Johan Reinhard Nepal Photo Gallery -- National Geographic

Receiving Tika, Bangaon, Nepal
Photograph courtesy Johan Reinhard
Since 1980, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Johan Reinhard has conducted anthropological field research in Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, and Ecuador. Much of his current research focuses on the sacred beliefs and cultural practices of mountain peoples, especially in the Andes and the Himalaya. His investigations have led him to develop new theories to explain the mysteries of pre-Hispanic ceremonial sites on mountain summits, the Nasca Lines, and the ancient ceremonial centers of Machu Picchu, Chavin, and Tiahuanaco. These photos are from his research in Nepal in the 1960s and 70s.
“I wanted to conduct this research in New Guinea, but it was too far away and too expensive to reach. By chance, I read an article about the Kusunda, a hunter-gatherer tribe reported to roam throughout the foothills of Nepal. The Kusunda had been briefly noted in a text dating from the mid-1800s and were believed to have a language unrelated to any other. The tribe had disappeared from view until a Tibetan scholar reported in the mid-1950s the rumor that they were still wandering the hills of Nepal. If I could find the tribe, I could study how its members had managed to maintain their way of life and what happened if some groups of the tribe had already settled.
When my plane landed in Nepal in early 1968, I didn’t have enough money to fly back. Although I did eventually locate the last few survivors of the Kusunda, there were not enough of them to do a truly ethnographic study. Fortunately, after months of searching, I was able to find different groups of the Raji who had been hunter-gatherers until recent times and study their transition to settled life.”
From The Ice Maiden by Johan Reinhard
Pictured: Reinhard receiving tika, or tilaka, at a Tihar festival in Bangaon, Nepal. The tilaka is a mark that symbolizes the third eye, or mind's eye, that is associated with many Hindu gods.
Sherpa Greeting, Khumjung, Nepal
Photograph by Johan Reinhard
Near Mount Everest in a village called Khumjung, a Sherpa holds what he claims to be a yeti scalp.
Yak Skull, Manang, Nepal
Photograph by Johan Reinhard
Walking through a village in Manang, Reinhard's team came upon this yak skull. The writing is likely a Tibetan Buddhist mantra with an amulet.
Aerial View, Kagbeni, Nepal
Photograph by Johan Reinhard
The U.S. Ambassador to Nepal, Marquita Maytag, asked Reinhard to take this aerial photo during a helicopter ride over Kagbeni. Maytag was interested in creating a book of aerial photos of Nepal.
Blowing Bubbles, Manang, Nepal
Photograph by Johan Reinhard
On a visit to Manang, Nepal in 1979, one of the trek members on the team brought bubbles for the children. "I must say the kids loved it," Reinhard admits.
Annapurna Trek, Tilicho, Nepal
Photograph by Johan Reinhard
The north side of the Himalayas finally opened up to tourism in 1977 after being closed due to Tibetan resistance to Chinese rule. This particular trek was taken just days after the area opened in 1977.
Village Protectors, Kagbeni, Nepal
Photograph by Johan Reinhard
A boy passes through an entranceway to a village decorated with "protectors." If you look closely, you can see Reinhard caught the boy mid-jump.
Portrait, Raji Village, Nepal
Photograph courtesy Johan Reinhard
This photo was taken of Reinhard while he was living in a Raji village in southwest Nepal. The deer was orphaned when villagers shot the mother and the parrot had been caught in a field.
Prayer Wheels, Manang, Nepal
Photograph by Johan Reinhard
Inside each one of these cans there is a piece of paper with a prayer on it. It is believed that when you spin a Tibetan prayer wheel, your prayer is answered. Usually the wheels have Tibetan symbols on them, but these seemed to be from one of the poorer villages.
Gurkha Temple, Central Nepal
Photograph by Johan Reinhard
The footprints of Gorakhnath, the guardian deity of the Gurkhas, point the way to toward this ancient temple.

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