
Nanadukan, North Luzon, the Philippines. Photo by Bion Griffin (1981/82); photo retouching, BW conversion, and cropping by me (2009).
For some reason I have a whole bunch of Bion Griffin's old Agta photos in my hard drive. This one, of his friend the Agta leader Galpong returning from the hunt with his bow on his shoulders (arrows in hand?), has always been one of my favourites. (Bion commented that this is also one of his favourite photos.) It used to form a dramatic backdrop to Bion's office at the University of Hawai`i.
Yes, Bion was my professor and remains a good friend, but that's not why I'm posting this photo. I love the sunlight pouring in from the left, casting Galpong in dramatic shadow, and the lines of footprints going this way and that in the sand. There's only one person in the photo, but the tracks point to others and form a story in their own right.
If you've never heard of the Agta, hunter-gatherers of the Philippines and many other things besides (farmers, traders, tour guides, paramilitary guides, etc.), you should. Other versions of their name include Eta, Ayta, Aeta, etc. Anthropologists who have worked with Agta groups include the Griffins (Bion, Annie, and Marcus), Tom Headland, Navin Rai, Peter Brosius, Hiromu Shimizu, Jean and Warren Peterson, Tessa Minter ... producing a long list of materials to pick and choose from.
Here are a few more photos of Agta in my hard drive (most were processed by me):



I should get this to Agta now using smart phones. One or two may be able to access.