko, celebrates its 12th birthday with the release of its 21st couture collection. I confess my love for Ulyana! No one knows how to present folk elements so artfully that evening gowns look not like historical costumes from a ball of 1903,
Archive · Faith · Books · Mores · Ethnography
"The bright Resurrection of Christ draws near, the universal joy of Christendom. Then, though the Passion of the Lord is read almost without cease and many times repeated, our thoughts are already upon Holy Week: one pictures to himself pleasant and rich dishes; another wonders whether his clothes will
Architecture · Faith · Ethnography
A Dove, Rockets, Santa Maria del Fiore, a Tower of Fireworks and Easter. You will never forget this Easter tradition once you have seen it: a priest takes a spark of the holy fire and lights a special fuse, which feeds a rocket in the shape of a dove, flying
Architecture · Mores · Ethnography
Old Dovecotes in France. Curious stone structures on tall legs can be found in many regions of France. The dovecotes stood apart from the other buildings, somewhere on the grounds of the estate, and always above ground level, to protect the birds from damp, rats and small predators. Pigeons were