Adumu

As the late-afternoon sun casts long shadows over the dry scrub, the men of Il Ngwesi's villages gather to begin the adumu. Their sandaled feet kick up a fine dust as they leap skyward in unison. The air is thick with the sound of the chanting voices of the men and women of the village, rising and falling in a syncopated rhythm. As I witness this emblematic dance of the Maasai, I remember the sounds of the bush I had encountered in the days and nights leading up to this moment: the piercing cry of the fish eagle when the sun is at its midday zenith; the low rumble of the elephants amidst the acacia in the pitch black of night... And the world that exists in between. Like the strands of a woven string being pulled taut and then released, the adumu is a living reminder that as human beings, we are not mere observers of the land, but an inseparable part of it, shaped by its rhythms and its mysteries. We have only to remember, to join in the dance. 

Il Ngwesi Group Ranch, Northern Kenya.

About this print:
Gicleé inks printed on Hahnemühle Torchon, a 0.50mm thick, 100% alpha-cellulose archival paper manufactured in Dassel, Germany. Acid & lignin free. A unique watercolor texture lends to a three-dimensional effect and excellent sense of depth.

Signed & Numbered, Limited Edition of 100. 

Note:
A 0.8-inch, white border runs along the perimeter of the image. Does not come framed. Please allow print to gently flatten out over a few days upon arrival before framing or hanging.